Customer Experience Management (CXM) has become a central pillar of competitive advantage in today’s customer-driven markets. In an era where products and services are increasingly interchangeable, the experience a customer has with a brand—across digital and physical touchpoints—is what often differentiates leading companies from the rest. Exceptional CX strengthens customer loyalty, enhances brand equity, drives sustainable growth, and is increasingly aligned with broader business goals, such as purpose-driven marketing and ESG (Environmental, Social and / or Governance) strategies.

This course equips students with the mindset, tools, and frameworks needed to understand, design, and improve customer experiences. Participants will learn how to approach the customer journey holistically—from awareness to post-purchase—and how to identify pain points, moments of truth, and emotional triggers using tools like Customer Journey Maps, Service Blueprints, and Empathy Maps. Students will also explore how data, AI, and automation are transforming CX—from personalized touchpoints to predictive support—and reflect on ethical and sustainable dimensions of experience design.

The course is highly practice-oriented and team-based. Working in small groups, students will tackle a real or hypothetical CX challenge and apply the concepts learned to develop a sustainable solution. Each team will receive feedback throughout the process and refine their ideas through coaching. At the end of the course, students will present their project in a final presentation and submit a written report.

In addition, the course encourages students to reflect on how customer experience strategies can align with environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Students are invited to consider sustainable design principles, inclusive and ethical personalization practices, and transparent, trust-building communication as key components of modern CX design. This emphasis on purpose-driven experience aims to foster both commercial value and societal impact.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

·       Understand and apply core principles of Customer Experience Management (CXM), including journey thinking, touchpoint design, and experience metrics. (Understanding, Applying)

·       Use CX methods and tools such as Journey Maps, Empathy Maps, Net Promoter Score (NPS), and Service Blueprints to assess and improve customer experiences. (Applying)

·       Analyze customer journeys and service interactions to identify pain points and areas for innovation. (Analyzing)

·       Evaluate the potential of AI in enhancing or degrading customer experience. (Evaluating)

·       Design and develop a customer experience solution in response to a complex CX challenge. (Creating)

·       Deliver effective and engaging team presentations and give/receive constructive feedback. (Applying, Evaluating)

·       Collaborate in diverse teams and manage project progress over time. (Applying)

Participation in all sessions is mandatory. If you are not attending the first lecture, we are assuming you are not interested any more in participation. Beyond the first lecture, you may miss up to max. 20% of lecture hours, but please note that content is build-up in a modular way. Thus, absences should be minimized to ensure your optimal learning outcomes.

·       Self-study to complete reading assignments

·       Lectures and in-class discussions on theoretical foundations

·       Case-based group work (presentation and report)

·       Peer review and feedback

The final grade is composed of the following components. You can reach max. 100 points:

Participation in class and the project presentation is graded at the individual level, while the written group project is graded at the group level. The peer review is used to assess the individual contribution of each group member to the group project.

Grades are as follows: 90 pts or more: 1 (= excellent), 80 pts or more: 2 (= good), 70 pts or more: 3 (=satisfactory), 60 pts or more: 4 (= sufficient), 59 pts or less: 5 (= fail).

All concepts and tools will be introduced during the course.

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