Conference article

Customer care is a critical aspect of service provision. A customer-centric approach to the design of services depends on knowledge of customers’ preferences and expectations for customer care. In this paper; we present a study on customers’ near future expectations for customer care within selected service sectors. As part of a future scenario process; 151 participants contributed their perspectives on customer care for banking; telecom; and logistic services. The study findings highlight expectations concerning service value and service experience; and shed light on preferences for self-service vs. manual care. Furthermore; we find that; though the participants expressed a marked preference for service providers that add a positive experiential aspect to their customer care; the studied service sectors were not closely associated with experiential customer care. Consequently; the experiential aspects of customer care may represent an unrealized potential in these sectors.

Customer insight; customer care; service design; future services