Mapping Thai millennials' customer experience in tourist ...

MAPPING THAI MILLENNIALS’ CUSTOMER

EXPERIENCE IN TOURIST BOAT SERVICE

ON CHAO PHRAYA RIVER

BY

MISS QWANRATN CHAROENPHAO

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

OF MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN MARKETING (INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM)

FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND ACCOUNTANCY THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2018

COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

MAPPING THAI MILLENNIALS’ CUSTOMER

EXPERIENCE IN TOURIST BOAT SERVICE

ON CHAO PHRAYA RIVER

BY

MISS QWANRATN CHAROENPHAO

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

OF MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN MARKETING (INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM)

FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND ACCOUNTANCY THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2018

COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(1)

Independent Study Title MAPPING THAI MILLENNIALS’

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN TOURIST

BOAT SERVICE ON CHAO PHRAYA RIVER

Author Miss Qwanratn Charoenphao

Degree Master of Science Program in Marketing

(International Program)

Major Field/Faculty/University Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy

Thammasat University

Independent Study Advisor Professor Paul G. Patterson, Ph.D.

Academic Years 2018

ABSTRACT

Tourism industry of Thailand was predicted to continue growing in 2018.

Regarding the domestic travel, it is expected that the number of domestic trips will be

slightly increased. There were many retails established along the banks of the Chao

Phraya River in the recent. Understanding and creating a strong customer experience is

one of the top priorities for firms according to the changing of customer behaviors in

interacting with firms through various. Especially in the service businesses, managing

customer experience is one of the most important task of the firm.

The purpose of this study are to understand customer experience by

determining the expectation and satisfaction at each touchpoint, and to identify the way

to enhance customer experience. The objectives of this study are: (1) To understand

Thai millennials’ customer experience in tourist boat service on Chao Phraya River

throughout the customer journey, (2) To identify the key touchpoint that has the biggest

impact on overall customer experience, and (3) To determine area of improvements of

customer experience across touchpoints.

The observation and in-depth interviews were conducted to study the

customer experience. 20 respondents who are Thais aged between 22-37 years old were

recruited for the in-depth interviews. The respondents had purchased Unlimited River

Pass sold by Chao Phraya Tourist Boat within one month prior to the interview date.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(2)

The target respondents were Online customers and Walk-in customers which were

equally focused.

Results were that pier landings were most influential. Delays were the most

significant cause of dissatisfaction. Some samples who were walk-in customers had

developed expectations based on incomplete staff explanations, which led to

dissatisfaction. Online customers were most dissatisfied with payment procedure,

although this factor had a low impact on overall satisfaction. These findings may be

useful for government and private tourist organizations to better meet traveler needs,

boosting revenues in the competitive field of Thai tourism.

Keywords: Customer experience, Customer satisfaction, Tourist boat service, Chao

Phraya River.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(3)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Professor Paul

G. Patterson, Ph.D. for his constructive and valuable guidance throughout this

independent study. His willingness to give his time has been very much appreciated.

I would also like to offer my special thanks to friends and colleagues at

works, and my family who supported me to complete the report. I am thankful to all of

the respondents who contributed their time for the interviews.

Miss Qwanratn Charoenphao

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(4)

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

ABSTRACT (1)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (3)

LIST OF TABLES (8)

LIST OF FIGURES (9)

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Research Purpose 2

1.2 Marketing Theory and Model 2

1.2.1 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption 2

1.3 Objectives 3

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 4

2.1 The Opportunity of Businesses along the Chao Phraya River 4

2.2 Industry Players 5

2.2.1 Chao Phraya Tourist Boat (CTB) 5

2.2.2 Chao Phraya Express Boat (CPEX) 6

2.2.3 Ferry-crossing Boats 6

2.2.4 Dinner Cruises 6

2.2.5 Long-tail Boats 7

2.3 Marketing Related Theories and Models 8

2.3.1 Experience Economy 8

2.3.2 Customer Experience 8

2.3.3 Customer Expectation 8

2.3.4 Five Determinants of Service Quality 9

(

) (

) (

) (

)

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(5)

2.3.5 Customer Satisfaction 9

2.3.6 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption 9

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 10

3.1 Exploratory Research 10

3.1.1 Secondary Data 10

3.2.2 Observation 10

3.2.3 In-depth Interviews 10

3.2 Data Collection Plan 12

3.2.1 Target Respondent and Recruitment Criteria 12

3.3 Data Analysis Plan 13

3.3.1 Identification of Key Research Variables 13

3.3.2 Theoretical Frameworks 13

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 16

4.1 Key findings from the observation 16

4.2 Key findings from the in-depth interviews 16

4.2.1 Walk-in Customers 17

4.2.1.1 Perceptions of Service Quality 17

4.2.1.2 Seek-for-information stage 17

4.2.1.3 Buy-ticket stage 18

4.2.1.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage 18

4.2.1.5 Board-on-the-boat stage 18

4.2.1.6 Get-off-the-boat stage 19

4.2.1.7 Overall satisfaction 19

4.2.1.8 Recommendations and improvements 20

4.2.2 Online Customers 21

4.2.2.1 Perceptions of Service Quality 21

4.2.2.2 Seek-for-information stage 21

4.2.2.3 Purchase-via-online-store stage 22

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(6)

4.2.2.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage 22

4.2.2.5 Board-on-the-boat stage 23

4.2.2.6 Get-off-the-boat stage 23

4.2.2.7 Overall satisfaction 24

4.2.2.8 Recommendations and improvements 24

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26

5.1 Conclusion 26

5.1.1 Perceptions of Service Quality 26

5.1.2 Seek-for-information stage 26

5.1.3 Buy-ticket or Purchase-via-online-store stage 27

5.1.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage 27

5.1.5 Board-on-the-boat stage 27

5.1.6 Get-off-the-pier stage 27

5.2 Recommendations 28

5.2.1 Online Store 28

5.2.2 Staff 28

5.2.3 Boat Service 28

5.3 Limitations 28

5.4 Suggestion for Future Study 28

REFERENCES 29

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: CTB ROUTE MAP 33

APPENDIX B: CTB BOATS AND FACILITIES PHOTOS 34

APPENDIX C: CPEX SERVICE DETAILS AND BOAT PHOTOS 37

APPENDIX D: FERRY-CROSSING BOAT PHOTOS 39

APPENDIX E: DINNER CRUISE BOAT AND FACILITIES PHOTOS 40

APPENDIX F: LONG-TAIL BOAT PHOTO 41

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(7)

APPENDIX G: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 42

APPENDIX H: SATISFACTION SHOW CARD 44

BIOGRAPHY 45

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(8)

LIST OF TABLES

Tables Page

2.1 Internal Tourism in Bangkok (January-March 2017) 5

4.1 Level of satisfaction at stages and overall satisfaction 20

(Walk-in Customers)

4.2 Level of satisfaction at stages and overall satisfaction 24

(Online Customers)

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

(9)

LIST OF FIGURES

Figures Page

1.1 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption 3

3.1 Customer Journey Map for Online and Walk-in Customers 11

3.2 Key Variables 13

3.3 Walk-in Customer - Analysis Framework 14

3.4 Online Customer - Analysis Framework 15

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

1

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Tourism industry of Thailand was predicted to continue growing in 2018

(Kasikorn Research Center, 2018). The number of international tourist arrivals is

expected to reach 37.8 million in 2018. Regarding the domestic travel, it is expected

that the number of domestic trips will be slightly increased to 165.4 million trips.

Bangkok is one of the top destinations for tourists around the world

(“Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2018”, 2018). The 4 major landmarks of

Bangkok locating near the bank of the Chao Phraya River which are the Temple of the

Reclining Buddha, the Grand Palace, the Temple of Dawn, and the Temple of the

Emerald Buddha were ranked in TripAdvisor top 25 landmarks of Asia (TripAdvisor,

2018). There were many retails established along the banks of the Chao Phraya River

including Asiatique the River Front, Tha Maharaj, Lhong 1919, Warehouse 30 and

Yodpiman Riverwalk in the recent years (Bangkok Post 2015; Prachachat 2017). Also,

there is the ongoing construction of ICONSIAM which expected to be opened by

November 2018 (The Nation, 2018). This massive developments on the banks of Chao

Phraya River, as the tourism magnets to attract both Thai and foreigner travellers

(Marketing Oops, 2018), reflects the big opportunity for the tourist boat providers on

the Chao Phraya River to gain more customers.

Understanding and creating a strong customer experience is one of the top

priorities for firms according to the changing of customer behaviors in interacting with

firms through various touchpoints, resulting in more complex customer journeys

(Lemon & Verhoef, 2016). Especially in the service businesses, managing customer

experience is one of the most important job (Dasu and Chase, 2010).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

2

1.1 Research Purpose

The purpose of this study are to understand customer experience by

determining the expectation and satisfaction at each touchpoint and hence to identify

the way to enhance customer experience by identifying the biggest impact touchpoint

and customers’ pain points. Important questions that results of this study would answer

are: how do the satisfaction at each touchpoints of tourist boat service influence

customer experience?, which touchpoint has the biggest impact to overall customer

experience?, and how can the customer experience across touchpoints be improved?.

This study is in the field of tourism which is one of the important part of

Thailand’s society. The result and implications of this study will be beneficial to the

tourist boat service providers and other service providers who might want to develop

the better customer experience which is very important to service businesses.

1.2 Marketing Theory and Model

1.2.1 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption

The Three-stage Model of Service Consumption (Lovelock et al.,

2015) is used in this study to framing the customer journey map. This model consists

of the pre-purchase, service encounter and post-encounter stage as illustrated in Figure

1. This study will focus on the first two stages which are pre-purchase and service

consumption stages.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

3

Figure 1.1 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption

1.3 Objectives

The study objectives are as follows:

1. To understand Thai millennials’ customer experience in tourist boat

service on Chao Phraya River throughout the customer journey.

1a. To measure customer satisfaction on each touchpoints during pre-

purchase and service encounter stages.

1b. To measure customer overall satisfaction during pre-purchase and

service encounter stages.

1c. To determine customer expectations on the service quality.

2. To identify the key touchpoint that has the biggest impact on overall

customer experience.

3. To determine area of improvements of customer experience across

touchpoints.

Pre-purchase

Service Encounter

Post-purchase

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

4

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The review of literature was done to gain the deeper understanding of the

background of the businesses and tourism industry on the Chao Phraya River and gain

more knowledge on consumers’ journey map. The literature reviews from creditable

sources including textbook, academic journals, and Google Scholars on business

landscape, customer experience, and services consumption model have been well

explored as summarized below.

2.1 The Opportunity of Businesses along the Chao Phraya River

More than 4 millions of Thai people spent their times on travelling around

Bangkok as excursionists during January to March, 2017 period as shown in Table 2.1

(Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2018). According to CDR. Parinya Ruckwatin, the

opening of ICONSIAM will awaken the businesses along the Chao Phraya River (MGR

Online, 2018). New businesses such as condominiums, hotels, shops, and service

providers can be expected to grow along the river area (Marketing Oops, 2018). Also,

after the completion of the skytrain and subway projects, there will be many more

stations connected to the Chao Phraya River which allows people staying in many areas

in Bangkok and Nonthaburi to easily access to the Chao Phraya River and gain more

interest to travel along the Chao Phraya river.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

5

Table 2.1 Internal Tourism in Bangkok (January-March 2017)

2.2 Industry Players

There are many river transportation service providers on the Chao Phraya

River which provide different services to customers. This study refers to 5 major players

which are 1. Chao Phraya Tourist Boat (CTB), 2. Chao Phraya Express Boat (CPEX),

3. Ferry-crossing Boats, 4. Dinner Cruises, 5. Long-tail Boats.

2.2.1 Chao Phraya Tourist Boat (CTB)

The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat or CTB (Chao Phraya Tourist Boat,

2016) is a private river transportation in a form of hop-on hop-off service which stops

at 9 piers between Sathorn Pier (BTS Saphan Taksin Station) and Phra Arthit Pier on

the Chao Phraya River that connect to Bangkok’s famous attractions and shopping

places (See Appendix A for CTB Route Map). The service operates daily from 09.00 -

18.00 hrs. Boat runs every 30 minutes from Sathorn Pier (Origin Pier) and Phra Arthit

Pier (Terminal Pier). The signage of CTB is the blue flag on the roof of every boat.

Tourist Types January-March

2017 2016 %Change

Visitor 15,114,928 13,908,334 8.68

Thai 9,006,495 8,283,014 8.73

Foreigners 6,108,433 5,625,320 8.59

Tourist 10,991,649 10,156,404 8.22

Thai 5,117,532 4,750,831 7.72

Foreigners 5,874,117 5,405,573 8.67

Excursionist 4,123,279 3,751,930 9.90

Thai 3,888,963 3,532,183 10.10

Foreigners 234,316 219,747 6.63

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

6

CTB provides the superior service with the audio guide system

narrating the story of places along the river, on-board guide person facilitating

customers, and free map or travel guide. Currently, there are 4 double-decker boats

running, which travelers can enjoy the panoramic view of the river, along with the

normal boats with no upper-deck as shown in Appendix B. Travelers are able to buy

ticket from ticket staff at every pier of CTB route or on the boat. Ticketing staffs will

roughly inform travelers about the service such as routing, timing, and attractions, etc.

There are 4 types of tickets which are (1) All Day All Night Pass, the

unlimited hop-on hop-off between 9.00 - 20.30 hrs on the issued date, which costs 300

Baht. (2) One-day River pass, the unlimited hop-on hop-off between 9.00 - 17.30 hrs

on the issued date, which costs 200 Baht. (3) One-night River Pass, the unlimited hop-

on hop-off between 15.00 - 20.30 hrs on the issued date, which costs 200 Baht. Travelers

receive the complimentary travel guide providing useful information when purchasing

the unlimited pass ticket. (4) Single-journey ticket which costs 60 Baht.

2.2.2 Chao Phraya Express Boat (CPEX)

The Chao Phraya Express Boat (Chao Phraya Express Boat, 2010) is

a river transportation service operated between piers in Bangkok and Nonthaburi on the

Chao Phraya River. Established in 1971 granting a concession right from the Marine

Department, CPEX serves local and foreign commuters with 4 different types of service

which are (1) Local Line Boat (No Flag), (2) Express Boat (Orange Flag), (3) Express

Boat (Yellow Flag), and (4) Express Boat (Green Flag) as described in Appendix C.

2.2.3 Ferry-crossing Boats

There are many ferry-crossing boat services, which owned by

different private companies, run across the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Nonthaburi,

and Samut Prakan areas (Posttoday, 2017). The ferry-crossing boat services normally

operate to serve local commuters in specific areas; however, tourists also use the service

in some areas to travel around such as Tha Chang Pier - Wang Lang Pier route, Si

Phraya Pier - Klongsan Pier route, and Pakklong Taladd Pier (Atsadang) - Wat

Kallayanamitr Pier route, etc. The fare range is between 3.50 - 6 Baht depending on the

route. (See Appendix D for Ferry-crossing Boat Photo).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

7

2.2.4 Dinner Cruises

There are many dinner cruise services on the Chao Phraya River such

as White Orchid River Cruise, Chao Phraya Cruise, Wonderful Pearl Cruise, etc. which

normally serve the tour groups. The boats run during the evening to night time cruising

from River City Bangkok Pier or Asiatique pier to Rama VIII Bridge and back to the

starting point. The dinner cruise service providers usually provide the parity services

such as international buffet, Thai dance show before boarding, and live band, etc

(Chillpainai, 2015). The price varies depending on the service starting from around 900

to 2,100 Baht. (See Appendix E for Dinner Cruises Photos).

2.2.5 Long-tail Boats

Long-tail boat services privately run by individuals to mainly serve

the foreign tourists who seek for adventurous and exotic experience. The long-tail boat

tour usually run both on the river and canals. Long-tail boats can be hired at many piers

including Sathorn Pier, Wat Arun Pier, Phra Arthit Pier, etc. The price depends on the

service providers and sometimes is overcharges although it is based on duration,

number of passengers, and destination, thus it is necessary for travelers to negotiate the

price. The price is around 1,000 Baht on average. The tour is very flexible which can

be varied from the sightseeing tour to an active guided tour depending on traveler’s

choice (Bangkok River, 2018). (See Appendix F for Long-tail Boat Photo).

This study will focus only on (1) Chao Phraya Tourist Boat (CTB)

service. According to its service format and service quality, CTB is quite interesting

service to explore.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

8

2.3 Marketing Related Theories and Models

2.3.1 Experience Economy

Pine and Gilmore (1998) stated that the concept of selling experiences

is spreading to use in many businesses including technologies not limited to theaters

and theme parks. It is transforming from commodities, to goods, to services, and to

experience economy. Experience occurs when firm uses services as the stage and goods

as props to engage customers in a way that creates a memorable event. Companies can

sell experience if they can design the experience that customers perceive it worth their

money. The experiences can be viewed across two dimensions which are customer

participation and the connection between customers and brand.

2.3.2 Customer Experience

The customer experience is a multidimensional construct which

focuses on customers’ cognitive, emotional, behavioral, sensorial, and social responses

to the firm or service’s offerings at touch points in the customer’s entire journey (Lemon

& Verhoef, 2016). Customers satisfaction and service quality could be components of

customer experience. Lemon & Verhoef (2016) conceptualized customer experience as

a customer’s journey which dynamically flows from prepurchase to purchase to post

purchase. There are different types of touch points at each stage of the customer journey

in which customers might interact with including brand-owned, partner-owned,

customer-owned, and social/external/independent touch points. It is stated that

emotions, trust and control (ETCs) of service encounters are the key elements that

impact on how customers perceive their experience (Dasu and Chase, 2010) so

understanding the ETCs will help the service provider able to improve the customer

experience.

2.3.3 Customer Expectation

The customer expectations are formed from many sources including

past experiences, word of mouth, and advertising by comparing perceived and expected

service (Kotler & Keller, 2016). If the perceived service is below the expected service,

then customers are disappointed. On the other hand, if perceived service exceeds the

expected service, then customers are delighted.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

9

2.3.4 Five Determinants of Service Quality

Parasuraman et al. (1985) stated that there are five determinants of

service quality. which are (1) Reliability, (2) Responsiveness, (3) Assurance, (4)

Empathy, and (5) Tangibles. Reliability is the ability of service provider to perform the

promised service accurately (Kotler & Keller, 2016). Responsiveness is the willingness

to facilitate and provide the prompt service to customers. Assurance is the employees’

knowledge, courtesy, and ability to build trust. Empathy is the individualized attention

and caring to customers. Lastly, Tangibles is about the appearance of physical things

such as facilities, equipment, staff, and communication materials.

2.3.5 Customer Satisfaction

Pulido et al. (2014) found that there are three keys to customer

satisfaction consistency which are customer-journey consistency, emotional

consistency, and communication consistency. It is stated that measuring satisfaction on

customer journeys is more predictive than measuring happiness on each individual

interaction. Furthermore, maximizing satisfaction with customer journeys has the

potential on both increasing customer satisfaction and lifting revenue.

2.3.6 Three-stage Model of Service Consumption

The three-stage model of service consumption (Lovelock et al., 2015)

consists of the pre-purchase, service encounter and post-encounter stage. In the pre-

purchase stage, there are five steps which are need arousal, information search, risk

perceptions, evaluation of alternatives, and determination of consideration set. In the

service encounter or consumption stage, customers experience and consume the service.

Customers have expectations on what they will receive from the service and they

evaluate the service by their psychological needs, moods, the understanding of their

role, and communication styles. In the post-encounter stage, customer compares the

service outcomes they perceive with their prior expectations which results in some level

of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

10

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research was conducted by using Exploratory Research method in order

to achieve the research objectives. Exploratory research was used to explore the current

industry situation and gain customer insight on how they experience the service in order

to provide the recommendation.

3.1 Exploratory Research

3.1.1 Secondary Data

Secondary data was obtained through both online and Walk-in

sources. The official news websites such as Bangkok Post, and Prachachat, etc. were

studied in order to broaden the perspectives of current industry situation. Moreover, the

academic book and journals were studied to gain the better understanding of the

customer experience and customer journey theories.

3.2.2 Observation

The observation was conducted in parallel with in-depth interviews.

This method helped gain better understanding of customer journey and see how

customers interact at each touchpoint.

3.2.3 In-depth Interviews

The in-depth interviews were conducted to collect opinions and ideas

from 20 respondents who have used the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat service (See in-depth

interviews questions in Appendix G). This method helped accomplish the research

objectives.

The interviews were conducted based on the customer journey map

illustrated from the pilot observation and in-depth interviews as shown in Figure 2.

Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction on each touchpoint. The show card

(Lavrakas, P. J., 2008), which is a visual aid used during in-person surveys coming in a

form of card or piece of paper containing answer categories to a question, was used to

measure satisfaction. The icons of smiley face, neutral face, and sad face representing

3-point scale was appeared on the show card (See satisfaction show card in Appendix

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

11

H). Regarding the telephone interview, the respondents were asked to rate in the scale

of 1 to 5 which 1 refers to very dissatisfied and 5 refers to very satisfied. After that, the

score was converted into 3-point scale which 1 and 2 refers to the sad face, 3 refers to

the neutral face, and 4 and 5 refers to the smiley face. The follow-on questions were

asked to probe the reasons that respondents choose their answers.

Figure 3.1 Customer Journey Map for Online and Walk-in Customers

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

12

The net-promoter score (Reichheld, 2003) was also used in order to

measure overall satisfaction. It is the ratio of promoters to detractors that can be found

out by asking “How likely is it that you would recommend our service to a friend or

colleague?”. The respondents who rates nine to ten are the promoters. The respondents

who rates seven to eight are the passively satisfied. The respondents who rates zero to

six are the detractors.

3.2 Data Collection Plan

3.2.1 Target Respondent and Recruitment Criteria

A total of 20 respondents were recruited for the in-depth interviews

during 1 February - 10 March 2019. The respondents were Thais aged between 22-37

years old who had purchased Unlimited hop-on hop-off in one day sold by Chao Phraya

Tourist Boat within one month prior to the interview date. There were two groups of

target respondents which are (1) Walk-in customers who purchased the ticket at the

ticket booth and (2) Online customers who purchased the ticket in advance from online

website. This study equally focused on both types of customers.

The sampling procedure for this research was the convenience

sampling, according to the time constraint. 10 online customers were recruited by e-

mail and 10 walk-in customers were recruited at Sathorn pier, which most of travellers

start their journey at this pier. The screening questions regarding the age were asked to

qualify the respondents. The interviews were approximately taken around 15-20

minutes. The interviews were conducted face to face and via telephone.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

13

3.3 Data Analysis Plan

The data from the in-depth interviews was transcribed and the notes during

observations was integrated. Content analysis was used to examine the patterns of data.

After transcribing, the data reduction was done by grouping the data. Theoretical

framework, which is applied from the customer journey map, was used to classify and

find the patterns of data. Lastly, the data was visualized in the form of graphics and

texts.

3.3.1 Identification of Key Research Variables

There are 2 types of key variables which are dependent and independent

variables as shown in Figure 3.2. Dependent variables are overall satisfaction and

customer experience. Independent variables are expectation of service quality,

satisfactions and emotions experienced at each touchpoint.

Figure 3.2 Key Variables

3.3.2 Theoretical Frameworks

The theoretical frameworks of this study were illustrated in Figure 3.3 and

Figure 3.4. These frameworks will be used for data analysis classified by the types of

respondents which are online customers and walk-in customers.

Dependent Variables

1. Overall Satisfaction

2. Customer Experience

Independent Variables

1. Perceptions of Service Quality

at each touchpoint

2. Satisfactions and Emotions

experienced at each touchpoint

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

14

Figure 3.3 Walk-in Customer- Analysis Framework

Perceptions, Satisfaction

Pre-

purc

hase

Se

rvic

e En

coun

ter

Seek for information

Purchase via online

Arrive at the pier

Board on the boat

Get off the boat

Overall Satisfaction,

Customer Experience





Content Analysis

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

15

Figure 3.4 Online Customer- Analysis Framework

Perceptions, Satisfaction (Seek for information) & Arrive at the pier

Buy ticket

Arrive at the pier

Board on the boat

Get off the boat

Overall Satisfaction,

Customer Experience





Content Analysis

Pre-

purc

hase

Se

rvic

e En

coun

ter

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

16

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Key findings from the observation

The observation has been done at 4 piers including Sathorn pier, Tha

Maharaj pier, Wat Arun pier and ICONSIAM pier, and on the boat. These piers are the

major piers that Thai people usually travel to.

The service at the piers may vary depending on the physical of the piers.

There were a lot of staffs at Sathorn pier approaching the customers especially

foreigners. The staff came to ask what the customer want and sold the service to the

customer right away. At Tha Maharaj pier and ICONSIAM pier, the shopping malls,

the staffs stay at the counter or booth without directly approaching to customers. Wat

Arun pier is different because the area is mixed with many different parties such as the

souvenir shops, beverage and food shops, private long-tail boat services.

Thai customers tended to ask more than the foreigners. Some questions

were asked just to ensure their understanding. Some staffs tended to ignore Thais

because they thought Thai people come to ask with no intention to purchase. Regarding

the observation on the boat, Thai customers tended not to prepare themselves for getting

off when the announcement system notify the passengers to stand-by at the

disembarking area.

4.2 Key findings from the in-depth interviews

The in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 respondents dividing into

2 groups which are (1) 10 of walk-in customers who come to make decision on

purchasing the ticket at the pier and (2) 10 of online customers who purchased the ticket

in advance and come to the pier to collect their ticket then directly board on the boat.

The age of the respondents is between 22 to 37 years old. There are 10 males and 10

females. All of the respondents did not travel alone. They came in the group of 2 to 6

people.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

17

4.2.1 Walk-in Customers

4.2.1.1 Perceptions of Service Quality

Some of the walk-in customer respondents expected to get the

convenience service and better than the Chao Phraya Express Boat. The boat should

come on time and stop at many piers.

Some of them did not expect much but know only the need of

travel by boat. They just come to the pier and see the available options.

“I knew this service before because I often took the Chao

Phraya Express Boat. This time I would like to take my mother to travel so I thought

the blue flag should be more convenient and easier for my mother. There should be less

people and better service.” (Kornkamon, 32).

“Better service when comparing to the Chao Phraya Express

Boat.” (Patsapong, 30).

“I did not prepare anything. I just know that there are many

temples and shopping mall newly open along the river. I had the free time so I asked

my friends to go out with me.” (Benjamart, 24).

4.2.1.2 Seek-for-information stage

Most of the respondents did not search for information but just

went to the pier because they wanted to take some boat trip. The staff approached them

and ask what they were looking for. The respondents decided to buy the ticket after

gaining sufficient information such as the price, the boat stops and the attractions at

each stop. One of the respondents were not satisfied with the service because of the

insufficient information. Some of the respondents already knew that there was the

tourist boat service but did not know about the details. There were only two respondents

who searched for the information in advance. One respondent felt neutral at this stage.

“The staff did not provide all of the information as there is

also the Chao Phraya Express Boat that stops at almost the same piers with the lower

price.” (Jutarat, 29).

“I have visited the Facebook Fan Page already but just want

to ask for more information. The staff seem not to be willing to answer.” (Anuchit, 30).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

18

4.2.1.3 Buy-ticket stage

Nine respondents were satisfied with the service at buy-ticket

stage. Only one respondent felt neutral because of the price.

“The process went very quick. I did not remember much, just

know that it went fast.” (Pavida, 22).

“There should be Thai customer price. Or special discount to

Thais.” (Patsapong, 30).

4.2.1.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage

Five of the respondents were satisfied with the service when

they arrived at the pier. The staffs were prompt to help. Three of the respondents felt

neutral because some boats did not come on time. There are two respondents were

dissatisfied with the service at this stage because the staff did not come to help. Also,

the respondent found out that there was also the Chao Phraya Express Boat service

which is cheaper and arrive to the pier earlier.

“The staff was really nice. He came to us right away when he

saw the ticket in my hand.” (Anuchit, 30).

“We waited for the boat at the pier but when the boat came it

did not stop, just passing the pier I was waiting. The staff at the pier did not see us

waiting so she just let the boat passes.” (Jutarat, 29).

“At Wat Arun Pier, I found that there was the Express Boat

service. The fee is just 15 Baht. So I wondered why the first staff at Sathorn pier did not

inform me about that. The Express Boat did arrive at the pier before the Tourist Boat

one.” (Krit, 28).

4.2.1.5 Board-on-the-boat stage

Only four respondents were satisfied with the service on the

boat. These respondents satisfied with the announcement system and the guide who

assisted them. Five respondents stated that they felt neutral at this stage because there

were too many people on the boat and felt not comfort with the service on board. One

respondent was not satisfied with the service because she expected to board on the

double-decker boat more than this.

“The guide was professional. He can speak many languages

and was very friendly. The view from the upper deck was great too.” (Kornkamon, 32).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

19

“The staffs on board kept checking the tickets all the time. It

was annoying.” (Benjamart, 24).

“I thought that all of the boats were double-decker because I

got on the double-decker when I first boarded on but it was not.” (Nattawan, 27).

4.2.1.6 Get-off-the-boat stage

Most of the respondents were satisfied when getting off the

boat because the staff were willing to help. One respondent was dissatisfied because

some of the piers were not closed to the attractions. Another respondent felt neutral

because she cannot get off the boat.

“The boat went out from the pier before we reached the

disembarking area. Luckily, we bought the day pass so we did not have to pay again.

The staff told us to get off at the next stop and took another boat back.” (Pavida, 22).

4.2.1.7 Overall satisfaction

The overall satisfaction of walk-in customer respondents was

between five to nine as shown in Table 4.1. One respondent gave rating of nine referring

to the promoter. This respondent was satisfied with the service at four stages except the

buy-ticket stage.

There were seven respondents who gave seven or eight score

which means they are passively satisfied. These respondents tend to be satisfied with

three to four stages.

However, there were two respondents who scored five or six

which refers them to the detractors. The similarity of these two detractors is that they

were dissatisfied with arrive-at-the-pier stage and felt neutral at board-on-the-boat

stage.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

20

Table 4.1 Level of satisfaction at stages and overall satisfaction (Walk-in Customers)

4.2.1.8 Recommendations and improvements

Most of the respondents recommended that the boats should

come on time. Some other recommendations are: (1) There should be the special price

or discount for Thai people. (2) The staff should give sufficient information to

customers and let the customer decide whether they would to buy or not.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

21

4.2.2 Online Customers

4.2.2.1 Perceptions of Service Quality

Most of the online customer respondents expected the good

service including the friendly staffs and the punctuality of the boat which helped them

travel to the places they have planned to visit.

“I expected the great service and friendly Staff. I just want to

take my family to visit the temples and make a merit.” (Sittisak, 34)

“My expectation is that I can travel to the places I have

planned. Wat Arun, LHONG1919, ICONSIAM, and Asiatique. And, the boats should

run on time as stated on the web and travel guide.” (Wararat, 22)

Two of the respondents aged under 27 stated that they

expected to take the great pictures on the boat and at the attractions.

“My girlfriend showed me the boat pictures and the views

from the Facebook Page. She said we should go to take the boat and take the pictures.”

(Natakorn, 24)

“I saw on the Instagram that there were many foreigners taken

the great pictures with Wat Arun and Wat Pho. I thought it would be great to take the

picture like that and post on my Instagram and Facebook too. I asked my friends to

come with me. We searched on the internet and found this service, the boat looked great

so we purchased the ticket.” (Napat, 26)

4.2.2.2 Seek-for-information stage

All of the respondents were satisfied with the service at seek-

for-information stage. There were many sources that the respondents used to reach the

information. Some of them have the purpose of travel before so they directly searched

on the Google search engine and found Chao Phraya Tourist Boat website. Some of

them saw the review or recommended post on Facebook and review website that

triggered them to have the need of travel.

“I seeked for the information from Google and Chao Phraya

Tourist Boat website came first, so I clicked on it. The website provided many

information which made me interested.” (Nipon, 32).

“The photos looked good. The information is sufficient. It made

us would like to get on the double-decker boat.” (Ekapop, 23).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

22

4.2.2.3 Purchase-via-online-store stage

Most of the respondents were neutral with the service at

purchase-via-online-store stage. They stated that the payment process was

inconvenience. Some of them cannot find where to put the discount code on. However,

the point that all of the respondents were satisfied with was the special price when

purchasing from online store. They stated that this option made their decision to make

a purchase easier.

“I have no credit card. I only have the mobile banking

application. I expected to pay via mobile banking but the web did not accept the

payment from the bank I used, so I had to pay at the bank counter. Also, the payment

fee was charged.” (Wararat, 22).

“I decided to buy from online store because there is the

discount code, the price was lower.” (Sittisak, 34).

“I chose to pay at the bank counter, however, after my payment

was completed, I did not receive the tickets via my e-mail right away. I had to wait for

around 3 hours to receive the tickets.” (Nipon, 32).

"The 4for3 discount was quite valuable for me. But it was quite

hard to find where to put the discount code on.” (Siriporn, 27).

4.2.2.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage

Most of the respondents were satisfied with the service at

arrive-at-the-pier stage. They stated the staffs were friendly and prompt to help. Two

respondents were dissatisfied because they had to wait for the boat as it did not come

on time. One respondent felt neutral because there were too many customers at the pier.

“I was quite impressed with the staff. They came to me really

fast just seeing me opening my e-mail from my mobile. It was good because I did not

have to queue in the line.” (Nattakorn, 24).

“The staffs at every pier I visited were prompt to help. They

came to ask where we would like to go and informed us the boat schedule. The travel

guide looked good. It would be better if there is the Thai version.” (Napat, 26).

“It was so crowded. Staff came to assist very quickly but

somehow the approach seemed to be hard-selling.” (Chaiwat, 32).

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

23

“The boats came late. The staff just said 5 minutes the boat

come but actually it was longer than that. Too many people waiting for the boat at some

piers.” (Sittisak, 34).

“Some boats were delayed, not come as stated in the travel

guide. I needed to wait for around 10 minutes each time I came to the pier to take the

boat.” (Ekapop, 23).

4.2.2.5 Board-on-the-boat stage

Half of the respondents were satisfied with the service at

board-on-the-boat stage. Three of the respondents were neutral with the service. Two

of them were not satisfied with the service at this stage because some boats were late

and there were too many people using the service.

“Too many people. No seat. The staff on the boat tried to tell

us to walk inside, but there is not much space left.” (Ekapop, 23).

“There were a lot of people on the boat. We boarded on the

boat from Wat Arun at around 4pm and there were not many seats for us. My parents

were complaining about that because they had to stand. The double-decker boat was

great thought. The boat staffs were good, they came to ask where we would like to get

off.” (Sittisak, 34).

“It was great to board on the double-decker boat. At first the

upper-deck was full, but the staff kept checking and asked if any persons would like to

take a seat upstairs. So, we got a chance to sit on the upper-deck.” (Waraporn, 30).

4.2.2.6 Get-off-the-boat stage

Nine respondents were satisfied with the service at get-off-the-

boat stage. They stated the staffs were willing to help. Only one respondent was neutral

because some of the piers were not closed to the attractions.

“The staff gave useful informations about the attractions.

They answered all of my questions.” (Chaiwat, 32).

“The staffs on the boat helped us when getting off the boat.

They would not let us get off until it was safe.” (Waraporn, 30)

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

24

“Some piers were not closed to the temple. But hopefully the

major temples we wanted to visit was closed to the pier such as Wat Arun and Wat Pho.

At the end we did not complete our plan to visit nine temples but it is fine though.”

(Sittisak, 34).

4.2.2.7 Overall satisfaction

The overall satisfaction of online customer respondents varied

between six to nine as shown in Table 4.2. There are two respondents gave rating of

nine which means they are the promoters. One of them satisfied with the service at every

stage. Another one was satisfied with the service at almost every stage except the

purchase-via-online-store stage.

On the contrary, there are two respondents who gave rating of

six which means they are the detractors. The similarity of these two detractors is that

they were dissatisfied with two stages which are arrive-at-the-pier stage and board-on-

the-boat stage.

Lastly, there are six respondents who gave rating of seven or

eight which means they are passively satisfied. They tend to be satisfied with two to

four stages. Two respondents were dissatisfied with one stage.

Table 4.2 Level of satisfaction at stages and overall satisfaction (Online Customers)

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

25

4.2.2.8 Recommendations and improvements

Most of respondents said it would be better if the boats come

on time as written. Other recommendations are adding more boats to service in the peak

hours to and add Thai language on the travel guide.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

26

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion

The stage that tends to have the biggest impact on overall satisfaction is the

arrive-at-the-pier stage. Among the walk-in customer respondents, those who were

dissatisfied at this stage rated five to six for the overall satisfaction score. In the

meanwhile, among the online customer respondents, there were three respondents who

were dissatisfied at board-on-the-boat stage; however, one of the three respondents gave

the rating of seven for the overall satisfaction with the neutral feeling for the service at

arrive-at-the-pier stage. This means the arrive-at-the-pier stage tends to be the factor

that makes the overall satisfaction higher.

5.1.1 Perceptions of Service Quality

Comparing the expectation between the walk-in and online

customers, the online customers tended to have more expectation on the service as they

had searched and learned some information about the service before while most of the

walk-in customers got the information from the staff when they arrived at the pier. Thus,

the walk-in customers usually set the expectation based on the information they got

from the staffs.

However, one of the walk-in customers gave the ratings of five for the

overall satisfaction because of insufficient information from the staff. The provided

information giving to customers might be one of the major key that customer used to

set the expectation. Online information seemed to be more completed comparing to the

information from staffs.

5.1.2 Seek-for-information stage

The seek-for-information stage is considered to have low impact on

the overall satisfaction. Although most of the respondents were satisfied at this stage,

the overall satisfaction score quite varies between five to nine. On another point of view,

the reason that most of the respondents were satisfied at this stage because these

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

27

respondents were the customers. The people who were not satisfied with the

information provided may not decide to buy the ticket at all.

5.1.3 Buy-ticket or Purchase-via-online-store stage

Regarding the online customer respondents, the purchase-via-online-

store stage tends not to affect much on the overall satisfaction. Only three online

customer respondents are happy at this stage. This may happen because the respondents

have tried to find the way to complete the payment and successfully completed the

payment. Thus, they did not focus much on this stage.

5.1.4 Arrive-at-the-pier stage

The arrive-at-the-pier stage has the biggest impact on customer

satisfaction. Customers were not happy with the delay of the boat.

5.1.5 Board-on-the-boat stage

The board-on-the-boat stage is also the stage that the customers were

not happy with. The major reason is that there were too many people using the service.

However, this depends on the period of time that customers come to use the service.

Customers may understand that the service provider cannot control this, so that this

stage has less impact on the overall satisfaction. Customers are satisfied with the

physical of the double-decker boat, the guide, and the announcement system.

5.1.6 Get-off-the-pier stage

The get-off-the-pier stage tends to have moderate impact on the

overall satisfaction. This might be because there was not much interaction between the

customers and the staffs. Also, this stage does not occur for the long period of time.

Most of respondents were happy at this stage.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

28

5.2 Recommendations

5.2.1 Online Store

The payment process should be revised although it does not affect

much on the overall satisfaction. It might affect the purchase decision. There should be

more options for mobile and online banking. Also, the process to apply the discount

code should be simple and easier.

5.2.2 Staff

Staff should provide completed information to customers to avoid the

complaints or dissatisfaction. The staffs should practice on the same service level.

5.2.3 Boat Service

The boat should come on time as published. There should be the way

to manage the boat schedule. At least the staff at the pier should tell the exact time that

the boat will arrive and depart.

5.3 Limitations

Due to the time and budget constraint, this study faces some limitations.

The small group of respondents might not represent Thai customers. Moreover, most of

the customers who use the tourist boat service are foreigners. Thus, the result may

reflect only some perspective of the service. Lastly, the data collected in this study were

collected and analyzed in the overview of each stages in order to simplify the collection

and analysis process. However, from the study, the customer experience depends on

the individual staff at each pier and on boats.

5.4 Suggestion for Future Study

The descriptive research such as survey should be done in order to quantify

the numbers of customers. The study on the foreigners may be done as the foreigners

are the main target group of this service.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

29

REFERENCES

Bangkok Post. (2015, March 27). Tha Maharaj community mall blends old and new.

Bangkokpost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from https://www.bangkok

post.com/print/510243.

Chao Phraya Tourist Boat. (2016). Tourist Boat. Chaophrayatouristboat.com.

Retrieved on December 1, 2018, from https://chaophraya

touristboat.com/tourist_boat.html.

Chao Phraya Express Boat. (2010). Express Boat Services.

Chaophrayaexpressboat.com. Retrieved on December 1, 2018, from

http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/services/index.aspx.

Chillpainai. (2015, July 2). 10 ดินเนอร์ลอ่งเรือ ทานอาหารคํ1าบนแม่นํ5าเจา้พระยา [10 Dinner

Cruises services: Dinner on the Chao Phraya River]. Chillpainai.com. Retrieved

on December 1, 2018, from https://www.chillpainai.com/scoop/5084.

Dasu, S., & Chase, R. B. (2010). Designing the Soft Side of Customer Service.

MITSloan Management Review, 33-39.

Kasikorn Research Center. (2018, February 7). Economic and Tourism Industry

Outlook. ttaa.or.th. Retrieved on December 1, 2018 from: http://ttaa.or.th/wp-

content/uploads/2017/09/EN_เศรษฐกจิและการท่องเที1ยว007022561_21.pdf

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Managing Customer Expectations. Marketing

Management. 15th Global Edition. (pp. 440-443). London: Pearson

Education, Inc. Lavrakas, P. J. (2008). Show Card. Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods.

doi:10.4135/9781412963947.n531.

Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience

Throughout the Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing: AMA/MSI

Special Issue, 80, 69-96. doi:10.1509/jm.15.0420.

Lovelock, C. H., Patterson, P., & Wirtz, J. (2015). The three-stage model of service

consumption. Services marketing (pp. 39-62). Melbourne: Pearson

Australia.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

30

Marketing Oops. (2018, July 13). เผยพื5นที1ยุทธศาสตร์ดนัท่องเที1ยวไทยเติบโตครึ1 งปีหลงั 39 ลา้นคน ชู ICONSIAM จิMกซอวสํ์าคญั Magnet ใหม่สุด [New stronghold to put

growth on Thai Tourism Industry: Key Magnet ICONSIAM].

Marketingoops.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018, from https://

www.marketingoops.com/news/biz-news/iconsiam-3.

Mastercard. (2018, September 25). Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2018.

Mastercard.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018, from

https://newsroom.mastercard.com/digital-press-kits/mastercard-global-

destination-cities-index-2018.

MGR Online. (2018, August 6). จุดประกายธุรกิจริมฝั1งแม่นํ5าเจา้พระยาคกึคกั ‘ไอคอนสยาม’ จิMกซอวสํ์าคญัหนุน new economy [Enlighten Business along Chao Phraya River:

‘ICONSIAM’ Big Jigsaw of New Economy]. Mgronline.com. Retrieved

October 31, 2018, from https://mgronline.com/business/detail/

9610000077891

Pine II, B. J. and Gilmore, J. H. (1998). “Welcome to the Experience Economy”.

Harvard Business Review. July-August 1998, 97-105.

Post Today. (2017, September 12). กรมเจา้ท่าปรับขึ5นค่าโดยสารเรือด่วน-ขา้มฟาก เริ1ม 14

ก.ย. [Marine Dept. to Increase Fares: Express Boat&Ferry-crossing] Posttoday.com. Retrieved December 1, 2018, from https://www.posttoday.

com /economy/514315.

Prachachat. (2017, December 31). “ยกัษค์า้ปลีก” ลงทุนรอบทิศเติมเสน่ห์ปักหมุด เจา้พระยาดึงทวัริสต.์ Prachachat.net. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from

https://www.prachachat.net/tourism/news-94656. Pulido et al. (2014). The three Cs of customer satisfaction: Consistency, consistency,

consistency. McKinsey & Company, March 2014.

Reichheld, F. F. (2003). The One Number You Need to Grow. Harvard Business

Review, 1-10.

The Nation. (2018, September 19). IconSiam due to open November 9.

Nationmultimedia.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018, from http://www.nation

multimedia.com/detail/Corporate/30354799.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

31

TripAdvisor. (2018). Top 25 Landmarks — Asia. tripadvisor.com. Retrieved October

3, 2018, from https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Landmarks-

cTop-g2

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

APPENDICES

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

33

APPENDIX A: CTB ROUTE MAP

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

34

APPENDIX B: CTB BOATS AND FACILITIES PHOTOS

Double-dccker Boats

Normal boat with no upper-deck

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

35

Ticket Booth at Sathorn Pier

Ticket Booth at Tha Maharaj Pier

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

36

Guide Person on the Boat

One-day River Pass and complimentary travel guide

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

37

APPENDIX C: CPEX SERVICE DETAILS AND BOAT PHOTOS

CPEX Services Details

(1) Local Line Boat (No Flag) which operates on weekdays except holidays

between 06.45-07.30 hrs and 16.00-16.30 hrs. The Local Line Boat stops at 35 piers

between Nonthaburi Pier and Wat Rajsingkorn Pier. The fare varies depending on the

distance starting from 10 Baht to 14 Baht.

(2) Express Boat (Orange Flag) which operates daily between 06.00-19.00

hrs. The Orange Flag Boat stops at 25 piers between Nonthaburi Pier and Was

Rajsingkorn Pier. The fare is 15 Baht.

(3) Express Boat (Yellow Flag) which operates daily between 06.15-08.20

hrs and 16.45-20.00 hrs. The Yellow Flag Boat stops at 9 piers between Nonthaburi Pier

and Sathorn (Central) Pier. The fare is 20 Baht.

(4) Express Boat (Green Flag) which operates on Monday to Saturday

between 06.10-08.10 hrs and 16.05-18.05 hrs. The Green Flag Boat stops 16 piers

between Parked Pier and Sathorn (Central) Pier. The fare varies depending on the

distance starting from 10 Baht to 32 Baht.

Orange Flag Boat Yellow Flag Boat

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

38

CPX Route Map

*Closed for Renovation

*Closed for Renovation

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

39

APPENDIX D: FERRY-CROSSING BOAT PHOTOS

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

40

APPENDIX E: DINNER CRUISE BOAT AND FACILITIES PHOTOS

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

41

APPENDIX F: LONG-TAIL BOAT PHOTO

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

42

APPENDIX G: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Walk-in Customer Questions

1. What did you expect to get from the service?

2. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “seek for information” stage.

3. Why do you satisfied/dissatisfied with that?

4. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “buy ticket” stage.


6. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “arrive at the pier” stage.


8. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “board on the boat” stage.


10. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “get off the boat” stage.


12. How likely is it that you would recommend our service to a friend or colleague?

13. What was the one thing that the boats service could have done to make your journey

more enjoyable?

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

43

Online Customer Questions

1. What did you expect to get from the service?

2. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “seek for information” stage.


4. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “purchase via online store” stage.


6. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “arrive at the pier” stage.


8. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “board on the boat” stage.


10. Please rate your level of satisfaction at “get off the boat” stage.


12. How likely is it that you would recommend our service to a friend or colleague?

13. What was the one thing that the boats service could have done to make your journey

more enjoyable?

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

44

APPENDIX H: SATISFACTION SHOW CARD

I’m satisfied.

I’m neutral.

I’m dissatisfied.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

45

BIOGRAPHY

Name Miss Qwanratn Charoenphao

Date of Birth June 1, 1992

Educational Attainment 2013: Bachelor of Arts (Communication Arts),

Chulalongkorn University

Work Position Sales and Marketing Manager

Chao Phraya Tourist Boat Co., Ltd.

Ref. code: 25616002040639QNB

Mapping Thai millennials' customer experience in tourist ...

Documents