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ERIC Number: ED577680
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 221
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3550-6901-3
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
How Customer Facing Professionals Adapt to Changing Customer Needs in a Digital Environment: A Single Case Study
Hendriks, Stefan
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University
This qualitative single case study explored how customer facing professionals (CFPs) adapt to changing customer needs in a digital environment. This study focuses on: (1) Changing customer needs; (2) Competencies needed in a digital environment; (3) How they learn; and (4) What factors help or hinder their success. The site is a global Human Resources Outsourcing organization, headquartered in the USA. The data sources included twenty interviews with CFPs in a call center and document analysis. Relevant literature provides competencies (Berry et al., 1994; Gwinner et al., 2005; Hennig-Thurau, 2004; Parasuraman et al.,1985; Russ-Eft, 2004; Wilder et al., 2014) and contextual factors to adapt to customer needs and provide excellent customer service: e.g. technical and social skills, motivation to adapt, customer knowledge, empowerment, reliability, effective communication and recovery from bad experiences. Literature on learning agility may shed light on how CFPs learn: learning competencies in first time, tough and new conditions (Lombardo & Eichinger, 2000), being fast in understanding situations and moving across ideas flexibly (DeRue et al., 2012), or having a mindset and practices to face complex problems (Mitchinson & Morris, 2012). The study produced four major findings: (1) Customers -- driven by younger generations -- prefer to communicate via digital technologies, expect organizations to have the latest technologies and want everything immediately. (2) New competencies are needed in the digital age: being technologically savvy, solving problems and being organized AND flexible. Being organized AND flexible offers additional insight into the construct of learning agility, because organization allows CFPs to be flexible. (3) CFPs learn informally by doing research on line, from each other and by trial and error. (4) Supportive management and a positive work environment help CFPs succeed. Many CFPs were threatened by technological advances. Their attitude made the difference. Embracing technology, being positive, embedding new technologies in their work and informal learning proved essential for success. The recommendations for CFPs are to embrace technology and learn new competencies in the digital age. Organizations are recommended to embrace new technologies, hire and develop people with new needed competencies and create environments for people to thrive in the digital age. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A