Customer-facing Service Research Articles

Review of AI-Driven Solutions in Business Value and Operational Efficiency

Introduction. Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to a wide spectrum of breakthroughs that offer multiple advantages to companies in terms of increased sales. Considering the abundance of data and the significant increase in computational resources, organisations have rapidly turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to create financial benefits. Nevertheless, businesses continue to discover it is challenging to implement and employ AI in their everyday activities. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding is required due to the absence of an integrated comprehension of how artificial intelligence creates business value and what kind of corporate worth is anticipated. Aim and tasks. The study aims to review value-generating methods and explain how enterprises might use AI technology in their business activities. To accomplish its main aims, this study offers a thorough literature review. The working hypothesis claims that the use of AI can increase business value. Results. This study examines the research capabilities of AI, its use in the corporate environment, and its initial and secondary impacts. The impact of AI includes process efficiency, generating insights hidden in huge amounts of data, and transforming business processes in terms of procedural actions, operational efficiency, financial efficiency, market efficiency, and sustainability in terms of company profile. In addition to the favourable impacts, several recent cases have shown that unwanted and undesired consequences may develop in the absence of effective management procedures. These effects hurt the reputation of the businesses concerned and, in certain cases, resulted in huge fines and financial losses. Such findings increase the responsibility of AI enterprises to incorporate solutions that reduce the bias in data and algorithms at every stage of implementation. Conclusions. The role of artificial intelligence in the corporate environment in value creation and operational efficiency is extending. AI technologies can be used by companies to increase automation of corporate processes without direct interaction with customers, including applications that mean the use of AI in customer-facing services and products. Learning about the means by which AI might be employed will assist businesses in generating rational choices regarding the strength of implementing technologies in the supply chain. Assessing the possible implications of AI acceptance of artificial intelligence may enable firms to plan more successfully on a technology’s launch.

Analysis of Smart Technologies Used in Smart Hotels

Purpose –The development and widespread use of smart technologies have led to the emergence of smart hotels. Smart hotels are smart systems that provide benefits to all stakeholders (staff, managers, customers, hotel owners) in the hospitality sector with smart technologies and interact with each other. Hotels that utilize smart technologies differentiate the hotel service, provide superiority in competition, and reduce hotel costs. This study aims to analyze the hotels in the world where smart technologies are used and the type, purpose of use, and customer touchpoints of the smart technologies used in these hotels and to provide a perspective and foresight for hotels.Design/methodology/approach –The data used in the research were obtained from secondary sources. The document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used to analyze the sources. The content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. A seven-step systematic review process was applied in the research. The seven-step review process consists of the following stages: (1) determining the review objectives and formulating the research questions; (2) determining the search terms and selection criteria; (3) searching for smart hotel applications before clarifying the exclusion and inclusion criteria; (4) evaluating the quality and suitability of smart hotel applications; (5) determining the content analysis review variables (6) conducting content analysis, and (7) synthesizing and reporting the findings. The population of the research consists of all hotels where smart technologies are used. In the research, 1084 smart hotels were determined as a sample. The data was collected via the internet between 1 December 2022 and 20 June 2023.Findings –The most used technologies in hotels are cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, NFC, and recognition technologies. Blockchain, mixed reality, metaverse, and 3D printers are the least used technologies. The most common use of smart technologies is at the first, second, third, and fourth customer touchpoints. While the majority of hotels use 6 or more types of smart technologies, the second place is occupied by hotels using between 2 and 5 types of smart technologies. Smart technologies are most often used in customer-facing services and transactions.Discussion –Providing a personalized experience and responding quickly to their guests' needs is a common goal for all smart hotels. Some hotels provide their guests with IoT-enabled tablets to control all the functions offered, while others have mobile applications downloaded from Play stores. Some hotels are investing more in AI and robotics technology for butler, housekeeper, and doorman services, while others are using AI, big data, and IoT to provide personalized services to customers. In the future,smart hotel rooms are expected to be different from today, and even unmanned hotels are expected to appear more

Gendered Human–Robot Interactions in Services

The outbreak of Covid-19 precipitated the use of service robots in customer-facing services as a replacement for employees to avoid human-to-human contact. However, this development has not resolved the debate as to whether robots should be characterized with gender attributes or simply be genderless. This study explores whether endowing a robot with gender attributes makes it more acceptable as a service provider among stated men and women. To this end, an experiment was conducted at a public fair in which a gendered robot simulated the provision of a service to customers, which consisted of offering them advice, hints, and messages of encouragement to help complete a eudaemonic puzzle. A parsimonious version of the Almere model was used to estimate acceptance of the technology. The findings reveal that for both stated men and women, the main drivers for accepting the female-coded robot are perceived usefulness and social influence, although women attach greater importance to social influence. For the male-coded robot, perceived usefulness and social influence are the main arguments for women, while for men they are enjoyment, perceived usefulness and, negatively, ease of use. In addition, different indirect effects between stated sexes are also identified. In summary, men and women consider different factors when accepting robots of each gender.

How intelligent automation, service robots, and AI will reshape service products and their delivery

Intelligent Automation in form of robots, smart self-service technologies, wearable technologies, software and systems such as machine learning, generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT, and the metaverse are increasingly adopted in a wide range of customer-facing service settings. The shift toward robot- and AI-powered services will lead to improved customer experiences, service quality, and productivity all at the same time. However, these also carry ethical, fairness, and privacy risks for customers and society. In this opinion piece, we discuss the implications of the service revolution for service firms, their marketing, and their customers, and provide avenues for future research opportunities.

Gig worker typology and research agenda: advancing research for frontline service providers

PurposeThe unique employment status of gig workers as independent contractors and their impact on consumers provide an important opportunity for the current research to understand gig workers' perceptions of their employment and how that affects job performance outcomes. These gig workers serve as the frontline service providers for platforms like Airbnb hosts, Lyft drivers and Wag walkers performing customer-facing services. However, their status as gig workers, not traditional employees, presents challenges to platforms. The purpose of this research is to gain insights into the profiles of gig workers, examine the challenges platforms have in retaining high-performing workers and provide a research agenda on this important group of frontline service providers.Design/methodology/approachIncorporating variables deemed important in examining self-determination theory, a large-scale data collection via an online survey was administered, yielding 447 completed surveys. A two-step cluster analysis procedure was conducted to categorize sample respondents into four distinct groups.FindingsFour groups emerged from the cluster analysis, labeled “Ambivalent Outsider,” “Competent Cog,” “Independent Insider” and “Committed Comrade.” The results suggest that there are significant differences across all variables and groups based on gig worker responses and self-reported customer satisfaction scores. The gig worker profiles developed are then utilized to formulate research propositions that are the basis for the research agenda presented.Practical implicationsThe goal of many collaborative consumption platforms may be to hire Independent Insiders or Committed Comrades; however, that is difficult to attain with every hire. Thus, the segmentation results provide insights for companies seeking to hire, retain, and successfully motivate their workforce.Originality/valueGiven the freedom and flexibility afforded to gig workers, and the importance they have on the service experience for customers, understanding their own perceptions of employment and performance is critical to ensuring a positive experience for all parties. Research on collaborative consumption has largely focused on consumers or the management of freelance workers with only tangential applicability to gig work. This paper offers a comprehensive research agenda for gig worker management based on the typology of gig workers created.

Trading Nontradables: The Implications of Europe’s Job-Posting Policy

Abstract This article examines the labor market implications of the EU posting policy, a large temporary migration program facilitated by the liberalization of the free provision of services in Europe. Posting allows EU firms to send (post) their employees abroad to export customer-facing services. Combining administrative data and quasi-experimental policy variation, I find that the policy permanently increased total factor mobility in Europe without crowding out traditional migration. This result suggests that unrealized gains from trade in factor services remained despite the absence of regulatory barriers to trade and migration in the EU. Furthermore, posted workers are mostly sent from low-wage countries to perform manual tasks in sectors formerly insulated from trade, and they represent a substantial share of EU migrant workers. In receiving countries, posting had persistent negative effects on employment for domestic workers in the more exposed sectors and local labor markets, but it had no effects on domestic wages. In low-wage sending countries, firms in formerly “nontradable” sectors experienced increased sales, profits, and tax payments when exporting services through posting. Posted workers earn more once sent abroad but remain paid at lower wages than comparable domestic workers in the receiving country. Wage gains for posted workers are mostly explained by minimum wages enforced by the EU policy, highlighting the role of labor market regulations in shaping the way gains from globalization are shared between labor and capital owners in origin countries.

Social robot-delivered customer-facing services: an assessment of the experience

ABSTRACT The ability to install social intelligence protocols in robots in order for them to exhibit conversational skills has made them ideal tools for delivering services with a high cognitive and low emotional load. Little is known about how this capability influences the customer experience and the intention to continue receiving these services. Experiences were assessed in a study simulating customer-facing service delivery, and the constructs of the technology readiness index and stated gender were analysed as possible moderators in a quasi-experiment. Hedonic quality was the most relevant factor explaining attitude, and attitude explained intention to use as well as social influence. As for the constructs of technological readiness and gender, optimism and innovativeness seem to be the most likely candidates for moderating the other variables. The most optimistic and the most innovative route would be for the main actors to continue adapting to social robot technology in the future.

APPROACHES OF DATA WAREHOUSING AND THEIR APPLICATIONS: A REVIEW

A data warehouse, DW in short is a huge repository of corporate data that is employed to aid an organization's decision-making. The data warehouse idea has been around throughout eighties, while it was created to assist in the transformation of data from just enabling activities to fueling judgment assistance capabilities that disclose business insight. The huge volume of data in data stores originates from a variety of sources, including interior services like branding, selling, and treasury, customer-facing services, and outsourced systems, besides several. On a scientific basis, a DW gathers data from various apps and platforms on a regular basis; the data is then formatted and imported to match the data currently in the storehouse. This generated content is stored in the DW so that decision makers may access it. The frequency with which data pulls happen, how data is organized, and so on will vary relying on the needs of the company. The procedure of mining data from a basic system or excavating information from a huge quantity of data is known as data warehousing. It is generally known as ETL, which stands for extract, transform, and load. This paper discusses the following topics: an overview of Datawarehouses, different Datawarehouse design approaches and their benefits and drawbacks, different sorts of pulling out techniques in Datawarehouses, characteristics of Datawarehouses, dissimilar doles of data warehousing, unalike components used in DW, and data warehousing usages.

Risky business: Gig workers and the navigation of ideal worker expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Managers and customers often expect individuals to be "ideal workers" devoted entirely to work, and this devotion is typically displayed through being available to work at any time, on any day (Reid, 2015). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals in lower-paid, customer-facing jobs were expected to not only be available but also to take on physical risk. However, the ideal worker literature has paid relatively little attention to how risk relates to ideal worker expectations, reflecting in part the extant literature's focus on professionals who face relatively little physical and financial uncertainty. In this article, we draw upon the experiences of nonprofessional "gig" workers (TaskRabbit workers) to examine how they manage customers' ideal worker expectations-including risk-using data from interviews (n = 49), postings from online worker forums social media, and offical company communications. We show how these workers engage in different tactics to manage risk in response to customers' expectations, including two tactics-covering and withdrawing-that have not been discussed in prior ideal worker literature. In doing so, we expand scholarly understanding by showing how concerns about risk shape workers' responses to ideal worker expectations, particularly in customer-facing service work outside of traditional organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Demonstrating value in research libraries: the shared service standards initiative

Purpose – In 2014, the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) consortium developed a shared set of customer-focused service standards to be adopted and used by all University Library members. This was the first time that such an approach had been taken across research libraries in the UK. The driver for this initiative was to enable the libraries to develop more comprehensive, shared quality indicators which would enable them to demonstrate their value, especially in times of austerity when budgets might be under threat. The purpose of this paper is to set out the approach taken to the development of shared service standards and ensuring the engagement and buy-in of the RLUK membership. Design/methodology/approach – The service standards initiative was conceived and developed as a strategic RLUK project, as part of the strategy on “collaboration to reduce costs and improve quality”. Initially it was considered that a collaborative approach to developing quality and performance indicators and service standards would reduce duplication of effort across members and save staff time in establishing mechanisms for collection of performance data. In addition it was agreed that there would be potential for a shared set of measures or standards to be used for benchmarking purposes and to enable libraries to demonstrate their value to their institutions. Findings – The initiative established eight customer-facing service standards which were agreed as being applicable to all of the University Library members of RLUK. These include a range of quality indicators focused on services rated as important to the largest customer group – undergraduate students. The service standards include measures on areas such as shelving turn-around, time taken to obtain materials on reading lists, opening hours, information literacy teaching and inter-library loans. In addition, the UK National Student Survey data are included on satisfaction rates for library services, with a benchmark target set at 90 per cent. Originality/value – Notwithstanding the SCONUL Annual Statistics exercise, this is the first time in the UK that a collaborative approach to the development of service standards has been attempted for a group of research libraries. The initiative also demonstrates the increased commitment amongst research libraries to the fundamental principles surrounding excellent customer service – in particular the need to demonstrate service quality and proactively identify gaps in services so that these can be addressed, and services can be improved on a continual basis.

Can Service Coproduction Factors Enhance Learning-by-Doing Simultaneously? Evidence from the U.S. Hotel Industry

We explore the role of service coproduction factors, including service level, service variety, and operations-centered and customer-centered cost, in fostering innovation through the effective use of learning-by-doing (LBD) in a customer-facing service context. We hypothesize that service organizations can simultaneously improve along these factors through learning-by-doing. We develop a unique panel data set in the U.S. hotel industry from 2001 to 2011 to test our hypothesis. We find strong direct effects on performance from these coproduction factors. Namely, profitability is negatively associated with operations-centered cost but positively associated with increases in service level, variety, and customer-centered cost. Furthermore, gains from learning-by-doing are higher when operations-centered cost is high or when service level, service variety, and customer-centered cost are low. These findings suggest that service coproduction factors can enhance learning-by-doing simultaneously but their economic impact is subject to certain profitability trade-offs. We close the article by offering theory and managerial implications of the simultaneous learning possibilities and allied profitability trade-offs.

Can Service Coproduction Factors Enhance Learning-by-Doing Simultaneously? Evidence from the U.S. Hotel Industry

We explore the role of service co-production factors, including service level, service variety, operations-centered and customer-centered cost, in fostering innovation through the effective use of learning-by-doing in a customer-facing service context. We hypothesize that service organizations can simultaneously improve along these factors through learning-by-doing. We develop a unique panel data set in the U.S. hotel industry from 2001 to 2011 to test our hypothesis. We find strong direct effects on performance from these co-production factors. Namely, profitability is negatively associated with operations-centered cost but positively associated with increases in service level, variety and customer-centered cost. Furthermore, gains from learning-by-doing are higher when operations-centered cost is high or when service level, service variety, and customer-centered cost are low. These findings suggest that service co-production factors can enhance learning-by-doing simultaneously but their economic impact is subject to certain profitability trade offs. We close the article by offering theory and managerial implications of the simultaneous learning possibilities and allied profitability trade offs.

From product-centric to customer-centric services in a financial institution – exploring the organizational challenges of the transition process

This research aims to contribute to an increased understanding of the strategic, cultural and other organizational challenges in a transition process from product-centric to customer-centric services. The paper describes an exploratory case study, conducted in a complex financial services organization in the context of their customer-facing services. The transition process was examined through the theoretical lens of Work System Theory (WST), following the argument made by previous researchers that service systems could be seen as work systems. This holistic theory enabled us to capture the three key phases of the transition process as work systems snapshots and through their evolving relationships show the manner in which the transitions occurred from one phase to another. This innovative approach provided the researchers with an in-depth insight into key issues related to organizational environment, strategy, customers, products and services, processes and activities, participants, and information and technologies --- all relevant for each phase of the transition process. This research contributes to both information systems (IS) and service science research, bringing the key service research priority of "service infusion" to the attention of IS researchers.

When do they care to share? How manufacturers make contracted service partners share knowledge

Manufacturing firms that outsource customer-facing services, risk losing touch with their customers and thereby forfeit valuable market and customer-related knowledge. To maintain informed and competitive, the manufacturer's customer-facing service partners should engage in knowledge sharing and transfer their market knowledge and insight to the firm. Building on knowledge transfer and organizational learning theory, this study investigates how contractual and non-contractual (i.e., relationship) characteristics influence knowledge sharing behavior by service partners. The authors specifically distinguish between sharing exploitative knowledge (insights that help the manufacturing firm to refine current skills and procedures) and exploratory knowledge (insights that help the manufacturing firm to challenge prior approaches to interfacing with the market). Based on survey data from 70 relationship managers from a large multinational firm and partial least squares path modeling, results show that contractual incentives had a negative effect on exploratory knowledge sharing, but not on exploitative knowledge sharing. The level of contract specification and relationship quality positively related to both types of knowledge sharing. Relationship manager experience related positively to exploratory knowledge sharing, but not to exploitative knowledge sharing. These findings provide valuable insights on how (non-)contractual mechanisms can be used to manage knowledge sharing in outsourced services.

Providing Library Collections the SMART Way

The SMART collaboration among local authority and tertiary libraries in the lower North Island of New Zealand is providing a model for the provision of regional library services while retaining organizational autonomy. This article discusses the main customer-facing service offering to date and some of the lessons learned.

‘All Aboard’: Motivating Service Employees on Cruise Ships

There have been numerous studies on employee motivation and satisfaction in the hospitality industry but there appears to be a lack of research regarding employment on cruise ships. Cruise ship employees are expected to provide high-quality services that could influence the quality of the tourist experience and the competitiveness of the organisation. Therefore, the level of employee motivation is a critical success factor for this industry. This research aims to contribute to this relatively under-researched area by evaluating the motivational factors for customer-facing service employees on cruise ships. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 past and present employees from various cruise ships. The data gathered were analysed using template analysis. The study revealed employees were mainly motivated to work for the money saving opportunities, the desire to travel and meet new people, as well as learning aspirations and the attractive lifestyle the employment offered. The study has found that the unique environment of working is important on cruise ships and has been worthy of close attention due to its influences on employee motivation.

Globalization and the Offshoring of Services: The Case of India

The overwhelming majority of exports from developing countries to developed countries consist of agricultural commodities and manufactured goods. Such goods are usually produced under contract to a buyer from a developed country, the buyer managing design, marketing, and sales, while the seller handles production. Intermediate steps, such as accessing finance, technology, and raw materials, managing currency risks, and maintaining quality control, are shared between the buyer and the seller in special arrangements. Typically, in the introductory stages, the buyer assumes more control and takes more risk than in later stages. As the seller matures, it shares more of the risks and rewards. Nevertheless, history shows that the share of rewards (that is, the economic rents, if any) tend to remain with developed-country buyers. A new phase of globalization, international trade in services, has been emerging for at least a decade, and by now it looms important within the total value of World Trade Organization (WTO) trade. Developing countries around the world, particularly in Asia, have become large producers of services for developed countries. The range of such services is impressive. It includes back-office services such as payroll; customer-facing services such as call centers and telemedicine; design services such as the design of application-specific integrated circuits; research services such as conducting clinical trials; venture capital provision, from Taiwan to Silicon Valley, for example; software services such as programming; and IT and infrastructure outsourcing such as the managing of [End Page 241] corporate e-mail systems and telecommunications networks. These new fields of service exports join the traditional fields of tourism and labor migration. As a result, services are becoming an important component of international trade for both developing and developed countries.1 Hence, studies of changes in the composition and trends of trade in services between developed and developing countries and the analysis of sharing of risks and rewards between buyers and sellers can provide insights into an important component of international trade and the new challenges and opportunities for economic development in the developing world. Some have even argued that the ability of countries like China and India to undertake high-end services work, such as in semiconductor design and information technology (IT), can threaten employment in developed countries, if productivity gains in developing countries are sufficiently high (for example, Samuelson 2004). In this paper, I use India as a case study of growth and value addition. India has catapulted itself in recent years into the leadership position in services exports from developing countries, and the study of India's experience with exporting services in information technology could provide important insights into the workings of this new and promising area of international trade. Services appear to be key to its future growth (see table 1). Some components of the Indian experience (such as software services) are over three decades old, enabling us to draw useful insights about how a developing country can succeed in exporting services to developed countries. This is likely to have implications for policy in institutional development (such as educational and risk management institutions) and physical infrastructure. I argue that (1) local entrepreneurship and a high level of infant industry protection enabled the Indian IT industry to reach a high growth path and allowed local skills to develop rapidly to keep pace with global changes; (2) protectionism—in force until 1990—hurt the industry by forcing the work done to focus on low-value-added components; and (3) the rising importance of multinational firms from the late 1990s onward was the result of the country's adopting a more welcoming legal and regulatory structure and led to a rise in the sophistication of work done. As a result, the contractual relationship between India-based IT providers and developed-country buyers has changed over the past three decades. Initially, [End Page 242] it was characterized by "body-shopping": the provider recruited labor and the buyer decided how to use it...