ICT Enabled Distribution of Services

Dr. Erik de Vries

erik.devries@uva.nl
Thesis positioned
Information /
Business Technology
Communication

Strategy

Alignment

(Infra)structure

Impact

Operations

Source: de Vries, 2003

 Conceptual research design
Literature:
services
marketing
mass customization
BPR
elec.commerce & digital marketing
distribution strategies
organizational design
information requirements analysis
Research model:
service positioning
strategies and front
office information
model
Objective:
Knowledge on relationship organizational
forms and ICT- application
Reference model for
–ICT application in the front office
technical research –Distribution strategy formulation in services
design
Research objects:
–Unique
–Gak
–Interpolis
–Sioo
Source: de Vries, 2003
Research questions
How is the degree of customization of services, that needs to be
specified in the front office, related to the information requirements
in the specification process and can front offices be classified
based on this relation?
How is the effectiveness of the front office influenced if the
required information for the specification of a certain degree of
customization is not available?
How are the types of front offices related to the business unit's
service positioning strategy?

Source: de Vries, 2003

The importance of service specification
Customers specify their needs; service providers inform and
advise
Building of customer relations
Complete specifications reduce customer fear and improve
perceived service quality
Initiating service delivery processes
Service network is specified
Starting point for service innovation
Market information can be accumulated

Source: de Vries, 2003

Information model for the front-office
Front-office Degrees of Relation Product Process
type customization information information information

pure anonimous norms for delivery

'counter' end products
standardization transactions time of end products

segmented characteristics of norms for delivery

'one-stop shop' assortment
standardization market segments time of assortments

'field and inside customized standard capacity

customer profiles
services' standardization components occupation

relationship smallest
tailored capacity assignment
'control room' development replicapable
customization
unit
implementation and
'symbiosis' pure customization opportunities for design
outsourcing
partnership knowledge
possibilities

Source: de Vries, 2003

Relation between insufficient information and
front office effectiveness

limited proactivity specification quality longer specification limited protection of

problems lead time the front office

Insufficient relation X
information

Insufficient product X X X X
information

Insufficient process X X X
information

Source: de Vries, 2003

 Front office types and service positioning
strategies
Mass oriented Scope oriented Partnership oriented
Nature of the Standardised/ Modular / component based Professional knowledge based and
infrastructural interconnected with customer
service process processes
Service type Product Service/product (mass customized) Pure service (customized)
(standardized)

Value adding Proces and source Proces, interactive and client Client and interactive
focus
Interaction Selling (take it or Sparring Partnering and diagnosing
leave it)
governance
Management Production-line Empowerment perspective Empowerment perspective
perspective
approach
Marketing Transaction Relationship marketing Relationship marketing
marketing
approach
Economies Economies of scale Economies of scope Economies of relationships

Front office type Counter / one stop Field and inside service Control room / symbiosis
shop

Source: de Vries, 2003

Information at moment of truth: case study design
Exploratory/explanatory multiple case study
ƒ revision of theory by theory building proces
ƒ replication logic of analytic generalisation
ƒ site selection criteria: variability
Embedded case study:
ƒ BU (context) - front office (central unit of analysis) - subunits (management,
employees, IT-people)
Data gathering:
ƒ triangulation of questionaire, interviews, documentation, IS
ƒ informants with different views
ƒ review proces: tape rec. - transcribtion - interviewee review - report review
ƒ case study database

Source de Vries, 2003

Protocol
procedures regarding the training of research team members
introduction material for business
procedures to start and finish a case study
procedures for conducting interviews
an outline of the case study report and review procedures
procedures for data recording in the case study database
displays and tactics for data analysis
basic literature

Source: de Vries, 2003

Contents, part one
1 Introduction and motivation
2 Service strategy: processes, resources and networks
3 Service delivery design and front office
4 Research design: a model for the information requiremenst of the
front office
5 Case study Unique Nederland
6 Case study Gak Nederland
7 Case study Interpolis
8 Case study Sioo
9 Cross case analysis, conclusions and further research

Source: de Vries, 2003

Part two: additional work
Ch. 10: multi-channeling and front, mid and back
office architectures (Management en Informatie, '00 /
IEEE workshop at ECIS, '05)
Ch. 11: knowledge management in hybrid supply
channels (International Journal of Technology
Management, '00)
Ch. 12: Case research in IS: state of affairs (ECIS,
'99)

Source: de Vries, 2003