Kellogg on Marketing, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 21Leveraging Technology to Manage the Customer Experience

Aparna A. Labroo

Technological changes over the past decade have given rise to new opportunities and new challenges for firms with respect to managing profitable growth through effective customer acquisition, retention, and development. In this chapter, we discuss some of these opportunities and challenges and the importance of targeted customer acquisition to boost subsequent customer retention and development, as well as how repeat customers can provide indispensable guidance on how a firm can prioritize its efforts and resources. We outline the ways business‐to‐consumer firms have embraced these opportunities and challenges and how using technology to enhance consumer experiences impacts firm growth and profitability. We also review case studies of the ways in which effective business‐to‐business firms are embracing the opportunities and challenges technology offers to manage customer experiences and relationships and grow their revenues exponentially. We highlight the similarities and differences in customer needs and relationship challenges unique to business‐to‐business firms and delineate frameworks for managing customer relationships in both business‐to‐business and business‐to‐consumer contexts.

Profitable Growth Through Customer Acquisition, Retention, and Development

Firms earn revenues when customers purchase their products and services. As a result, firms often focus on providing more products ...