What creates value
beyond performance?
The team examined service practices and wider customer behaviours, bringing emotional ritual, relationships and technical transparency into the discussion.
Presentation pp. 5-15, 32-35
NABA x Mercury / Collaborative course project
Mercury
From engine performance
to ownership confidence.
- My contribution
- Research Synthesis &
Service Opportunity Framing - Research perspective
- Case research +
SACS partner interviews - Team output
- Customer journey +
seven service opportunities
01 / The research
A premium engine.
A fragmented experience.
The brief was to identify opportunities to improve Mercury's service experience. Our research looked beyond the engine itself, to how people choose, receive and live with it.
What creates value
How is the experience
actually delivered?
Partner accounts described the dealer-led relationship, reassurance during waiting, the first handover and the indirect route taken by feedback.
Presentation pp. 18-20 / Partner perspective, not owner interviews
Synthesis
The relationship is delivered by many actors.
The owner experiences one journey.
02 / The customer journey
Find the gaps between touchpoints.
Nine steps connect discovery to a future upgrade. This condensed reading of the team's journey map brings the service discontinuities into focus.
01
Before purchase
Make the choice clear.
Engine decisions can disappear inside the wider boat purchase.
Key touchpoints
Boat shows / technical sheets / dealer consultations
Journey steps & evidence
- Discover brands
- Make an initial choice
- Build a preference
- Finalize the engine decision
The team journey identifies preselected options, unclear trade-offs and technical details lost in boat paperwork. The need is an explanation that connects engine choices to actual use.
Team journey, p. 22 / Opportunity areas 01 / 02
02
Waiting & handover
Turn waiting into confidence.
A long wait and a rushed briefing can weaken an important first impression.
Key touchpoints
Progress updates / dealer contact / engine briefing
Journey steps & evidence
- Wait for boat delivery
- Receive the boat and engine
Partner accounts describe the importance of progress photos and continued contact. The journey highlights the need for a hands-on handover that builds familiarity with the engine and its controls.
Team journey, p. 22 / Opportunity areas 03 / 04
03
Life on the water
Keep the relationship alive.
Feedback and support cross several organisations before reaching the brand.
Key touchpoints
Service calls / captain feedback / follow-up conversations
Journey steps & evidence
- Use and evaluate the engine
- Ask for support
- Consider a future upgrade
The journey exposes indirect feedback, uncertain support responsibilities and missing follow-up. Continuity means connecting the owner, dealer, builder and engine brand beyond delivery.
Team journey, p. 22 / Opportunity areas 05 / 06 / 07
The journey behind
the opportunities.
The original team map connects actions, touchpoints and unmet needs across the ownership experience.
View full-resolution map (opens in a new tab)Mapped thoughts are team interpretations, not direct owner quotations.
03 / From evidence to direction
Seven opportunities.
One continuous relationship.
The original seven opportunity areas, organised here into three reading themes. These are research-led directions, not launched or validated services.
Before purchase
Clarity
Engine-specific guidance can be overshadowed by the boat sale; customers still need expert advice.
Interview synthesis, p. 18; journey, p. 22
- 01
Earlier brand discovery
Make engine brands easier to understand and compare before a choice is fixed.
- 02
Personalised decision support
Connect recommendations and side-by-side comparisons to real boating needs.
Waiting & handover
Confidence
Continued contact reassures customers while they wait. Handover combines practical instruction with an emotional first experience.
Interview synthesis, p. 19; journey, p. 22
- 03
A more connected wait
Provide regular progress updates and reassurance before delivery.
- 04
A meaningful handover
Make onboarding hands-on, personal and confidence-building.
Life on the water
Continuity
Dealers mediate support and feedback; proactive contact can reveal future needs.
Interview synthesis, pp. 19-20; journey, p. 22
- 05
A direct feedback channel
Bring owner feedback closer to the engine brand and its specialists.
- 06
Connected after-sales support
Clarify responsibilities across dealer, builder and Mercury.
- 07
A relationship beyond delivery
Use follow-up conversations to identify relevant upgrade needs.
Opportunity areas: presentation pp. 24-30. The three-theme grouping is editorial, not a research ranking.
04 / My contribution
Making the evidence
usable for design.
Research Synthesis &
Service Opportunity Framing
My main contribution was synthesizing case research and interview findings into a structured customer journey and service opportunity areas, while shaping the presentation narrative to connect evidence with design direction.
The outcome was a shared research framework and a set of service directions. It was not an implemented service or a measured improvement in customer experience.
Project context, evidence & next questions
Context. A formal NABA x Mercury collaborative course project, confirmed by the author. The research and presentation were team work; the role above describes my contribution, not sole ownership.
Source. The supplied 37-page Research on the Mercury Project presentation. Interview material represents SACS partner accounts. Sample size and direct owner validation are not established by the supplied evidence.
Boundaries. Interviewee estimates are not quantitative results. Slide allocations do not establish sole authorship. The presentation uses different value-area counts in its summary and appendix; no definitive count is asserted here. The existing portfolio cover supplies visual context, not research evidence.
Next questions. Validate these tensions with owners and captains, map responsibility with service partners, and test whether clearer comparisons, updates and handovers address the needs identified. These are proposed next steps, not completed work.