TY - JOUR
T1 - High Tech and High Touch
T2 - A Framework for Understanding User Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Smart Interactive Services
AU - Wünderlich, Nancy V.
AU - Wangenheim, Florian V.
AU - Bitner, M J
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: We thank the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft –DFG) for funding this project as part of the collaborative research centre ‘Sonderforschungsbereich 768– Managing cycles in innovation processes–Integrated development of product-service-systems based on technical products’.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Smart interactive services, in contrast with other technology-based services, require significant human-to-human interaction and collaboration in addition to the service provided by the embedded technology itself. The authors' foundational Delphi study confirms smart interactive services (e.g., remote diagnosis, remote repair of equipment, and telemedicine) are a rapidly growing innovation category across industries. Yet, gaining user acceptance of these types of services presents a significant challenge for managers. To address this challenge, the authors employ a grounded theory approach, drawing on depth interviews, to develop a framework of barriers and facilitators to users' attitudinal and behavioral responses to smart interactive services. The findings reveal a new set of beliefs that are critical in this context. These beliefs are tied to the human element and specifically pertain to beliefs about the "service counterpart (SC)," who is the provider's employee controlling the technology. Control, trustworthiness, and collaboration beliefs emerge jointly as important and interrelated influencers tied to the SC. Contrary to conventional wisdom that focuses on features of the technology itself to gain user acceptance, this research encourages providers to emphasize the interpersonal elements of the service by providing control cues, raising social presence, and enhancing human trust mechanisms.
AB - Smart interactive services, in contrast with other technology-based services, require significant human-to-human interaction and collaboration in addition to the service provided by the embedded technology itself. The authors' foundational Delphi study confirms smart interactive services (e.g., remote diagnosis, remote repair of equipment, and telemedicine) are a rapidly growing innovation category across industries. Yet, gaining user acceptance of these types of services presents a significant challenge for managers. To address this challenge, the authors employ a grounded theory approach, drawing on depth interviews, to develop a framework of barriers and facilitators to users' attitudinal and behavioral responses to smart interactive services. The findings reveal a new set of beliefs that are critical in this context. These beliefs are tied to the human element and specifically pertain to beliefs about the "service counterpart (SC)," who is the provider's employee controlling the technology. Control, trustworthiness, and collaboration beliefs emerge jointly as important and interrelated influencers tied to the SC. Contrary to conventional wisdom that focuses on features of the technology itself to gain user acceptance, this research encourages providers to emphasize the interpersonal elements of the service by providing control cues, raising social presence, and enhancing human trust mechanisms.
KW - remote service
KW - service counterpart
KW - service technology
KW - smart service
KW - technology adoption
KW - technology-mediated service
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U2 - 10.1177/1094670512448413
DO - 10.1177/1094670512448413
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84874097870
SN - 1094-6705
VL - 16
SP - 3
EP - 20
JO - Journal of Service Research
JF - Journal of Service Research
IS - 1
ER -