Reimagining customer service through journey mapping and measurement

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 2387-2417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Patti ◽  
Maria M. van Dessel ◽  
Steven W. Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Customer Journey ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
Taxonomic Approach ◽  
And Performance

Purpose How can customer service be so bad in an era when companies collect endless data on customer interactions? The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the important challenge of elevating customer service delivery by providing guidelines for when and how to select optimal measures of customer service measurement using a new decision framework. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a comprehensive, multi-dimensional review of extant literature related to customer service, journey mapping and performance measurement and applied a qualitative, taxonomic approach for model development. Findings A process model and customer journey mapping framework can facilitate the selection and application of appropriate and relevant customer service experience metrics to enhance customer service experience strategies, creation and delivery. Research limitations/implications The taxonomy of customer service metrics is limited to current publicly and commercially available metrics. The dynamic nature of the customer service environment necessitates continuous updates of the model and framework. Practical implications Selection of customer service performance measures should match relevant stages of the customer journey; use perception-based, operational and outcome-based metrics that track employee and customer behaviours; improve omni-channel measurement; and integrate data-sharing and benchmark measurement initiatives through collaboration with customer service communities. Originality/value A reimagined perspective is offered to the complex challenge of measuring and improving customer service, providing a new decision-making framework for customer service experience measurement and guidance for future research.

scholarly journals Towards a circumplex typology of customer service experience management practices: a dyadic perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Sahhar ◽  
Raymond Loohuis ◽  
Jörg Henseler
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Customer Journey ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Five Phases

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the practices used by service providers to manage the customer service experience (CSE) across multiple phases of the customer journey in a business-to-business (B2B) setting.Design/methodology/approachThis study comprises an ethnography that investigates in real time, from a dyadic perspective, and the CSE management practices at two service providers operating in knowledge-intensive service industries over a period of eight months. Analytically, the study concentrates on critical events that occurred in phases of the customer journey that in some way alter CSE, thus making it necessary for service providers to act to keep their customers satisfied.FindingsThe study uncovers four types of service provider practices that vary based on the mode of organization (ad hoc or regular) and the mode of engagement (reactive or proactive) and based on whether they restore or bolster CSE, including the recurrence of these practices in the customer journey. These practices are conveniently presented in a circumplex typology of CSE management across five phases in the customer journey.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper advances the research in CSE management throughout the customer journey in the B2B context by showing that CSE management is dynamic, recurrent and multifaceted in the sense that it requires different modes of organization and engagement, notably during interaction with customers, in different phases of the customer journey.Practical implicationsThe circumplex typology acts as a tool for service providers, helping them to redesign their CSE management practices in ongoing service and dialogical processes to keep their customers more engaged and satisfied.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to infuse a dyadic stance into the ongoing discussion of CSE management practices in B2B, in which studies to date have deployed only provider or customer perspectives. In proposing a microlevel view, the study identifies service providers' CSE management practices in multiple customer journey phases, especially when the situation becomes critical.

Intellectual capital and performance of pharmaceutical firms in India

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriranga Vishnu ◽  
Vijay Kumar Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Variables ◽  
Pharmaceutical Firms ◽  
Multiple Regression Technique ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Result Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and performance of pharmaceutical firms in India. The secondary objective is to propose and test modified models of Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) method. Design/methodology/approach – Data on 22 large pharmaceutical firms collected for empirical investigation. Return on assets and return on sales are performance variables. IC and its components – human capital, structural capital and relational capital (RC), are predictor variables. Three extended and modified VAIC™ models (e-VAIC™) are proposed. Multiple regression technique is applied on pooled data to draw inferences. Findings – Results show instances of positive relationship between IC and performance variables. RC, the new variable, does not demonstrate statistically significant relationship with performance variables. Research limitations/implications – Due to inadequate reporting of IC and its components, availability of data on various proxies is difficult. The new models proposed in this paper can be a template for future research and model development. Practical implications – VAIC™ model, the proposed models (e-VAIC™) and the result analysis can be useful for evaluation and value creation purposes. Originality/value – Previous researchers use original VAIC™ model. This paper modifies and extends the model in accordance with contemporary description and typology of IC. Inclusion of RC as a variable in VAIC™ model and use of new proxies for components of IC are the novelties of this paper.

Internal projects as strategic tools: an organisation-level perspective and a research agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjørn Bjorvatn
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe and explain how organisations use internal projects to implement organisation-level strategy objectives.Design/methodology/approachTheory development with an emphasis on explaining key constructs and their mutual relationships. The theoretical contribution is represented in a diagram along with a detailed verbal account.FindingsThe paper develops a dynamic, cross-level framework to illustrate the organisational processes and outcomes that determine project-based strategy implementation within a single organisation. The interplay between the base organisation and the project, and benefits realisation were singled out as key future research areas. The proposed framework engages with central discourses in the fields of project management, strategic management, innovation studies, knowledge management and organisation studies.Research limitations/implicationsOnly the contours of an organisation-level theory of strategically motivated internal projects are outlined. Future research must elaborate on the complexities, the non-linear relationships and the boundary conditions that follow from the proposed framework.Practical implicationsManagers are alerted to the strategic role of internal projects, how these projects help connect strategy and performance and what the accompanying organisational processes and outcomes look like.Originality/valueThe paper constitutes an early conceptual treatment of strategy-driven internal projects as a distinct project category, thus addressing a major knowledge gap in project studies. Organisational project-management theory is extended with suggestions for future research.

Reconfigurable manufacturing system: a systematic review, meta-analysis and future research directions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Pansare ◽  
Gunjan Yadav ◽  
Madhukar R. Nagare
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing System ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Reconfigurable Manufacturing ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Reconfigurable Manufacturing System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Related Research ◽  
And Performance

Purpose Uncertainties in manufacturing and changing customer demands force manufacturing industries to adopt new strategies, such as the reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS). To improve the implementation and performance of RMS, it is necessary to review the available literature and identify future trends in this field. This paper aims to analyze existing literature and to see trends in RMS-related research. Design/methodology/approach The systematic literature review and analysis of RMS-related research papers from 1999 to 2020 is carried out in this literature. The selected studies are analyzed based on the year of publication, journals, publishers, active authors, research design, countries, enablers, barriers, performance evaluation parameters and universities. Findings After the analysis of selected RMS-related research papers, the top countries, universities, journals, publishers and authors are identified in this domain. Research themes and trends in research are identified in this study. Besides, it has been noted that there is a need for further research in this domain and for the creation of a generalized framework that can guide researchers and practitioners to increase RMS adoption. Practical implications Research insights, guidance and observations from this paper are provided to RMS-related researchers and practitioners. Important research gaps are identified in this study, which can provide direction for future research and trends in RMS research. Originality/value The study presented focuses mainly on the method of collecting, organizing, capturing, interpreting and analyzing data to provide more insight into RMS to identify future trends in research.

Business process model patterns: state-of-the-art, research classification and taxonomy

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 972-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Fellmann ◽  
Agnes Koschmider ◽  
Ralf Laue ◽  
Andreas Schoknecht ◽  
Arthur Vetter
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Pattern Language ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Process Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Research Classification

Purpose Patterns have proven to be useful for documenting general reusable solutions to a commonly occurring problem. In recent years, several different business process management (BPM)-related patterns have been published. Despite the large number of publications on this subject, there is no work that provides a comprehensive overview and categorization of the published business process model patterns. The purpose of this paper is to close this gap by providing a taxonomy of patterns as well as a classification of 89 research works. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed 280 research articles following a structured iterative procedure inspired by the method for taxonomy development from Nickerson et al. (2013). Using deductive and inductive reasoning processes embedded in concurrent as well as joint research activities, the authors created a taxonomy of patterns as well as a classification of 89 research works. Findings In general, the findings extend the current understanding of BPM patterns. The authors identify pattern categories that are highly populated with research works as well as categories that have received far less attention such as risk and security, the ecological perspective and process architecture. Further, the analysis shows that there is not yet an overarching pattern language for business process model patterns. The insights can be used as starting point for developing such a pattern language. Originality/value Up to now, no comprehensive pattern taxonomy and research classification exists. The taxonomy and classification are useful for searching pattern works which is also supported by an accompanying website complementing the work. In regard to future research and publications on patterns, the authors derive recommendations regarding the content and structure of pattern publications.

scholarly journals Serendipity and its study

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1015-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Edward Foster ◽  
David Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Information Encountering ◽  
Citation Classics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of serendipity and approaches to its study particularly in relation to information studies. Design/methodology/approach – The origins of the term serendipity are described and its elaboration as an exploratory and explanatory concept in science and the social sciences are outlined. The distinction between serendipity and serendipity pattern is explained and theoretical and empirical studies of both serendipity and the serendipity patterns are explored. The relationship between information encountering is described. Empirical studies of serendipity using Citation Classics and other research approaches in information studies are described. Findings – The discrepancy between occurrences of serendipity in studies using Citation Classics and reported serendipity in philosophy of science, research anecdotes, information encountering and information seeking by inter-disciplinary researchers is highlighted. A comparison between a process model of serendipity and serendipity as an emergent behavioural characteristic are indicates directions for future research. Originality/value – The paper provides and original synthesis of the theoretical and empirical literature on serendipity with particular reference to work in information studies and an indication of the methodological difficulties involved in its study.

Employing proactive interaction for service failure prevention to improve customer service experiences

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunju Shin ◽  
Alexander E. Ellinger ◽  
David L. Mothersbaugh ◽  
Kristy E. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Failure Prevention ◽  
Patronage Behavior

Purpose Services marketing research continues to be largely focused on firms’ reactive interactions for recovering from service failure rather than on proactive customer interactions that may prevent service failure from occurring in the first place. Building on previous studies that assess the efficacy of implementing proactive interaction in service provision contexts, the purpose of this paper is to compare the influences of proactive interaction to prevent service failure and reactive interaction to correct service failure on customer emotion and patronage behavior. Since proactive interaction for service failure prevention is a relatively underexplored and resource-intensive approach, the authors also assess the moderating influences of customer and firm-related characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The study hypotheses are tested with survey data from two scenario-based experiments conducted in a retail setting. Findings The findings reveal that customers prefer service providers that take the initiative to get to them before they have to initiate contact for themselves. The findings also identify the moderating influences of relationship quality, situational involvement, and contact person status and motive. Originality/value The research contributes to the development of service provision theory and practice by expanding on previous studies which report that proactive efforts to prepare customers for the adverse effects of service failure are favorably received. The results also shed light on moderating factors that may further inform the exploitation of resource-intensive proactive interaction for service failure prevention. An agenda is proposed to stimulate future research on proactive customer interaction to prevent service failure in service provision contexts.

Towards a design theory of computer-supported organizational participation

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wagenknecht ◽  
René Filpe ◽  
Christof Weinhardt
Keyword(s):  
Design Theory ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Participation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Expert Interview

Purpose Employees demand high responsibility and empowerment, while keeping their work communal and flexible. Initiatives that foster organizational participation (OP) can contribute to the fulfillment of such work conditions. Research in sociology and psychology demonstrated positive effects on job satisfaction as well as on productivity. However, adoption of social software is widely spread in firms, research on the determinants of computer-supported OP is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements to consider when designing OP processes that aim to be beneficial for both the employer as well as the employees. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 20 guided expert interviews to propose a nascent design theory, following a socio-technical approach that promotes democratic and humanistic principles. Findings Building on the expert interview, the process model includes a topic horizon and a collaboration phase, which creates proposals that have to be decided in order to produce results. The authors show how employee competence and leadership commitment are as important as the workload and support as well as an option for anonymous communication. The authors propose a set of features and explain principles of implementation. Research limitations/implications Despite the authors’ best efforts to diversify the authors’ set of experts, the findings have a limited generalizability as the authors only interviewed a few selected German experts that were either members of the board, HR or IT managers, often concerned with organizing rather than only participating in computer-supported organizational participation (CSOP) processes. Besides testing the model in practise, future research should also consider surveying a broader (and more international) set of employers and employees. Practical implications The authors propose a step-by-step procedure to introduce CSOP. Despite identifying many pitfalls, the research demonstrates that CSOP promises a wide variety of benefits to both employers as well as the employees of an organization, including increased satisfaction as well as productivity. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to propose a nascent design theory for CSOP. The authors derive a number of requirements to consider when implementing an information management system that seeks to improve both the efficiency and equality of employers and employees and lead to a win-win situation for both. The authors describe valid constructs for firms with spatially and timely dispersed teams and more than 50 employees. The research is based on 20 expert interviews, conducted with senior managers of medium and large German enterprises.

The power of information on customers’ social withdrawal and citizenship behavior in a crowded service environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuqin Wei ◽  
Tyson Ang ◽  
Nwamaka A. Anaza
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Service Environment ◽  
Extended Service

PurposeCrowding in service environments is a constant concern for many firms due to the negative consequences it has on consumers and companies alike. Yet, scant empirical research exists on firm-generated initiatives aimed at improving customer service experiences in crowded situations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how information, a managerially actionable variable, influences social interactions (in the form of customer social withdrawal and citizenship behavior) and service experience.Design/methodology/approachTwo experimental studies were conducted using an extended service context.FindingsThis research demonstrates that receiving information about crowds in advance results in heightened social withdrawal, which improves customer service experience. However, providing consumers with a platform to share crowding information increases customers’ citizenship behavior toward service employees and other customers, which, in turn, improves customer service experience.Practical implicationsFor extended service encounters (e.g. air travel) where social interactions are inevitable, companies should encourage customers to share their real-time experiences with other customers in hopes of creating more positive social interactions (e.g. citizenship behavior) within the crowded environment.Originality/valueExisting investigations of crowding stem from an overemphasis on the physical and atmospheric aspects of the environment by treating crowds as a “fixture” in the servicescape, rather than as “active participants” involved in the crowding environment. While the mere presence of crowds alone has negative effects, this research takes it a step further by examining interactions among and between customers and service employees within the crowded service environment.

scholarly journals Types of professionalization

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Lang ◽  
Torsten Schlesinger ◽  
Markus Lamprecht ◽  
Kaisa Ruoranen ◽  
Christoffer Klenk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Organizational Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Patterns ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify types of professionalization in Swiss national sport federations (NSFs) and analyze organizational characteristics associated with specific types of professionalization. Such types reveal common patterns among the increasingly complex organizational designs of NSFs and thus contribute to the understanding of professionalization in NSFs. Design/methodology/approach An online survey of all Swiss NSFs was conducted to identify types of professionalization in these organizations using hierarchical cluster analysis, based on a multi-dimensional framework of professionalization. Findings The analysis revealed four types of professionalization: formalized NSFs managed by paid staff, NSFs managed by volunteers and a few paid staff off the field, NSFs with differing formalization and paid staff on the field, and moderately formalized NSFs managed by volunteers. The types differ in terms of the NSFs’ organizational characteristics, in particular, size, financial resources, Olympic status, and performance. Originality/value Applying factor and cluster analysis is a new approach to analyzing professionalization in NSFs that makes uncovering distinctive organizational patterns among a large number of NSFs possible. These results lay the foundation for understanding the professionalization of NSFs, counseling NSFs on their organizational development, and conducting future research on the design types of sport organizations.

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