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Customer services in the digital transformation: social media versus hotline channel performance
(2015)
Due to the digital transformation online service strategies have gained prominence in practice as well as in the theory of service management. This study examines the efficacy of different types of service channels in customer complaint handling. The theoretical framework, developed using complaint handling and social media literature, is tested against data collected from two different channels (hotline and social media) of a German telecommunication service provider. We contribute to the understanding of firm’s multichannel distribution strategy in two ways: a) by conceptualizing and evaluating complaint handling quality across traditional and social media channels, and b) by testing the impact of complaint handling quality on key performance outcomes like customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and cross purchase intentions.
The stimulation of user engagement has received significant attention in extant research. However, the theory of antecedents for user engagement with an initial electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) communication is relatively less developed. In an investigation of 576 unique user postings across independent Facebook (FB) communities for two German firms, we contribute to the extant knowledge on user engagement in two different ways. First, we explicate senders’ prior usage experience and the extent of their acquaintance with other community members as the two key drivers of user engagement across a product and a service community. Second, we reveal that these main effects differ according to the type of community. In service communities, experience has a stronger impact on user engagement; whereas, in product communities, acquaintance is more important.
In recent years, the rise of the digital transformation received significant importance in Business-to-Business (B2B) research. Social media applications provide executives with a raft of new options. Consequently, interfaces to social media platforms have also been integrated into B2B salesforce applications, although very little is as yet known about their usage and general impact on B2B sales performance. This paper evaluates 1) the conceptualization of social media usage in a dyadic B2B relationship; 2) the effects of a more differentiated usage construct on customer satisfaction; 3) antecedents of social media usage on multiple levels; and 4) the effectiveness of social media usage for different types of customers. The framework presented here is tested cross-industry against data collected from dyadic buyer seller relationships in the IT service industry. The results elucidate the preconditions and the impact of social media usage strategies in B2B sales relations.
Die digitale Transformation bezieht sich auf die zunehmende Digitalisierung von Inhalten und Prozessen und die steigende Bedeutung digitaler Medien in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Dabei wird der Wandel u. a. durch die Evolution in der Nutzung des Internets getrieben. Während in der Phase des so genannten Web 1.0 die Publikation und Verbreitung statischer Inhalte im Fokus stand, werden durch das Web 2.0 überwiegend Prozesse der dezentralen Erzeugung und einfachen Verbreitung von User Generated Content stimuliert. Unternehmen müssen auf diese Veränderungen reagieren, um die eigene Wettbewerbsfähigkeit nachhaltig abzusichern. Der vorliegende Beitrag konzentriert sich auf die Weiterentwicklung des Kundenservice. Dieser wurde in den zurückliegenden Jahren von vielen Unternehmen überwiegend als Kostenfaktor mit geringer strategischer Bedeutung eingestuft. Diese Sichtweise hat sich in der digitalen Transformation grundlegend geändert. Kunden können heute Mängel an Produkten und Dienstleistungen durch Foren und Social Media Kanäle sofort und mit hoher Reichweite adressieren. Unternehmen müssen auf den gleichen Kanälen reagieren, um die Multiplikation negativer Sichtweisen einzudämmen und Übertragungseffekte auf traditionelle Medien zu vermeiden. Gleichzeitig entstehen durch digitale Kanäle völlig neue Serviceangebote, die sich nachhaltig auf die unternehmerische Wettbewerbsfähigkeit auswirken. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt zunächst einen Überblick zu wesentlichen Entwicklungslinien der digitalen Transformation. Auf dieser Grundlage werden die Perspektiven für Unternehmen zur Integration digitaler Medien in die eigene Wertschöpfungskette skizziert. Darüber hinaus steht v. a. die Veränderung des Kundenservice im so genannten Web 2.0 zur Diskussion. Ein Ausblick auf zukünftige Entwicklungen der Digitalisierung rundet den Beitrag entsprechend ab.
Wo treffe ich meine Kunden? Was lerne ich aus dem Feedback meiner User? Wie messe ich Erfolg? Im Sozialnetzwerk muss man die richtigen Fragen stellen, sagt Internet-Forscher Prof. Alexander Rossmann. Seine Studie Auf der Suche nach dem Return on Social Media an der Uni St. Gallen sorgte einst für Furore.
The question of why individuals adopt information technology has been present in the information systems research since the past quarter century. One of the most used models for predicting the technology usage was introduced by Fred David: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It describes the influence of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on attitude, behavioral intention and system usage. The first two mentioned factors in turn are influenced by external variables. Although a plethora of papers exists about the TAM , an extensive analysis of the role of the external variables in the model is still missing. This paper aims to give an overview ove the most important variables. In an extensive literature review, we identified 763 relevant papers, found 552 unique single extenal variables, characterized the most important of them, and described the frequency of their appearance. Additionally, we grouped these variables into four categories (organizational characteristis, system characteristics, user personal characteristics, and other variables). Afterwards we discuss the results and show implications for theory and practice.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnectedness of physical objects, and works by equipping the latter with sensors and actuators as a means to connect to the internet. The number of connected things has increased threefold over the past five years. Consequently, firms expect the IoT to become a source of new business models driven by technology. However, only a few early adopters have started to install and use IoT appliances on a frequent basis. So it is still unclear which factors drive technological acceptance of IoT appliances. Confronting this gap in current research, the present paper explores how IoT appliances are conceptually defined, which factors drive technological acceptance of IoT appliances, and how firms can use results in order to improve value propositions in corresponding business models. lt is discovered that IoT appliance vendors need to support a broad focus as the potential buyers expose a large variety. As conclusions from this insight, the paper illustrates some flexible marketing strategies.
Converting users into customers : the role of user profile information and customer journey analysis
(2016)
Due to the digital transformation, the importance of web analysis and user profiling for enterprises is increasing rapidly as customers focus on digital channels to obtain information about products and brands. While there exists a lot research on these topics, only a minority of firms use them to their advantage. This study aims to tighten the link between research and business such that experimental methods can be used for the improvement of communication strategies in practice. Therefore, a systematic literature analysis is conducted, workshops are observed and documented and an empirical study is used to integrate single steps into a framework for the
practical usage of user profiling and customer journey analysis.
Although still in the early stages of diffusion, smartwatches represent the most popular type of wearable devices. Yet, little is known why some people are more likely to adopt smartwatches than others. To deepen the understanding of underlying factors prompting adoption behavior, the authors develop a theoretical model grounded in technology acceptance and social psychology literature. Empirical results reveal perceived usefulness and visibility as important factors that drive intention. The magnitude of these antecedents is influenced by an individual’s perception of viewing smartwatches as a technology and/or as a fashion accessory. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
In recent times, enterprises have been increasingly dealing with the use of social media in internal communication and collaboration. In particular, so-called Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) promise meaningful benefits for the nature of work in corporations. However, these platforms often suffer from poor degrees of use. This raises the question of what initiatives enterprise can launch in order to stimulate the vitality of ESN. Since the use of ESN is often voluntary, individual adoption by employees need to be examined to find an answer. Therefore, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was selected for the theoretical foundation of this paper. Following a qualitative research approach, the available research provides an analysis of expert interviews on specific ESN implementation strategies and included factors. In order to extensively conceptualize and generalize these strategic considerations, we conducted an inductive coding process. The results reveal that ESN implementation strategies can be understood as a multi-level construct (individual vs. group vs. organizational level) containing different factors dependent on the degree of documentation and intensity. This research in progress describes a qualitative evaluation as a preliminary study for further quantitative analysis of an ESN adoption model.
Pokémon Go was the first mobile Augmented Reality (AR) game that made it to the top of the download charts of mobile applications. However, very little is known about this new generation of mobile online Augmented Reality (AR) games. Existing media usage and technology acceptance theories provide limited applicability to the understanding of its users. Against this background, this research provides a comprehensive framework that incorporates findings from uses & gratification theory (U>), technology acceptance and risk research as well as flow theory. The proposed framework aims at explaining the drivers of attitudinal and intentional reactions, such as continuance in gaming or willingness to conduct in-app purchases. A survey among 642 Pokémon Go players provides insights into the psychological drivers of mobile AR games. Results show that hedonic, emotional and social benefits, and social norms drive, vice versa physical risks (but not privacy risks) hinder consumer reactions. However, the importance of these drivers differs between different forms of user behavior.
This paper investigates the impact of dynamic capabilities (DC) on brand love. From a resource-based view, there is little clarity vis-à-vis the specific capabilities that drive the ability to create brand love. This paper focuses on three research questions: Firstly, which dynamic capabilities are relevant for brand love? Secondly, how strong is the impact of certain dynamic capabilities on brand love? Thirdly, which conditions mediate and moderate the impact of specific dynamic capabilities on brand love? Data from a multi-method research approach have been used to itentify the specific capabilities that corporations need, to enhance brand love. Furthermore, a standardized online survey was conducted on marketing executives and evaluated by structural equation modeling. The results indicate, that customer expertise plays a major role in the relationship between dynamic capabilities and brand love. Furthermore, this relationship is more important in markets that have a low competitive differentiation in products and services.
Electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) communication plays an increasingly important role in modern business. The underlying concept of word-of-mouth (WoM) communication is well researched and has proved highly significant in respect of its impact on customers purchase behavior. However, due to the advent of digital technologies, decision-making among customers is progressively shifting to the online world. Consequently, eWoM has received a lot of attention from the academic community. As multiple research papers focus on specific facets of eWoM, there is a need to integrate current research results systematically. Thus, this paper presents a scientific literature analysis in order to determine the current state-of-the-art in the field of eWoM. Five main research areas were analyzed, supporting the need for further eWoM studies and providing a structured overview of existing results.
Pokémon Go was the first mobile augmented reality (AR) game to reach the top of the download charts of mobile applications. However, little is known about this new generation of mobile online AR games. Existing theories provide limited applicability for user understanding. Against this background, this research provides a comprehensive framework based on uses and gratification theory, technology risk research, and flow theory. The proposed framework aims to explain the drivers of attitudinal and intentional reactions, such as continuance in gaming or willingness to invest money in in-app purchases. A survey among 642 Pokémon Go players provides insights into the psychological drivers of mobile AR games. The results show that hedonic, emotional, and social benefits and social norms drive consumer reactions while physical risks (but not data privacy risks) hinder consumer reactions. However, the importance of these drivers differs depending on the form of user behavior.
This paper examines the efficacy of social media systems in customer complaint handling. The emergence of social media, as a useful complement and (possibly) a viable alternative to the traditional channels of service delivery, motivates this research. The theoretical framework, developed from literature on social media and complaint handling, is tested against data collected from two different channels (hotline and social media) of a German telecommunication services provider, in order to gain insights into channel efficacy in complaint handling. We contribute to the understanding of firm’s technology usage for complaint handling in two ways:
(a) by conceptualizing and evaluating complaint handling quality across traditional and social media channels and (b) by comparing the impact of complaint handling quality on key performance outcomes such as customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and crosspurchase intentions across traditional and social media channels.
This research addresses the question of why employees use enterprise social networks (ESN). Against the background of technology acceptance research, we propose an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, adapt it to an ESN context, and test our model against data from ESN users of large and medium-sized enterprises. We use partial least squares structural equation modeling to gain insights into the determinants of ESN use. This paper contributes to ESN acceptance research by evaluating a model containing determinants of ESN use. It also examines the effects of determinants on five different usage dimensions of ESN. The results reveal that facilitating conditions are the main driver of ESN use while the impact of intention to use is comparably small. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Information technology (IT) plays an essential role in organizational innovation adoption. As such, IT governance (ITG) is paramount in accompanying IT to allow innovation. However, the traditional concept of ITG to control the formulation and implementation of IT strategy is not fully equipped to deal with the current changes occurring in the digital age. Today’s ITG needs an agile approach that can respond to changing dynamics. Consequently, companies are relying heavily on agile strategies to secure better company performance. This paper aims to clarify how organizations can implement agile ITG. To do so, this study conducted 56 qualitative interviews with professionals from the banking industry to identify agile dimensions within the governance construct. The qualitative evaluation uncovered 46 agile governance dimensions. Moreover, these dimensions were rated by 29 experts to identify the most effective ones. This led to the identification of six structure elements, eight processes, and eight relational mechanisms.
Many start-ups are in search of cooperation partners to develop their innovative business models. In response, incumbent firms are introducing increasingly more cooperation systems to engage with start-ups. However, many of these cooperations end in failure. Although qualitative studies on cooperation models have tried to improve the effectiveness of incumbent start-up strategies, only a few have empirically examined start-up cooperation behavior. Considering the lack of adequate measurement models in current research, this paper focuses on developing a multi-item scale on cooperation behavior of start-ups, drawing from a series of qualitative and quantitative studies. The resultant scale contributes to recent research on start-up cooperation and provides a framework to add an empirical perspective to current research.
The rise of digital technologies has become an important driver for change in multiple industries. Therefore, firms need to develop digital capabilities to manage the transformation process successfully. Prior research assumes that the development of a specific set of digital capabilities leads to higher digital maturity. However, a measurement framework for digital maturity does not exist in scholarly work. Therefore, this paper develops a conceptualization and measuremnent model for digital maturity.
The shift of populations to cities is creating challenges in many respects, thus leading to increasing demand for smart solutions of urbanization problems. Smart city applications range from technical and social to economic and ecological. The main focus of this work is to provide a systematic literature review of smart city research to answer two main questions: (1) How is current research on smart cities structured? and (2) What directions are relevant for future research on smart cities? To answer these research questions, a text-mining approach is applied to a large number of publications. This provides an overview and gives insights into relevant dimensions of smart city research. Although the main dimensions of research are already described in the literature, an evaluation of the relevance of such dimensions is missing. Findings suggest that the dimensions of environment and governance are popular, while the dimension of economy has received only limited attention.