Purpose

Following a contingency approach, this paper aims to understand when service automation can enhance or destroy value for customers in the frontline by (1) providing a comprehensive overview of factors that influence the value co-creation/co-destruction potential of service automation and (2) zooming in on the combination of service contexts and service tasks to develop research propositions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a grounded theory approach based on qualitative data from multiple methods (i.e. a diary study with follow-up interviews, a consultation of academic experts and a storyboard study) as well as a systematic literature review to develop (1) a Framework of Automated Service Interactions (FASI) and (2) a contingency model for service tasks/contexts.

Findings

This paper presents a framework which gives an overview of factors influencing the value co-creation/co-destruction potential of service automation. The framework discerns between three types of factors: service design (i.e. controllable and manageable by the organization), static contingency (i.e. uncontrollable and fixed) and dynamic contingency (i.e. uncontrollable and flexible). Furthermore, the paper presents a contingency model based on the combination of service contexts and service tasks which results in seven research propositions.

Originality/value

This paper brings structure in the fragmented field of service automation. It integrates and summarizes insights regarding service automation and sheds more light on when service automation has the potential to create or destroy value in the organizational frontline.

中文翻译：

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自动化还是不自动化？服务自动化的应急方法

目的

按照权变方法，本文旨在了解服务自动化何时可以通过（1）全面概述影响服务自动化的价值共同创造/共同破坏潜力的因素以及（ 2) 着眼于服务情境和服务任务的结合，以制定研究命题。

设计/方法/途径

本文使用基于多种方法（即带有后续访谈的日记研究、学术专家咨询和故事板研究）的定性数据的扎根理论方法以及系统的文献综述来开发（1）框架自动化服务交互 (FASI) 和 (2) 服务任务/上下文的应急模型。

发现

本文提出了一个框架，该框架概述了影响服务自动化的价值共同创造/共同破坏潜力的因素。该框架区分三种类型的因素：服务设计（即可由组织控制和管理）、静态偶然性（即不可控和固定的）和动态偶然性（即不可控和灵活的）。此外，本文还提出了一个基于服务情境和服务任务组合的权变模型，由此产生了七个研究命题。

原创性/价值

本文带来了服务自动化的碎片化领域的结构。它整合并总结了有关服务自动化的见解，并更清楚地说明了服务自动化何时有可能在组织前线创造或破坏价值。