Technology-driven Service Strategy

Learning outcomes

By attending the online course, participants will acquire a conceptual toolbox enabling them to better understand the core concepts of service management and to embrace recent developments in service business. In particular, after having attended the course, participants will be better able to measure and manage (electronic) service excellence, to initiate and lead customer co-creation, to integrate digital technologies in service design and delivery, and to address sustainability and wellbeing aspects in service contexts. Overall, the course aims at providing students with a solid foundation for managing service businesses as well as conducting scientific research in this domain.

Content

The module is designed as a hybrid online course that consists of various forms of independent self-learning and online group work. The course is built around four thematic study packages, incorporating seminal service research articles, case studies, online videos and other material offered by the teacher. In addition, an accompanying textbook will provide additional guidance.

The course starts with approaching the emergence of service industry and foundations of service business value creation. Next, to understand evaluation of service excellence, key issues concerning the management and measurement of service performance and customer satisfaction are introduced. After that, we turn our gaze towards the recent developments in the service field. Digital service encounters, ranging from self-service technologies to AI, and service design as a basis of innovation strategy are presented as new fundamentals of service viability in the complex service networks of today. In addition, services are approached from ecosystem perspective and service strategies oriented to environmental and societal impact are discussed.