Using human service center interfaces and their information to foster innovation management

Abstract

Doubtless innovation is a key for long-term success of any cooperation. However, empirical research indicates limited success of innovation management in practice. Not surprisingly companies are reinforcing their efforts and set a strong focus on customer integration since it has been identified as a major aspect of successful innovation management, current examples being open innovation, integration of social communities and learning communities. Most of these methods are directed towards a special group of customers, the so-called lead-users. This selected integration already led to noticeable progress in some companies and industries, but includes some critical drawbacks, especially since it neglects the majority of a company's human client interactions, which happen in the often centralized service centers, e.g. call centers. Our analysis has identified that these contacts can make a significant contribution to improving a company's innovation management, e.g. through evaluating existing customer-related information. Therefore our research focuses on the adoption of current methods of client integration for a wider audience via service centers. This paper presents the results of expert interviews, case studies and state-of-the art analysis that we conducted in this context. After a discussion of restrictions, benefits and potential results for this form of client interaction, a requirement framework for a support system will be introduced. Subsequently a service blueprint for a support system solution will be presented which was developed based on the requirement framework via quality function deployment in cooperation with reference companies, followed by an overview of further related research questions and information on planned implementations of the support system. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.