Trying to become "The World’s Cosiest Airport" : A Case Study on Customer Experience Management from a Service Delivery Network perspective

Abstract: The practical relevancy of Customer Experience Management is increasing. The research on the topic has still not found common ground in all areas. Most scholars still fail to see the advantage of adopting a broader perspective of Customer Experience Management and integrating factors that lie out of the focal company’s control into the scope of the conceptual framework. The aim of this thesis is to clarify the principal elements that constitute Customer Experience Management and explore what role the Service Delivery Network plays in this context and how it can be managed more effectively with the help of IT/IS. To explore the problem empirically, a case study approach was used. The author had the possibility to investigate the Passenger Experience activities of Tallinn Airport which has the unique goal of becoming "The World’s Cosiest Airport". Summarizing the findings of the thesis very briefly, the following things should be noted. First, the case study has shown empirically that passengers’ experiences with different companies in a Service Delivery Network interfere with each other. Second, the findings suggest that Partner Management is an important part of Passenger Experience Management. Third, IT and mobile IT in particular are good means to manage Passenger Experiences. Especially, mobile applications have a huge potential to support a customer’s self-management and co-create an experience. A potential avenue for future research would be 1. to take on the passenger perspective on the topic and 2. to replicate the study or at least parts of it at other airports to allow cross-case analyses.