CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE QUALITY IN B2B STARTUPS: ASSESSING SPIKES GMBH’S CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS USING SERVPERF

This study explores service quality and customer experience (CX) in the context of a growing B2B startup. Spikes GmbH is a boutique consultancy specialized in marketing analytics based on emotions. As Spikes scales its operations internationally, maintaining service quality becomes a key challenge. The research aims to assess how Spikes’ service delivery aligns with client expectations across three customer journey stages: onboarding, service delivery, and ongoing relationships. Using a qualitative, interpretivist approach, the study applies the SERVPERF framework through semi-structured interviews with five clients from different industries and one with the company’s co-founder. The findings reveal that while Spikes excels in professionalism, tailored solutions, and responsiveness, challenges persist in areas such as material accessibility, proactive engagement, and structured follow-ups. Clients noted difficulties in understanding deliverables independently due to a lack of explanatory annotations, and delays in project timeline communication created uncertainty. To enhance service quality, this study recommends improvements in onboarding materials by making them more self-explanatory, establishing a dedicated customer- facing role to improve communication, implementing clearer project timeline tracking, and strengthening structured follow-ups to maintain long-term relationships. These findings contribute to both academia and practice by demonstrating how the SERVPERF framework can be adapted for qualitative B2B service evaluations. By refining its processes, Spikes can sustain high service quality, ensuring long-term client satisfaction while scaling efficiently. The research also underscores broader implications for startups, emphasizing the need for structured service management frameworks to balance rapid growth with consistent CX.