E-services

Includes studies of various aspects of Internet and Mobile services. Technology mediated services rapidly change the way in which consumers interact with companies, while the number of interaction channels is growing. Research shows that customers using multiple channels generate higher total revenue (Thomas & Sullivan, 2005) and are more profitable (Kumar, 2007) than single channel customers. Until recently, most research has been conducted on customer adoption and evaluation of single channels. Considerably less attention has been given to the challenges facing firms when serving customers through multiple channels, both virtual and physical (Sousa & Voss, 2006). Two recent special issues (Journal of Service Research and Industrial Marketing Management) demonstrate the importance of multi-channel marketing. Customers apparently prefer different channels for different service needs (Lee, 2002; Patricio, Fisk & Cunha, 2003). Both managers (Berman & Thelen, 2004) and researchers (Payne and Frow, 2004) mention the importance of seamless customer experiences and consistent communication across channels (Duncan & Moriarty, 1998). Channel integration appears crucial for customer relationship management. Payne and Frow (2004, p. 531) note that an integrated strategy “involves using the full range of commercially viable channels to serve customers and integrating them without attempting to influence the channel that the customer wishes to use.” Companies clearly need an integrated channel strategy (Neslin et al., 2006), but initial research shows that such strategies are genarally lacking, leading to conflicts that affect customer service quality perceptions (Webb & Lambe, 2007) and customer loyalty intentions. In addition there is a need to study mobile services in particular. Recently, perceived value in use has emerged as a key explanatory variable of consumer behavior. Understanding what customers value while using a service, rather than the economic value of purchasing it, is believed to be a crucial input for marketing decision-making. To date, few studies have investigated perceived value in use of mobile services. Furthermore, most studies in mobile services have attempted to explain intended adoption behavior, while research on customer commitment to mobile content services is scarce.