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Assignment Briefs 12-10-2024

LO1 Explain the needs and expectations of market segments for products and/ or services of a given business organization.

Higher Nationals – Assignment Brief

Unit 16:Managing the Customer Experience

Unit Numberand Title	Unit 16:Managing the Customer Experience
Unit Code: Type: Level: Credit Value:	H/618/5057 Core 4 15
Academic Year	2024
Unit Assessors	Cross College Campus
Assignment Title	Managing the Customer Service Experience
Issue Date
Submission Date
Submission Instruction	Report to be uploaded on MOODLE via Turnitin
Learner Declaration: I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged. Student signature: Date:

Submission Format:

The submission is in the form of a s report. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using 1.5 spacing and font size 12. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs and subsections as appropriate and ensure that the report is justified and aligned. All work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word limit is 3,000–3,500 words, although you will not be penalized for exceeding the total word limit.

Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Explain the needs and expectations of market segments for products and/ or services of a given business organization.

LO2 Produce a customer experience map to create business opportunities and optimise customer touchpoints.

LO3 Investigate the impacts of digital technology on customer relationship management.

LO4 Apply effective customer experience management within an organisational context to maximise customer engagement.

Transferable skills and competencies developed:

Effective communication and articulation in explaining information effectively.
Conceptual and critical thinking, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
Recommendations on development of improvement relevant to the vocationa and organisational context.
Research, analysis and business data (both internal and external) to provide insight, support solutions to business.
Curiosity about digital business trends and developments, incorporating them into the workplace.

Vocational Scenario:

Zara is one of the largest international fashion companies, which was co-founded in 1975 by Rosalia Mera, with Amancio Ortega. Following a unique business model which includes design, production, distribution and sales through an extensive retail network, Zara has been able to attain nearly 3,000 stores, including its kids and home stores. It has stores in 96 countries and is the flagship brand of the Inditex Group. With its dramatic introduction of the concept of “fast fashion” retail, Zara is renowned for its ability to develop a new product and get it to stores within two weeks, while other retailers take six months.

Spain is the biggest market for Zara with 547 stores (including Zara Kids and Zara Home), followed by China (229 stores), France (145), Russia (144) and Italy (134). The U.S. has 98 stores as of January 2019.

Zara offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, including eyewear, shoes, perfumes, clothing, and accessories. They have a reputation for designing and producing stylish and affordable clothing items that appeal to a broad customer base.

Zara aspires to create a responsible passion for fashion amongst a broad spectrum of consumers, spread across different cultures and age groups. Many factors have contributed to the success of Zara but one of its key strengths, which has played a strong role in it becoming a global fashion store as it is today, is its ability to put customers first.

Zara is obsessed with its customers and their unrelenting focus on the customer is at the core of the brand’s success and the heights it has achieved today. Zara is already using many tools to co-create its products leveraging its customers’ input and, thereby managing customer experience. Some of these tools may include their customer feedback programmes, various communication channels, clothes donations and Zara influencer programme which they use to incorporate their target audience and take their opinions into account to act accordingly. Further, Zara has leveraged its online presence to build up and sustain effective customer relationships successfully.

Role:

Your role as Customer Service Executive is to liaise with in-house and London departmental managers including Marketing to discuss the effectiveness of existing customer touchpoints and monitor and report on their effectiveness and propose new or improved strategies. You are also responsible for managing and enhancing the overall customer experience to ensure that every interaction a customer has with the business is positive and fulfilling, leading to customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.

As more and more businesses are entering the marketplace and competition is fierce you have been tasked to provide updates on customer engagement and how digital technology enhances the customer experience.

Assignment Activity and guidance

Zara is expanding into new markets to become the leader in the fashion industry. To achieve this, they must focus on ensuring a positive customer experience to cultivate satisfiedand loyal customers. To assist with this process, your line manager has asked you to produce a report on ‘managing the customer experience’. You should include the following details in your report.

You should explain and explore a range of different target customer groups’ needs and expectations at Zara in terms of customer engagement. This includes reviewing the importance of understandingthe needs and preferences of target customer groups and evaluating how customer engagement factors assist customer onboarding for different target customer groups at Zara.

You should discuss and analyse the activities and actions taken at each customer touchpoint throughout the customer experience that influence the behavior, responses and actions of Zara’s customers to enhance the customer experience by creating a detailed customer experience map that charts the customer journey to generates opportunities for Zara.

You should critically evaluate CRM systems used in businesses for acquisition and retention by examining how digital technologies employed by Zara have changed CRM systems that assist with acquisition and customer retention effectively by providing specific examples of how they use CRM systems at Zara.

You should demonstrate and evaluate Zara’s delivery of customer services strategies and communication by justifying and making valid recommendations for improvement in developing a quality experience in a way that meets the needs of the customer and required business standard. This includes illustrating and reviewing customer service strategies within Zara.

Useful Information About Unit 16: Managing the Customer Experience Assignment

The Unit 16: Managing the Customer Experience Assignment focuses on developing an in-depth understanding of how organisations can design and sustain outstanding customer experiences. A key component of this task involves analysing customer journeys to pinpoint potential improvements and proposing practical strategies for enhancement. Central themes include examining the stages of the customer journey, from initial engagement to post-purchase interactions, and identifying ways businesses can align their operations with customer expectations to foster satisfaction and loyalty.

The assignment also explores the importance of customer-focused approaches, ensuring the needs and preferences of customers are prioritised in every aspect of service delivery. Additionally, the role of technology is emphasised, with an evaluation of digital tools like customer relationship management (CRM) systems, artificial intelligence (AI), and automated support solutions in streamlining and enriching customer interactions.

Key concepts include understanding the relationship between customer expectations and actual experiences, as well as the impact this has on brand perception. Frameworks such as SERVQUAL may be applied to assess service quality across dimensions like reliability, assurance, and empathy. Collecting and acting upon feedback through reviews, surveys, and other channels is also a critical aspect, helping businesses identify areas for improvement.

Analytical tools, such as SWOT analysis, may be used to evaluate the organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to its customer experience strategy. By integrating these elements, the assignment allows for a holistic analysis and actionable recommendations to optimise the overall customer experience.

Unit 16 Example Answer - Plagiarised Content