Digitally connected services: Improvements through customer-initiated feedback

• Published in: European management journal Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 814 - 825
• Main Authors: Birch-Jensen, Andrea, Gremyr, Ida, Halldórsson, Árni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2020; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Customer feedback; Customer services; Customer-initiated feedback; Customers; Digitally connected services; Feedback; Improvements; Manufacturing; Quality improvement; Quality management; Quality of service; Studies; Digitally connected services; Customer-initiated feedback; Improvements
• ISSN: 0263-2373; 1873-5681
• DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2020.03.008

A growing number of manufacturers advances their offerings by providing digitally connected services (DCS) that require companies to revisit quality improvements based on customer feedback. This paper explores how firms use customer-initiated feedback for quality improvement of DCS. DCS entail a human-to-digital interface that enables ongoing provider-customer interaction. Based on a case study of a manufacturer that offers DCS, we conclude that the scope of improvements extends into the use phase of services, and customer-initiated feedback is both codified and personalized. In particular, systematic use of customer-initiated feedback for improving DCS requires three distinct efforts. First, channeling aims to capture feedback provided by a large number of customers through various entries into the organization. Second, processing refers to utilizing this feedback within the organization for service improvements. Third, knowledge conversion seeks to turn learning from feedback into knowledge that is dealt effectively across various functions such as quality management and customer services. In addition, research should investigate further quality improvement and customer feedback of services that are digitally configured by customers themselves.
•Digitally connected services entail new requirements regarding quality improvements.•Customer-initiated feedback extends scope of service improvements into “quality in use” by three components:(1)Channeling − Entry of customer feedback into the organization.(2)Processing − Use of customer feedback within the organization for improvements.(3)Knowledge conversion − Turning customer feedback into organization-wide knowledge.