Managing Customers: CRM, Services and Communication

Course code: MGT328

Term and year: Summer 2026

Day and time: Monday to Thursday, 10:15-13:40

Instructor: Emel Yarimoglu

Instructor contact: emel.yarimoglu@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Monday 13:45-14:15

1.    Course Description

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how companies attract, retain, and develop profitable customer relationships in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Emphasizing both strategic and practical perspectives, the course explores the full spectrum of customer relationship management (CRM), consumer experience, services marketing, service quality, retail service management, customer services, and customer-focused communication. Students explore how organizations build long-term and profitable customer relationships and manage these relations in global and multicultural contexts. Students will gain knowledge about CRM activities and the importance of understanding consumer needs, providing excellent and consistent service, and encouraging various types of communication in order to develop strong customer relationships.

2.    Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

·         Describe the key concepts of marketing management and services marketing such as customer relationship management (CRM), customer lifetime value (CLV), satisfaction, loyalty, trust, process.

·         Identify different types of customers based on basic customer data and behavior patterns and segment them.

·         Analyze consumer behavior to identify important touchpoints and potential areas for improving customer experience.

·         Explain the foundations of service quality and evaluate service interactions using straightforward frameworks to measure service quality.

·         Understand how cultural differences influence customer expectations and service quality perceptions.

·         Develop basic customer communication strategies that match the needs of different customer groups and different stages of the service process.

·         Use problem-solving techniques for handling customer complaints and propose appropriate service recovery actions.

·         Develop effective customer communication strategies across digital, social, and interpersonal channels.

·         Work collaboratively in teams to solve customer-related cases, design service improvements, and present recommendations.

3.    Reading Material

Required Materials

• Lovelock, C. & Wright, L. Principles of Services Marketing and Management (will be uploaded on NEO).
• Don Peppers & Martha Rogers, Managing Customer Experience and Relationships: A Strategic Framework (can be read on Perlego).
• Larry Percy, Strategic Integrated Marketing Communications (can be read on Perlego).

Recommended Materials

• Whalley, A., Strategic Marketing (will be uploaded on NEO).
• Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G., Principles of Marketing (in the library).

4.    Teaching methodology

The course will take place over a three-week period during the summer term. There will be twelve lessons, which require physical participation of students. Classes will be organized with interactive lessons, discussions, case studies, group or individual projects. The students are expected to participate in all class activities and assignments. There will be no examinations during the course. Students will be evaluated by their in-class studies, timely submissions, and presentations.

5.    Course Schedule

6.    Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7.    Detailed description of the assignments

Attendance: Students’ physical attendance and active engagement to class without disturbing anyone. Attendance is mandatory at AAU School of Business.

Class Participation: Students are responsible for participating in all class discussions. Participation is evaluated on the quality of your contribution to the learning experience of the class.  

Assignment 1 (A1): Students will select one producer company. Then, they will analyze this company’s products, markets, segments, and customers. They will prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or Canva. This presentation should be submitted to NEO before the class.

Assessment breakdown

Assignment 2 (A2): Each student will select one service company. Then, students will analyze services marketing and management implications of the company. They will prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or Canva. This presentation should be submitted to NEO before the class.

Assessment breakdown

Final Presentation: Students will select one service or product company, then they will show how this company communicate with its customers and manage customers by using the tools that are talked about throughout the semester. Assignment should be prepared on PowerPoint and submitted to NEO before the class.  

Assessment breakdown

8.    General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work. Please see the AAU intranet for a summary of key policies regarding coursework.

Course specific requirements

There are no special requirements or deviations from AAU policies for this course.