CLIENT

A leading Australian energy company with an expansive network of service stations

Decreasing fuel demand and an increasing customer appetite for convenience prompted this energy company to ask “how do we encourage customer loyalty in the medium term?”

BRIEF

Understanding the trends that drive purchase decisions

Conduct’s designers hit the road to speak with customers and employees at service stations around Victoria and South Australia. We interviewed 70 people to understand their mission triggers, thoughts and feelings.

Expectation vs reality

What does the move to a fossil-fuel free transportation future mean for service stations? Our first task was to work out what actually happens when customers visit, what’s their expectation of the experience, and, what’s causing attitude changes over time. The client recognises that without understanding their customer, it’s difficult to envisage how successful future initiatives might be. This research helped to fill gaps in customer knowledge and uncover opportunities to optimise service across phases of the customer journey.

Bird’s-eye organisational view

Stakeholder workshops offered insight into the effect internal processes may have on the customers’ experience. We also spoke with senior staff across the business. From these sessions, we determined three key themes or areas of strategic significance:

  • Flexibility – Be prepared to test different tools and processes to support exemplary service delivery
  • Freshness – Respond to a strong customer desire for fresh food
  • Fuel plus – Demonstrate value by offering options that cater to specific needs

Storytelling with props

We plotted our research findings onto a five metre long customer journey map. The map highlights top customer priorities and areas where change was needed to shift perception . An ‘empathy map’ layer represents customer’s high and low points. Conduct presented a series of actionable recommendations in a narrative storytelling session. We ‘walked-the-wall’ with the client, taking them along the complete user journey. Working across the journey map demonstrated the direct impact each recommendation would have on the staff and customer experience.

Taking one step further

We partnered with a leading architectural firm to conceptualise enhancements to existing service station spaces. One of the research deliverables was a series of heat maps illustrating where customers were spending the most / least amount of time in-store as well as common paths before heading to the cashier. Using these insights, the concepts depict how our recommendations could be applied in practice.

Results

The client is armed with an insights-backed roadmap to activate change. The bird’s eye view allows the client to align their future focus around customer needs.

Idea, opportunity or problem to solve?

Contact us

Melbourne

3/29 Cromwell St,
Collingwood VIC 3066 hello@conducthq.com
1300 368 277

Sydney

55 Brisbane Street,
Surry Hills NSW 2010 hello@conducthq.com
1300 368 277