Customer Journey Management Capabilities
during the Transition to an Automotive Agency Sales Model

Abstract

Selected automotive manufacturers transition from a traditional indirect sales model towards an agency sales model, fundamentally reshaping their organisational structures, processes, and capabilities to support direct customer relationships and centralised control. This shift places a renewed emphasis on customer journey management (CJM), as firms must redefine how they manage internal processes to deliver seamless and consistent customer experiences.
This dissertation examines the capabilities necessary to manage customer journeys (CJs) effectively during the transition to an automotive agency sales model. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities framework and informed by the philosophical tradition of pragmatism, the study identifies the key components of a higher-order CJM capability that enable organisations to navigate this transition.
A single-case study design was employed; data were collected through semi-structured in-depth expert interviews across the case study organisation and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings identify a set of interrelated CJM capabilities — including strategy development, stakeholder engagement, process design, and technological infrastructure. The results offer a distinct view on dynamic capabilities, microfoundations that enable CJM capability development, as well as dependent operational capabilities. The study develops a process model that explains which obstacles firms encounter and must overcome when developing CJ capabilities during the time of transformation. Furthermore, six propositions are formulated to explain the interdependencies among strategic, structural, and cultural factors that enable or constrain CJM capability development in legacy automotive firms.
This study contributes to theory by positioning CJM capabilities as a dynamic, multi-level capability system essential for effectively managing CJs during business model transformation. From a practical perspective, it provides a diagnostic and intervention framework to guide automotive manufacturers in developing the strategic, structural, and governance mechanisms required to sustain CJM within the agency sales model, as well as five specific, actionable recommendations for the case study organisation.