User experience study of B2B-sales automation – case Terveystalo
Alarakkola, Outi (2016)
Alarakkola, Outi
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2016
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016112317020
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016112317020
Tiivistelmä
Digitalization changes radically sales and purchase processes in B2B markets. Business buyers actively search information from digital sources, and make purchase decisions already before meeting sales representatives. In order to reach the B2B customers’ expecta-tions, and to create value to them, the sales organisations must be able to provide purchase services and other elements in digital channels.
This thesis has been done as a part of the DIVA research project, which aims to develop new tested digital tools to support B2B marketing, sales and purchase processes in digital channels. One of the members of DIVA consortium, Terveystalo, already provides a wide selection of digital services for private customers, and aims to develop new digital tools also for their B2B customers. In this thesis project, Terveystalo wanted to experiment automatizing a small part of its B2B-sales service: promoting and giving information about occupational healthcare packages for micro businesses. The tool for that, Service Selector, was designed and built in this thesis project, using ZEF survey tools.
The main objective of this thesis was to study how the micro business customers experience being served by automated Service Selector, and what kind of effect does it have to the sales and the company image. In addition, we wanted to find out what are the digital B2B purchase services that micro business owners find useful. Terveystalo also wanted to increase the overall understanding about their customers. The target group of this study was micro business owners.
The research data was collected during 10.6 – 30.9.2016 from Service Selector click data and an online questionnaire, which was launched to the Service Selector users.
Unfortunately, the response rate of the questionnaire was too low to reach generalizable results to the research questions. On the other hand, there were plenty of Service Selector users, of which 15% made an offer request to Terveystalo. The respondents of UX survey gave the Service Selector a grade 5,8 in a 1-7 scale. As conclusion, the respondents don’t seem to care whether they are served by a human or a machine. As long as the service is efficient, they get tailored products or services and enough information for decision, they are satisfied.
Even though the results of the UX study could not be considered reliable and generalizable, the thesis project was successful from Terveystalo’s point of view. The collected data about the customers helped the sales people in their work. Terveystalo wanted to continue using Service Selector after the four-month trial period, and planned taking into use similar tools in other product areas.
The most important outcome of this thesis project is, that even small investment in sales and purchase automatization can lead into satisfactory results.
This thesis has been done as a part of the DIVA research project, which aims to develop new tested digital tools to support B2B marketing, sales and purchase processes in digital channels. One of the members of DIVA consortium, Terveystalo, already provides a wide selection of digital services for private customers, and aims to develop new digital tools also for their B2B customers. In this thesis project, Terveystalo wanted to experiment automatizing a small part of its B2B-sales service: promoting and giving information about occupational healthcare packages for micro businesses. The tool for that, Service Selector, was designed and built in this thesis project, using ZEF survey tools.
The main objective of this thesis was to study how the micro business customers experience being served by automated Service Selector, and what kind of effect does it have to the sales and the company image. In addition, we wanted to find out what are the digital B2B purchase services that micro business owners find useful. Terveystalo also wanted to increase the overall understanding about their customers. The target group of this study was micro business owners.
The research data was collected during 10.6 – 30.9.2016 from Service Selector click data and an online questionnaire, which was launched to the Service Selector users.
Unfortunately, the response rate of the questionnaire was too low to reach generalizable results to the research questions. On the other hand, there were plenty of Service Selector users, of which 15% made an offer request to Terveystalo. The respondents of UX survey gave the Service Selector a grade 5,8 in a 1-7 scale. As conclusion, the respondents don’t seem to care whether they are served by a human or a machine. As long as the service is efficient, they get tailored products or services and enough information for decision, they are satisfied.
Even though the results of the UX study could not be considered reliable and generalizable, the thesis project was successful from Terveystalo’s point of view. The collected data about the customers helped the sales people in their work. Terveystalo wanted to continue using Service Selector after the four-month trial period, and planned taking into use similar tools in other product areas.
The most important outcome of this thesis project is, that even small investment in sales and purchase automatization can lead into satisfactory results.