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Net‐Based Customer Service Systems: Evolution and Revolution in Web Site Functionalities *
Author(s) -
Piccoli Gabriele,
Brohman M. Kathryn,
Watson Richard T.,
Parasuraman A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.0011-7315.2004.02620.x
Subject(s) - computer science , taxonomy (biology) , knowledge management , web service , component (thermodynamics) , world wide web , business , process management , data science , ecology , physics , biology , thermodynamics
Firms' Web sites are becoming an increasingly important component of their customer service systems. Yet there is a dearth of research‐based insights and guidelines concerning the roles, functionalities, and effective design of Web sites. In this article we describe and discuss findings from a three‐phase, multimethod research study aimed at filling this literature void. We first propose and validate a descriptive taxonomy of customer needs amenable to online fulfillment. Complementing this taxonomy, we next propose, and offer preliminary validation of, a five‐stage conceptual model for understanding and predicting the development of a firm's Web site design and functionality. Findings from our study suggest that firms' Web sites are by and large in the early stages of development with respect to their ultimate potential, but that executives in leading service firms have begun to conceptualize and plan for subsequent stages. We conclude the article with managerial implications and important avenues for further research.