Managing Online Customer Service Operations

Abstract

This chapter investigates the implications of moving customer service operations online. Many organizations believe that e-business can provide opportunities to improve customer service operations by enabling them to get closer to the customer and enhance the customer contact experience. However, use of the Internet fundamentally changes the nature of a customer’s interaction with an organization, as the customer interacts with a computer screen rather than a human being. The online customer service encounter within the business processes of ordering and delivering was investigated in eight companies. It was concluded that an enhanced experience was only likely if the emotional aspects of customer service are considered alongside the functional.