The adoption of information technology in customer service

Abstract

Many leading firms across Europe are harnessing information technology to cultivate customer service as a valuable asset to achieve strategic superiority. The key findings of this IT/customer service adoption study emphasize three main points. First information technology acts as an enabling tool in achieving customer service advantages in three ways: clerical effectiveness/automation; operational efficiency; and/or information generation and strategic effectiveness or transformation. Second, customer service is being nurtured as a valuable asset in differentiating products in one or more of four forms: distribution, transaction, relationship and/or strategic. Third, there is a direct positive correlation between the exploitation of IT in customer service and the degree of information orientation. The conclusion presents a model of this adoption process of IT in customer service. These findings reflect “leading” business practice in the use of IT in customer service.

Citation

Domegan, C.T. (1996), "The adoption of information technology in customer service", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 52-69. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569610121674