System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Design and Validation of Smart Customer Experience in Agricultural Bank of Khorasan Razavi Province with a Mixed-methods Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Nafiseh Ghadami Gholsheikh 1
Vahid Sanavi Garousiyan 2
Ali Hosseinzadeh 3
1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Management, Torbat-e-Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Heydarie, Iran
2 Corresponding author: Assistant Professor, Department of Business Management, Bojnourd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Torbat-e-Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Heydarie, Iran
10.22034/sep.2025.2049020.1244
Abstract
This article examines and designs the smart customer experience at the Agricultural Bank of Khorasan Razavi Province. The research is applied in purpose and descriptive in method, conducted with a mixed approach. The study consists of two phases: qualitative and quantitative. Two statistical populations were involved: experts, as well as managers and employees of the Agricultural Bank. In the qualitative phase, 12 experts were selected, and in the fuzzy Delphi section, 40 experts were chosen using purposive sampling. In the model testing section, 290 employees and managers of the bank participated. In the qualitative phase, through interviews with 12 experts, key components of the smart customer experience were identified, resulting in 54 open codes. These codes were then organized into 12 subcategories and 5 main categories. The main categories included experience derived from personalization and prediction, interaction, intelligent support, security and privacy, and a sense of safety and pleasantness. In the quantitative phase, the results from the qualitative phase were confirmed using fuzzy Delphi and first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis. These categories were presented in a questionnaire to 290 employees and managers of the bank, and the final model was evaluated. Findings showed that factors like prediction, proactivity, data analysis, transparency, and accessibility significantly impact customer experience, while autonomy, satisfaction, and pleasure have moderate effects. The research results can serve as a valuable guide for improving smart banking services and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Highlights

  • Categories such as prediction and proactivity, data analytics, transparency and accessibility have a large impact on the customer experience.
  • Categories such as autonomy and satisfaction and delight have a smaller impact.
  • Key components of intelligent customer experience were identified

Keywords
Customer experience
Smart customer experience
Mixed-methods approach
Agricultural Bank
Smart support
Subjects

Copyright © Nafiseh Ghadami Gholsheikh. Vahid Sanavi Garousiyan. Ali Hosseinzadeh

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

 

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System Engineering and Productivity
Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 14
Serial No. 14, Spring Quarterly
Spring 2025
Pages 65-91

  • Receive Date 26 December 2024
  • Revise Date 23 January 2025
  • Accept Date 12 February 2025
  • First Publish Date 12 February 2025
  • Publish Date 22 May 2025