Final Project Outline
Instructions:
The outline is for the final paper and the company I would like to choose is Best Buy. You can Google: “Best Buy Operation Strategy” to see some references if needed.
• Note: Please write the outline in details and directly to the point. Please do some research before writing the paper. Please write the outline(please do not repeat the requirement in the paper and please answer each questions of those 5 sections below. You do not have to be too detailed since it’s an outline, but please be specific and directly to the point).Note that the paper should not focus on customer acquisition, direct-response ?campaigns, marketing strategies, etc. It should focus on business processes and customer interactions/communications the company addresses to prospects and customers who have already “raised their hands” by requesting a catalog, a sample, or information, logging on to a website, or making a purchase. Extraneous material not related to the topics of the class will count negatively in the grading of this project. ?
• The outline should cover the following:
? Order management cycle: actual, opportunities for improvement?
– Specify at least one, and no more than three, critical service and/or operational capabilities the company must excel in to succeed – (a) according to company published materials and/or your secondary research, and (b) in your analysis. How does the company attempt to excel at these capabilities? How can it improve? ?
? Value map: actual, opportunities for improvement?
Interact with the company as a customer or client. Present a value map or blueprint of your interaction and customer experience. ?
? Customer communications: actual, opportunities for improvement
Gather as many customer communications as you can first-hand, either by signing up for email newsletters or promotions, requesting catalogs, calling customer service to gather product information, requesting customer materials from the company, etc., to evaluate the company’s communications from the customer service perspective covered in class. How well does the company anticipate customer needs and questions, and structure its customer experience and communications to minimize customer service contacts? On the web, in catalog and other print communications, in store? Via email, social media and other ancillary materials? Via Customer Service interactions?
? Customer Service experience: actual, opportunities for improvement?
– Be analytical, not just descriptive. Be as objective as possible: we are all interested in how the company manages the customer experience – not if you liked or did not like your experience, not if the home page looks clean and pleasing, etc. If the customer experience is a good one, describe the specific goals the company achieves and how it does so. How could it be improved? If the customer experience is less than optimal, how can it be improved? ?
– Evaluate the usability of the company’s website. Clearly define the specific customer “personas” the site does, and does not, serve effectively. Evaluate the transaction flow and the proactive customer service information. Identify what the site does well, and why, and what it does poorly, and explain the reasons for your conclusion. ?
– Place an order (or more), and if possible return the order, complain about the order, etc., to study how the company interacts with its customers at each point. Find as many opportunities as possible to interact with the company through multiple channels. Keep notes on phone calls, store visits, and other experiences, to present in your project.
? How do the above 4 elements impact the company’s marketing strategy and provide strategic advantages or disadvantages?
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