Service co-creation with the customer: The role of information systems

This research-in-progress paper investigates the role of IS in delivering co-created services within the Financial Services Industry. These types of collaborative interactions where services are co-created between service providers and customers are under-researched, yet they are a growing phenomenon within professional services organisations. In particular, little is known about how IS can be used to facilitate co-creation interactions. The more that IS are used to facilitate customer interactions, the less scope there is for individually tailoring or co-creating service offerings with customers in a manor traditionally associated with person-to-person customer relationship strategies. This is argued to be a major obstacle, as organisations increasingly seek to use technology in their interactions with customers. Using Activity Theory as an analytical lens to view extant research, the paper develops a conceptual model for service co-creation. This model will guide empirical research in several Financial Service organisations with the aim of improving extant understanding of service co-creation and, specifically, the role of IS in this process. The paper concludes with a brief report on research-in-progress and outlines initial findings from the study.