The identification of new service opportunities: a case-based morphological analysis

Typically, firms try to differentiate their products through the integration of innovative services. For this reason, much recent research into new service development has focused on methods of identifying and generating new service ideas. The most prevalent method for generating a new service is a morphological analysis that decomposes a system into several dimensions and values, and then recombines those values to generate new services. Despite the popularity of morphological analysis, how to build morphological matrix has been an area of subjective expert judgment. In this paper, we focused on the possibility to utilize the big data to the morphological analysis to address the subjective morphological building process, by suggesting a case-based morphological analysis. By employing case-based reasoning and network analysis, firms can easily identify direct and indirect clues for the new services and integrate these results to the morphological building processes. To support this approach, this study first employs a case-based reasoning strategy to collect and identify similar services, and then assesses the patterns in those services through network analysis. By engaging in network analysis, firms can identify key aspects of new services, and determine what kinds of keywords or aspects should be employed for the dimensions and values of morphological matrices.     

基于线上线下融合的混合服务质量--内涵、维度及其测量

信息技术的进步促进了线上线下渠道的融合发展,传统服务业正在积极利用线上线下渠道改变服务的生产、传递和消费方式,线上线下融合的混合服务质量管理变得日益重要。文章基于多渠道交易过程视角,考虑顾客通过混合服务传递系统与服务企业的接触体验,全面定义和测量了线上线下融合的混合服务质量。运用访谈法、内容分析法、预调研和大样本调查分析,在中国情景下开发了线上线下融合的混合服务质量测量量表(OMO-HSQ)。通过因子分析、信度检验、效度检验和竞争模型比较分析,证明该量表有良好的心理测量学品质。研究表明,线上线下融合的混合服务质量包括了实体服务质量、电子服务质量和整合服务质量三个主维度及其十五个次级维度和对应的六十一个测量题项,混合服务质量构成维度对总体混合服务质量的相对贡献由大到小依次为整合服务质量、实体服务质量和电子服务质量,实体服务质量评价得分要依次高于电子服务质量和整合服务质量,企业类型、消费者类型和服务行业类型对混合服务质量有差异化影响。研究为测量混合服务质量提供了科学依据和工具,对混合服务企业服务质量管理有重要实践启示。     

Novelty-focussed document mapping to identify new service opportunities

Successful innovation in services is considered a key factor for organisational sustainability. However, existing customer- and expert-centric approaches are becoming time-consuming and labour-intensive as the number and complexity of services increase. To counter this, an instrument for service opportunity analysis based on quantitative data and systematic processes is proposed in line with the notions of service engineering. At the heart of the suggested approach is text mining to extract the meanings of service documents and the local outlier factor to identify novel services based on quantitative indicators. A case study of mobile services is exemplified. The suggested approach promotes consensus building for promising service opportunities and enhances the efficiency of the fuzzy front-end stages of new service development.     

Consumer perceptions to support IoT based smart parcel locker logistics in China

In recent years, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) based smart parcel lockers has developed very rapidly in Asia due to the wider applications from retailers, e-commerce companies, logistics companies, and consumers. The revolution of smart technologies has transformed the traditional way of last-mile delivery from logistics outlets to IoT-based parcel lockers due to the flexibility, convenience, and 24/7 accessibility. However, there are still many obstacles affecting the transformation of last-mile delivery especially in consumers perceptions towards the smart technologies. Therefore, in this study, we performed research based on the theory of service quality and customer satisfaction in the adoption of relevant technologies. This article divides the smart parcel lockers' service quality into five dimensions: service price, service reliability, convenience, fault handling capability, and service diversity. In this study, 272 valid questionnaires were collected from China to investigate consumer satisfaction with the smart parcel locker services. Statistical analysis, including the reliability and validity, was performed, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The correlation between variables and the degree of influence on customer satisfaction and regression analysis was also undertaken in this study. The results revealed that the service price does not positively affect consumer satisfaction, and the other four underlying factors have a positive effect on consumer satisfaction. This research has significant impacts by determining the parcel lockers' core factors so as to foster the further development of last-mile services in the future.     

挖掘售后服务领域的潜在价值

一些领先的企业从售后服务领域获取高达50%的利润收入,售后服务管理已成为企业的决策焦点。可通过对消费者的服务需求预测、产品设计、新技术应用和企业联盟等策略来满足消费者的各种需求,降低配件的库存水平、减少服务成本,以充分挖掘售后服务领域潜在的利润空间。     

Emergence of innovations in services

Along with the ‘servicisation’ of society, innovation in services has become a topical issue. However, analytical and detailed discussion about the nature of service innovations and their emergence is only beginning. This article aims to contribute to this discussion through a theoretical analysis supplemented with findings from two empirical case studies. The theories examined are multi-disciplinary including general service theories, general innovation theories and theories linked to new service development and innovation management. The empirical studies have been carried out in Finland in the fields of real estate and construction services and of knowledge-intensive business services.     

混合服务质量：研究述评与未来展望

信息技术的进步极大地改变了服务生产、传递和消费的形式，促进了人-人交互和人-技术交互结合的混合服务发展。单渠道情境中的传统服务质量和电子服务质量已受到广泛关注，但多渠道融合情境中的混合服务质量还缺乏深入探索。混合服务质量逐渐成为近年来服务营销和管理领域新的研究主题。文章按照混合服务质量的内涵、构成、测量、影响因素以及对顾客行为的影响研究，对国内外该领域的研究情况进行了系统回顾和全面梳理，掌握了国内外的最新研究动态，并对未来研究方向进行了展望，以期促进国内学术界对混合服务质量的关注与探索。     

服务质量与服务忠诚的多维度关系研究

本文选择北京地区接受餐饮业服务的消费者为调研样本,运用因子分析、结构方程模型等计量手段,从多维度角度研究服务质量与服务忠诚的关系。研究结果表明:服务质量由有形性、可靠性、响应性、保证性和移情性五维度构成,服务忠诚由情感忠诚和行为忠诚两维度构成;服务质量不仅对服务忠诚存在着显著的直接正向影响,而且通过顾客满意对服务忠诚存在着显著的间接正向影响;服务质量各维度对服务忠诚各维度的影响机理与程度各不相同。研究结果同时引申出若干有关我国服务业如何提升服务质量以达到提升服务忠诚的启示。     

Developing new smart services using integrated morphological analysis: integration of the market-pull and technology-push approach

With the rise of smart services, new services are no longer generated via the traditional linear models of innovation. Rather, smart-service innovations require new frameworks to integrate the market-pull and technology-push models, which focus on both user-centric considerations and technological developments. However, current streams of research continue to merely suggest a conceptual framework. Therefore, it appears to be difficult to apply this framework into practice, due to a lack of systematic methodologies. In response, this study employs morphological analysis, a powerful tool for the systematic generation of ideas. Since the morphological analysis employs several dimensions for explaining new services and combines them to generate new ideas, it is easy to integrate the different approaches to innovations, such as market pull and technology push. A case study of smartphone application services is also conducted.     

Female customers' expectation of the service offering and their perception of the service quality in an emerging clothing market

Worldwide, clothing retailers that offer similar merchandise and even the same brands are flanked almost next to one another in shopping centres. Clothing retail therefore appears to be poorly differentiated, and it is not always clear why consumers prefer to patronize one store and avoid another. This study explored female consumers' expectations of the service offering and their perception of the service quality of prominent clothing retail channels in Tshwane, a major urban area in South Africa. The survey involved 243 females that were 20 years of age or older. They completed a structured questionnaire that investigated their (1) expectations of customer service in terms of tangible evidence of the service offering; and (2) perception of service quality using two different instruments by means of a direct measurement approach. Explorative factor analysis was used to reduce the data in terms of relevant dimensions of the respective measuring instruments and to determine the significance of the various dimensions of customer service and service quality in the context of this research. Contrary to what the literature proposes about consumers in an emerging economy, findings of this study suggest that females' expectations of the service offering of clothing retail stores were high. Their expectations were cognitively structured in terms of three elements of customer service, namely (1) physical facilities and product presentation; (2) personnel; and (3) store image and processes. Their perception of service quality revealed an opportunity to augment the service quality through attention to activities that are associated with personnel and the so-called supportiveness dimensions of their service offering. Findings coincided with a prior investigation of Terblanche and Boshoff, although a re-labelling of one dimension of their instrument is proposed to prevent confusion. Recommendations to augment the service quality of clothing retailers are made in terms of tangible evidence of the service offering.     

The rise of smart consumers: role of smart servicescape and smart consumer experience co-creation

ABSTRACT

Rapid technological advancements have led to the emergence of smart services and smart consumers. This study focuses on smart consumers who voluntarily engage in value creation activities, in order to conceptualise smart experience co-creation (SEC) and the smart servicescape. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, a model is proposed and tested around the impacts of smart servicescape dimensions (aesthetics, superior functionality, social presence, perceived interactivity and perceived personalisation) on smart consumer experience co-creation. SEC is conceptualised as a second-order construct consisting of cognitive, hedonic, social/personal, and pragmatic/economic first-order dimensions. Results show that the technological environmental cues of the smart servicescape (S) collectively influence smart experience co-creation (O), and this co-created experience eventually influences consumers’ service brand equity and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions (R). A major novelty of this study lies in uncovering the relationship between experience co-creation and service brand equity. Findings have theoretical and managerial implications for smart services.     

Testing of service concepts

Faced with mounting competitive pressures, many companies are attempting to raise their profile in the market by offering new services. As a result, far greater attention has been accorded in the last few years to new service development and service engineering by researchers and businesses alike. However, if the standard suggestions for developing new services are considered it is conspicuous that testing of development results has been largely neglected in the past. This article describes how service testing can be realised in practice and presents a possible approach for simulating services with the help of virtual reality and service theatre.     

物流服务质量理论研究进展(1989-2020)--基于系统文献回顾法的研究述评

近年来,国内外物流产业发展迅速,有关物流服务质量的研究日益增多,但缺乏全面而系统地描述物流服务质量的比较普适的模型,物流服务质量应由哪些维度构成、研究中应如何在众多物流服务质量评价模型和评价方法中进行取舍成为困扰物流学术界的难题。为着力解决这些问题,弥补理论研究缺口,通过在国内外主要文献数据库中检索1989—2020年间关于物流服务质量的学术论文,并根据研究问题筛选确定67篇中文论文和73篇英文论文进行文献分析。借助系统文献回顾方法进行分析发现,最基础的物流服务质量评价维度主要包括时间性、可靠性、移情性、流程和误差;现有研究使用的物流服务质量评价模型及评价方法主要是SERVQUAL模型、LSQ模型、Kano模型和统计分析方法;对于物流服务质量的研究,国内外在研究内容、研究方法、研究主体等方面存在较大差异,国内研究尽管发展迅速,但与国际水平相比差距依然明显。鉴于此,为进一步提升未来物流服务质量理论研究水平,应注重从物流企业角度开展研究并提供令顾客满意的方案以改进服务质量,加强对冷链物流、众包物流、铁路物流等“小众”行业物流服务的研究以拓展物流服务质量的研究领域,注重结合不同情境对SERVQUAL模型、LSQ模型等基础物流服务质量模型加以改进,重视物流服务质量研究方法创新,通过对混合模型及多种实证方法的运用,提升研究结果的科学性和客观性。     

浅谈智能电能表的应用

随着科学技术和社会经济的不断发展,我国的电力已经成为了了一种非常重要的能源,长期以来,我国的都采用人工抄读电表的方式来计费,这种方式在一定程度上浪费了很多的人力和资源,随着国民经济的不断发展,智能电能表作为一种的新型的绿色能源电能表逐渐被推广运用,本文首先介绍了智能电能表的工作原理和特点,然后介绍了智能电能表的功能,最后分析了我国智能电能表的使用现状和优化方法。     

Re-assessment of E-S-Qual and E-RecS-Qual in a pure service setting

Understanding and measuring electronic service quality including its dimensions has become crucial since a growing volume of business takes place in the cyber world. This paper focuses on measuring electronic service quality and service recovery issues by means of E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales in a pure service oriented setting and across a culturally different consumer group than the original scale. This research covers 2017 customers' assessment of the electronic service quality offered by 13 banks in Turkey. Findings suggest a refined and more stable version of the E-S-QUAL scale for the internet banks. Comprehensive psychometric tests also suggest that E-RecS-QUAL is an appropriate tool to evaluate online service recovery in consumer research.     

浅淡顾客满意与服务质量管理

在服务经济时代,企业之间竞争的焦点之一是服务。服务质量的提高也就是顾客满意度的提高。基于顾客满意的服务质量管理已成为现代企业市场竞争的一个重要课题。在探讨了顾客满意与服务质量的内涵、关系及其差距分析模型的基础上,从牢固树立顾客满意度的经营理念,大力推行全面服务质量管理,分析原因、缩小差距,改善服务质量,加强和健全各项服务管理工作等方面提出了加强服务质量管理的方法和途径。     

Development of a service continance model with IT service antecedents

This study make provides service marketers, particularly those delivering information technology (IT) related service, with insight to the factors that consumers use when evaluating IT services. We develop a service continuance model that includes the antecedents of the consumer׳s decision to continue using information technology (IT) related services in a B2C service environment. Using data from the smart phone service consumers, a covariance-based structural equation modeling analysis is used to test the research model. Results from our empirical study suggest that the association between service usefulness and service continuation intention is fully mediated by service satisfaction. Though both system-service quality and customer-service quality are positively associated with service satisfaction, consumers of IT related services attach greater importance to system-service quality than to custom service quality. Likewise, the indirect path to service continuation intention is stronger in system-service quality than in customer-service quality. Our findings have practical implication for growing market share in IT related services by recognizing the importance of system-service quality in technology service delivery.     

基于服务补救的服务质量提升研究

本文认为,实行服务补救是企业保持顾客满意、强化顾客忠诚的一个重要手段,其最大的价值在于以点的质量突变促进整体质量大跨越,从而实现服务宏观综合质量与其他方面质量的提升。文章提出,基于服务补救的服务质量提升模式主要由三部分组成:一是着眼于微观基点的质量维持稳固器,其功能主要是第一时间发现并识别服务失误,第一时间采取补救措施解决顾客问题并收集失误、补救以及顾客表现出的隐性与显性信息;二是质量价值挖掘器,这是把微观的服务补救价值放大、映射到整个宏观层面以提升整体服务质量的关键;三是质量提升推动器,是为了把以上所获得的全部价值注入到质量管理工作中来,以提升整体的服务质量。     

服务主导逻辑下的农产品电商供应链商业模式创新研究

农产品电商近年来发展迅速，但整体的市场渗透率不高，消费者对农产品电商的信任程度和感知体验均有待提升，很多电商企业处于亏损经营状态。传统的以产品为核心的运作及流程改进无法有效解决当前农产品电商存在的问题。在新消费趋势下，需要以服务为核心实施农产品电商供应链创新。为此，文章深入探讨了服务主导逻辑下的农产品电商供应链模式创新问题。研究发现，为了适应消费升级的需求，农产品电商供应链应由产品供应链转变为服务供应链，基于服务理念创新供应链模式。服务主导逻辑下农产品电商供应链的核心要素包括重视过程和体验、顾客参与和价值共创、服务导向。基于服务主导逻辑的农产品电商供应链模式创新包含三个层次，分别为基于整合解决方案的创新、基于服务场景的创新、基于服务生态系统的创新。     

Making Sense of SERVQUAL's Dimensions to the Chinese Customers in Macau

To confirm the sustainability of the SERVQUAL framework within an Eastern business context, a replication study was conducted in Macau, a small place which is adjacent to Hong Kong and has just been returned to the PRC from the Portuguese administration. In March, 1999, about 230 customers of a local bank were surveyed on the 22 items of the SERVQUAL. Factor analysis established the existence of six service dimensions, which is different from the original findings of Parasuraman et al. (1988). The new solution thus requires considerably different interpretations.