Innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing the dynamics of innovations emanating from ICT‐based service encounters. Many innovations are based on the direct encounter between employees and customers, and the paper aims to extend the analysis of such encounters to ICT‐based encounters.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses and merges different approaches in the existing literature and examines different modes of ICT‐based customer/employee interaction to construct a framework that will help understand how innovations are developed on the basis of a service encounter, which is ICT‐based.

Findings

The implementation of ICT in services contributes greatly to the innovation of services, but in order to better understand innovations in ICT‐based employee/customer interaction, a “service approach” is one of the important ways to move forward.

Research limitations/implications

The service encounter approach offers a promising research avenue for understanding innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter. However, it needs to be adapted to the ICT‐based context and supplemented with additional approaches especially in the cases of ICT‐based services where the users also are producers.

Originality/value

The paper combines a service innovation approach with a service encounter approach and, furthermore, extends this combination to ICT‐based service encounters.

Citation

Henten, A. (2012), "Innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter", info, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 42-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636691211204851