Guest Lecture Reflection

Dr. Stephanie Rosenthal believes the consumer plays the role of customer and product simultaneously. 

Dr. Stephanie Rosenthal visited our Business Foundations class on April 6th, 2018.  Her lecture focused on data analytics within businesses that work to interpret and compile information about the consumer.  Aside from tracking the frequency of consumer's visitation to website, she revealed that businesses often track the location of the consumer's mouse to better understand how they navigate the website.  She compared this data to the study of how people navigate grocery stores.  This comparison widened the scope of my definition of data to physical movement that can be analyzed to produce a better and more profitable experience.  If there appear to be consistent errors or areas of confusion, the business may utilize design-thinking to resolve the frequently-occurring troubles users encounter.  Until the user can appropriately navigate the area, they may continue reforming the layout and design of both website and place.

The textbook explains how raw data can be processed into useful information for business owners to use and make improvements by.  Information systems that support processes like this are overseen by a chief information officer (CIO) and chief technology officer (CTO).  Like most management teams, their information system management teams can be divided into top, middle. and first-line.  Top information managers use processed information to plan, set objectives, and make strategic decisions based on the inadequacies of prior approaches.  Middle managers receive information that informs their ability to allocate resources and manage activities accordingly.  Finally then, first-line managers use information to supervise employees, oversee operations, and coordinate activities that align with the company's overall vision and mission statement. 

According to Wladawksky-Berger (2018), corporations are beginning to utilize more direct ways of analyzing customer satisfaction.  Instead of gathering information from the online navigational habits of customers, companies like Adobe are creating surveys that more directly collect information on user-experience.  Overall, consumers of the global market reported that their digital satisfaction score is 55%.  The component that they value the most from popular company's online platforms is personalization services that customize products to suit their needs.  Though many people do not have a grasp on information systems that allow companies to do this, they are in full support of personalization services.  From this information, it is safe to assume that information systems have a bright future and protecting and fostering customer satisfaction. 

References

Wladawksky-Berger, I. (2018). Customer experience is the key competitive differentiator in the digital age. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2018/04/20/customer-experience-is-the-key-competitive-differentiator-in-the-digital-age/.