Sustainable services: How customers participate

STUDY Car sharing, electricity from renewable energies, collection services from recycling companies - there are many sustainable services in Switzerland. What do customers expect from them? A study by Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur provides answers.Buy your own car or join a car-sharing provider? Buy conventional electricity or spend a little more on solar power? If you want to use a sustainable service, you have to change your behavior - and in most cases, you have to make an extra effort. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur have investigated this in a research project.All three levels must be rightThe research team conducted 52 interviews with customers, members of management and employees in customer contact at all four partner companies. The statements were then verified in writing in a survey of over 620 customers of the project partners. In the end, three points emerged on how to motivate customers on the levels of "benefits", "emotions" and "values" - all of which are equally relevant:1. the benefit must be rightConsumers make no compromises. For car sharing, this means that customers want to get from A to B quickly and conveniently. And they also want a seamless supply of solar power. The benefits also include good customer service with personal advice. However, they are more willing to compromise when it comes to price. However, the study did not ascertain what differences customers are prepared to bear.2. connect emotions with the offerThe customer must be able to trust the company - this can be achieved with trial subscriptions, test options or cooperation with a well-known partner. But it is also about the customers' emotions when they use the service: For example, the feeling of belonging to a group can be strengthened when other customers report on their positive experiences on social media. At the same time, this exchange helps to arouse enthusiasm and dispel any doubts. Ultimately, the principle of using surprising marketing measures to generate enthusiasm also applies to sustainable services: For example, the partner company Schwendimann will be rewarding particularly committed "recycling behavior" on the part of its Werkhof visitors from the summer: A disposal point system with benefits for customers is to be introduced.3. address understanding of valuesCustomers want to see their personal values confirmed: By using sustainable services, they want to make an active contribution to society and environmental protection.altruistic values are not the only ones that need to be taken into account. The study shows that customers want to express their openness to innovation by using sustainable services.Designing services according to customer needsBased on these findings, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the HTW Chur have developed a toolbox to help companies design their sustainable services according to the needs of their customers. At its heart is a web-based self-test for companies. This shows them whether and on which of the three levels "benefits", "emotions" and "values" there is a need for action. To enable companies to improve their offering, they are then provided with tools to support the service design processes. The "service wheel" helps companies to generate ideas on how the functional benefits of sustainable service and customer service can be improved. The "Emotion Map" is used to determine the extent to which customers trust the company and the service and whether it is possible to arouse their enthusiasm for the offer. The "House of Values" management tool, in turn, aims to establish the relationship between the service and the values of the target group. the web-based test for companies to self-assess the quality of sustainable services is available at www.sustainable-services.ch freely accessible.