Netnography as a tool for understanding customers: implications for service research and practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 657-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen ◽  
Gustav Medberg
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Environmental Scanning ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Information ◽  
Service Managers ◽  
High Quality Service

Purpose Understanding customers is critical for service researchers and practitioners. Today, customers are increasingly active online, and valuable information about their opinions, experiences and behaviors can be retrieved from a variety of online platforms. Online customer information creates new opportunities to design personalized and high-quality service. This paper aims to review how netnography as a method can help service researchers and practitioners to better use such data. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review and analysis were conducted on 321 netnography studies published in marketing journals between 1997 and 2017. Findings The systematic review reveals that netnography has been applied in a variety of ways across different marketing fields and topics. Based on the analysis of existing netnography literature, empirical, theoretical and methodological recommendations for future netnographic service research are presented. Research limitations/implications This paper shows how netnography can offer service researchers unprecedented opportunities to access naturalistic online data about customers and, hence, why it is an important method for future service research. Practical implications Netnographic research can help service firms with, for example, service innovation, advertising and environmental scanning. This paper provides guidelines for service managers who want to use netnography as a market research tool. Originality/value Netnography has seen limited use in service research despite many promising applications in this field. This paper is the first to encourage and support service researchers in their use of the method and aims to stimulate interesting future netnographic service research.

Customer fairness perceptions in augmented reality-based online services

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Christ-Brendemühl ◽  
Mario Schaarschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Price Fairness ◽  
Online Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fairness Perceptions ◽  
Shopping Experience ◽  
Service Managers

PurposeAn increasing number of retailers is trying to stimulate customers by embedding augmented reality (AR) features such as video try-on into the online shopping experience. As such AR-based online services require customers to actively participate in the service provision, this paper aims at investigating fairness perceptions and customer responses associated with AR-enabled customer participation.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework of this study is based on equity theory. To compare customer responses after an in-store service encounter as opposed to AR-enabled customer participation involving video try-on, this study contains a between-subject online experiment. The effective sample comprises N = 215 participants.FindingsThe data analysis demonstrates that AR-enabled customer participation leads to significantly lower levels of distributive, procedural and price fairness as well as lower engagement intentions than in-store service encounters. Simultaneously, participants in the video try-on scenario report higher negative word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions than in the in-store scenario.Research limitations/implicationsThe extra mile customers go when using AR-based online services is reflected in less favorable fairness evaluations.Practical implicationsService managers should design AR applications in a manner that requires minimum customer participation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to service research by linking AR-enabled customer participation to evaluations of distributive, procedural and price fairness and their outcomes. This is vital to fully exploit the potential of AR in services.

Sources and categories of well-being: a systematic review and research agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Arafat Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Subjective Appraisals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the sources and categories of well-being from the transformative service research (TSR) domain. The paper also aims to offer a unified framework of sources and categories of well-being and several future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review method is applied to address the study aims. A three-phase approach has been applied, which produced a total of 70 peer-reviewed empirical studies for the review.FindingsThe analysis has identified five major sources and their underlying sub-sources of well-being. The major sources are organization-, individual-, collective-, service system-, and situation-driven sources. The findings further identified two major categories or well-being showing the capacity and functioning, and subjective appraisals of life conditions. The identified sources and categories of well-being develop a unified framework showing a simplistic path or relations between the sources and the categories.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers several research agenda explaining what source-related issues can be addressed for enhancing well-being for various entities. It also adds a proposed schema and research questions for examining the possible relations and influences between the sources of well-being and social well-being of individuals.Practical implicationsPractitioners can get important insights about the matters over which they have little or no control such as the activities, motives and processes that take place in individuals' and collectives' spheres and mechanisms of supports in social networks.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to offer a systematic review on the empirical studies of the TSR domain identifying a comprehensive list of sources and categories of well-being and a resulting unified framework and research agenda.

Coproduction and cocreation in public care services: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 561-578
Author(s):  
Teresa Sofia Amorim Lopes ◽  
Helena Alves
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Public Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trust Development

PurposeTo analyze and discuss the research on the public healthcare services (PHCS) through the lenses of coproduction/creation by systematizing the antecedents, the process enablers and the outcomes of coproduction/creation in terms of organizational and individual/patients factors.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review was performed based on 46 papers found in ISI Web of Science and Scopus databases following the Prisma Protocol for the search.FindingsThe results show that antecedents of coproduction/creation are connected to organizational/institutional capabilities (e.g. codesign of services or trust development) or patient/individual factors (e.g. physical and mental capabilities). The process of coproduction/creation relates with enablers, such as interactive and dynamic relationships between public care service providers and users. Finally, outcomes have diverse nature, namely quality of life, compliance, behavioral intentions, among others.Research limitations/implicationsThis study addresses the overlooked topic of coproduction/creation of value within PHCS. It contributes to public healthcare services literature wherein concepts of coproduction and cocreation of value are still on debate. It contributes to the transformative service research (TSR) by underlining that healthcare factors, processes and approaches may have a positive or negative (value codestructing) influence on the well-being. It yields crucial implications for PHCS.Originality/valueIt is the first attempt to systematize scientific knowledge on this topic, therefore conferring some novelty potential.

scholarly journals The effect of customer information during new product development on profits from goods and services

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1709-1730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Witell ◽  
Anders Gustafsson ◽  
Michael D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Customer Information

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how customer information obtained at different phases of a new product development (NPD) process influences profits from new offerings. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in the context of NPD in goods and services. A unique database was constructed that merged key informant survey responses with financial data for 244 firms. This database was used to replicate and extend previous research by posing a number of hypotheses regarding the role of obtaining customer information in NPD. Findings – The results show that obtaining customer information during NPD influences the profits from new offerings, which vary depending on the phase of the NPD process. The financial rewards from obtaining customer information for goods are highest in the early phases of the NPD process and decline in later phases. The financial rewards for services, on the other hand, are high in the early and late phases of the NPD process. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on a survey combined with objective financial data, that is, a combination of different data sources. The research would have benefitted from longer data series and a higher response rate. Originality/value – This study replicates and extends previous research by testing the role of obtaining customer information in both manufacturing and service firms by combining survey data with objective financial data.

How to enhance IT B2B service innovation? An integrated view of organizational mechanisms

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 984-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Tai Tsou ◽  
Colin C.J. Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Organizational Agility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
It Capability ◽  
Entrepreneurial Alertness ◽  
Organizational Mechanisms

PurposeDrawing on the resource-based view, this paper aims to extend prior information technology (IT) B2B service research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model in which organizational agility mediates the relationship between organizational capabilities (IT capability and organizational learning) and service innovation performance, under conditions of entrepreneurial alertness.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical hypotheses are confirmed by partial least squares analysis of survey responses collected from 170 IT B2B service firms.FindingsThe results reveal that the effect of either IT capability or organizational learning on service innovation performance is fully mediated by organizational agility, and organizational agility has a greater impact on service innovation performance under a high level of entrepreneurial alertness than under a low level.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide specific managerial guidelines for how to effectively manage organizational mechanisms to enhance IT B2B service innovation performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature of service innovation, IT B2B (industrial) marketing and dynamic capability by providing theory-driven and empirically proven explanations to help managers better understand the IT capability-service innovation relationship from the perspective of organizational mechanisms (organizational agility, organizational learning and entrepreneurial alertness).

scholarly journals Is lean service promising? A socio-technical perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 618-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wael Hadid ◽  
S. Afshin Mansouri ◽  
David Gallear
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of lean practices in the service sector. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines the impact of lean service on firm operational and financial performance. Exploratory factor analysis is used to reduce the data and identify the underlying dimensions of lean service, and partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to test the developed model. Findings – The results indicate that the social bundles of lean service had an independent positive impact on firm operational and financial performance. Furthermore, while the technical bundles had an independent positive effect on only the operational performance, they interacted with the social bundles to improve both the operational and financial performance. The findings suggest that service managers must follow a systematic approach when implementing lean service practices without focusing on one side of the system at the expense of the other. Practical implications – The paper highlights the importance of implementing lean service as a socio-technical system (STS) if service firms are to achieve the best possible benefits from their implementation. The motivation factor (social side) and the customer value factor (technical side) are capable of improving all operational performance dimensions and profit margin even if implemented alone. Therefore, service managers with limited resources are encouraged to start lean service implementation with practices within these factors. However, they can also expect improved operational and financial performance from implementing other factors as they positively interact to further improve performance. Originality/value – Viewing lean service as a STS, this paper incorporates a larger set of lean practices than previous studies and demonstrates empirically their capability of improving service firms’ operational and financial performance. It contributes significantly to the emerging literature on lean service by empirically testing the mechanism through which lean service affects firm performance.

scholarly journals Customers' contamination concerns: an integrative framework and future prospects for service management

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Hazée ◽  
Yves Van Vaerenbergh
Keyword(s):  
Service Management ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Map ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Service Managers

PurposeCustomers might become concerned about getting contaminated and adapt their behavior accordingly, which is of critical concern for service managers. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, this paper synthesizes the extant body of research within psychology and marketing into an integrative framework that helps understand the current state of knowledge on contamination. Second, this review summarizes evidence-based managerial recommendations on how to deal with customers' contamination concerns. Third, this paper provides guidance for future research by proposing several ways in which those concerns might influence service management.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducts an integrative literature review of over 30 years of psychology and marketing research on contamination concerns.FindingsThe paper reviews physical and metaphysical contagion models, the situational cues that may activate customers' contamination concerns, the psychological mechanisms that underlie the relationship between contamination and customer outcomes and the individual characteristics that influence customer sensitivity to contamination cues. Moreover, this review identifies actions that service managers can take to prevent customers' contamination concerns. Finally, still much has to be learned about how organizations should deal with fear of contamination by the time a next pandemic breaks out.Originality/valueThis paper develops an integrative framework that serves as a structured knowledge map onto the contamination phenomenon and paves the way for future service research.

scholarly journals Co-creating services—conceptual clarification, forms and outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Sophie Oertzen ◽  
Gaby Odekerken-Schröder ◽  
Saara A. Brax ◽  
Birgit Mager
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Conceptual Pluralism ◽  
Service Managers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess, clarify and consolidate the terminology around the co-creation of services, establish its forms and identify its outcomes, to resolve the conceptual pluralism in service co-creation literature. Design/methodology/approach A focused literature review screened the articles published in five major service research journals to determine relevant contributions on the concept of co-creation of services. Then, a thematic analysis identifies the forms, themes and outcomes of co-creating services in the set of 80 qualifying articles. Findings The study reduces conceptual pluralism by establishing different forms of co-creating services and developing an explicit definition of co-creation in services. The authors develop an integrative framework that recognizes involvement, engagement and participation as prerequisites for co-creation. Relating to the different phases of the service process, the specific co-creation forms of co-ideation, co-valuation, co-design, co-testing and co-launching are classified as regenerative co-creation, while the specific co-creation forms of co-production and co-consumption are recognized as operative co-creation. Both beneficial and counterproductive outcomes of co-creation are identified and arranged into a typology. Research limitations/implications The integrative framework illustrates that service providers and customers are involved, engaged and participate in co-creating services, which manifests in specific forms of co-creation; they attain beneficial and counterproductive outcomes (personal, social, hedonic, cognitive, economic and pragmatic); and are influenced by a contextual multi-actor network. Practical implications Co-creation in services is actionable; the typology of outcomes suggests service managers ways to motivate customers and employees to participate in co-creating services. Originality/value This paper defines and establishes the conceptual forms of co-creating services and the identified outcomes, and develops an integrative framework of co-creation in services.

Social media engagement, service complexity, and experiential quality in US hospitals

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngsu Lee ◽  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Seung Jun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Engagement ◽  
Experiential Quality

Purpose As social media platforms become increasingly popular among service firms, many US hospitals have been using social media as a means to improve their patients’ experiences. However, little research has explored the implications of social media use within a hospital context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a hospital’s customer engagement through social media and its association with customers’ experiential quality. Also, this study examines the role of a hospital’s service characteristics, which could shape the nature of the interactions between patients and the hospital. Design/methodology/approach Data from 669 hospitals with complete experiential quality and demographic data were collected from multiple sources of secondary data, including the rankings of social media friendly hospitals, the Hospital Compare database, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) cost report, the CMS impact file, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics database and the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Specifically, the authors designed the instrumental variable estimate to address the endogeneity issue. Findings The empirical results suggest a positive association between a hospital’s social media engagement and experiential quality. For hospitals with a high level of service sophistication, the association between online engagement and experiential quality becomes more salient. For hospitals offering various services, offline engagement is a critical predictor of experiential quality. Research limitations/implications A hospital with more complex services should make efforts to engage customers through social media for better patient experiences. The sample is selected from databases in the US, and the databases are cross-sectional in nature. Practical implications Not all hospitals may be better off improving the patient experience by engaging customers through social media. Therefore, practitioners should exercise caution in applying the study’s results to other contexts and in making causal inferences. Originality/value The current study delineates customer engagement through social media into online and offline customer engagement. This study is based on the theory of customer engagement and reflects the development of mobile technology. Moreover, this research may be considered as pioneering in that it considers the key characteristics of a hospital’s service operations (i.e., service complexity) when discovering the link between customers’ engagement through a hospital’s social media and experiential quality.

scholarly journals Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-308
Author(s):  
Michael Adesi ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Frank Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantity Surveying ◽  
Focus Strategy

Purpose Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the non-construction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services.

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