Understanding and Developing the Customer Journey
**CHALLENGE** The Helsinki Region Student Housing Foundation (Hoas), a non-profit organization founded in 1969, works to improve the housing conditions for students in the capital area. Hoas offers rental apartments in Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen to full-time students attending higher education institutions. With a portfolio of over 10,000 apartments, the foundation accommodates around 18,000 residents. To enhance its services, Hoas sought to gain insight into its customers’ experiences throughout their journey and partnered with Sailer for assistance.
**SOLUTION** Sailer developed and implemented a qualitative longitudinal study, tracking Hoas residents as they moved through different phases of the customer journey. The recruitment process targeted various customer segments and profiles. Residents participated in online in-depth interviews to share their experiences at each stage of the journey. Three rounds of interviews were conducted, leading to a wealth of data, including extensive interview recordings, video diary submissions, and numerous pages of observational notes. This data was analyzed to address specific research questions, and presentations incorporated rich visual and video content gathered during the interviews. Ultimately, video reports for each phase of the journey were created to authentically portray residents' daily lives, challenges, and joys.
**ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS** The study's timing and reporting were designed to ensure Hoas could effectively leverage the research findings and video reports for staff and management training. With these insights, Hoas is positioned to enhance its operations and customer experience while easily disseminating understandings of customer needs across the organization.
**OUTCOMES** The reports from the study were structured for practical use in internal training workshops, development days, and stakeholder gatherings.