Developing a Customer Value Proposition for yourKONECRANES Service to Support New Equipment Sales Unit

The thesis focuses on developing a customer value proposition for the yourKONECRANES service offered by the case company. The case company had a challenge in utilizing the yourKONECRANES service benefits in new equipment sales. Accordingly, the study was intended to develop a Customer Value Proposition (CVP) to support the new equipment sales unit by connecting the yourKONECRANES benefits with the most critical aspects of customer needs in new equipment sales. The thesis study was carried out by following applied action-based research. The research analysis follows a systematic, logical approach in identifying the weaknesses and solutions for the challenges. The research utilizes the data from thematic interviews with key sources in the case company. The study also analyses the case company reference documents related to the service. The collected data was crystallized by involving the key stakeholders in the case company, the discussion with key stakeholders and their feedback in a workshop was documented and analyzed in developing a proposal. The developed proposal was further internally validated with decision-makers in the case company. Thus, the developed proposal for a CVP with rigor ensures the quality of the proposal. The developed proposal identifies four critical elements of a CVP. The first element defines the value drivers in utilizing the yourKONECRANES service and reveal the customer value-in-use. The second element describes the yourKONECRANES service benefits with the next best alternatives available for a customer. The third element identifies the resonating factor for a customer in realizing the yourKONECRANES benefits. The fourth elements quantify the savings to develop a functional relation between the resonating factor to the customer value-in-use. Consequently, the CVP was defined by embedding these four elements together to support new equipment sales in communicating the yourKONECRANES service benefits to a customer. Implementing the CVP for yourKONECRANES service will provide an additional tool for the equipment sales unit in differentiating its equipment offering in the market space. It has the potential to influence a customer to purchase from the case company instead of its competitors. The proposed CVP is one step forward in achieving that goal