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- Service Robots in the Hospitality Industry: An Exploratory Literature ReviewPublication . Rosete, Ana; Soares, Barbara; Salvadorinho, Juliana; Reis, João Carlos Gonçalves dos; Amorim, MarleneThe service sector is changing drastically due the use of robotics and other technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of things (IoT), Big Data and Biometrics. Consequently, further research opportunities in the service industry domain are also expected. In light of the above, the purpose of this paper is to explore the potentialities and limitations of service robots in the hospitality industry. To this end, this paper uses a conceptual approach based on a literature review. As a result, we found that in contexts of high customer contact, service robots should be considered to perform standardized tasks due to social/emotional and cognitive/analytical complexity. The hospitality industry is therefore considered closely related to empathic intelligence, as the integration of service robots has not yet reached the desired stage of service delivery. In a seemingly far-fetched context of our reality, organizations will have to decide whether the AI will allow the complete replacement of humans with robots capable of performing the necessary cognitive and emotional tasks. Or investing in balanced capacities by integrating robot-human systems that seems a reasonable option these days.
- Multichannel service failure and recovery in a O2O era: A qualitative multi-method research in the banking services industryPublication . Reis, João Carlos Gonçalves dos; Amorim, Marlene; Melão, NunoThis article aims to investigate how service providers are employing their channels to support the handling of customer complaints in an online to offline era. It provides a timely contribution by characterizing multichannel recovery practices, discussing its implications for customers, and discovering new trends. The study employs a qualitative multi-method research, which includes not only more than one method of collecting data, but also more than one method of analyzing data. Data collection involved 50 records of customer complaints, 10 semi-structured interviews, direct observation and internal bank reports. The results suggest that multichannel customers are not willing to interact with a large number of channels to solve their problems leading to a high number of interactions. Customers expect a complex recovery not in terms of interactivity but in terms of depth. Recovery solutions, such as apologizing and monetary compensations are non-permanent solutions, that are inefficient in the long term and imply financial losses. Despite the investment that is required, this investigation advocates for permanent solutions. To avoid service failures and complex recovery processes, it is possible that companies are improving their operations management in search of new strategies that are blurring the boundaries of O2O into a mix of offline and online channels (O2).
- Addressing Service Failure and Recovery in Digital Service Systems: Opportunities and ChallengesPublication . Reis, João Carlos Gonçalves dos; Santos, Vasco; Amorim, Marlene; Melão, NunoDigital service systems are changing the world as we know it, enabling companies to embrace new forms of relationship with their customers. The aim of this article is to propose a categorization of service failures in digital service systems and an illustration of recovery solutions based on life situations. Thus, this article used an exploratory case study research conducted in a Portuguese private bank. Data collection involved multiple sources, such as semistructured interviews, customer complaints from an online database, and direct observation. The case revealed that digital service systems are not failure proof and service failures are inevitable. As a result, companies are struggling to consistently maintain high service standards across all channels and, for that purpose, have essentially invested on automated interactions. On the other hand, humanized recovery solutions are expected to enable organizations to make significant progress, including prevention and corrective actions, that will mitigate the perception of poor service delivery. While current studies tend to focus on what is going wrong in digital engagement, researchers have hitherto not investigated sufficiently this digital breakdown and the subsequent recovery solutions.
- Emergent Digital Strategies and Networks: Advancements to Service Management ResearchPublication . Reis, João Carlos Gonçalves dos; Amorim, Marlene; Melão, NunoThe purpose of this research is to report and explore new channel strategies, which allow delivering services through new digital technologies. Therefore, we have conducted an in-depth qualitative case study to generate comprehensiveness and rich knowledge. The case focused on a Private bank in Portugal and counted with several sources of data collection, gathering 42 semi-structured interviews, more than 80 direct observations and more than 3,600 internal documents, for triangulation and corroboration purposes. The results suggest that organizational synergies are changing the business landscape by encompassing triadic elements channels-services-firms. While some organizations are implementing this strategy around the world, we found that it provides greater channel freedom of choice to customers when compared with the previous strategies. Thus, our findings identify a set of potential advantages, as well as risks of adopting digital business networks as a strategy. This article also studies technologydriven solutions in business networks, as customers are becoming active co-producers.