Home

L07. Multi-Channel & Multi-Device Contexts

Sat, 08/06/2011 - 3:45pm — monica
Date/Time: 
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Resource(s): 
R1. Neslin et al., "Challenges and Opportunities in Multichannel Customer Management" (Selections)
R2. Richter et al., "The Many Faces of Consistency in Cross-Platform Design"
R3. Huang, "Future Space: A New Blueprint for Business Architecture"
R4. Kirienko et al., 2009 Final Project: "Crohnology MD" (Selections)

As the Web matured as a platform for online commerce and information services, firms like Amazon.com with no physical presence became competitive threats to incumbents like Barnes & Noble. For these “brick and mortar” firms, creating a web channel was an urgent and critical strategic decision, and the concept of “multi-channel services” as a distinct service design context emerged. The Web channel also inspired the vision of “E-government” services that would improve service delivery to citizens and let them avoid inefficient face-to-face encounters in government offices. The key strategy and design decisions for multi-channel services concern the allocation of services to one or more channels and the manner in which the channels fit together. These decisions ultimately are implemented in terms of the content, direction, and reciprocity of information exchange between the channels.


In addition to multiple channels, most people also use one or more devices to obtain information services: cell phones, smart phones, personal computers, tablets, or other devices. The proliferation of devices and network alternatives is a challenge for service system designers. If a service provider’s intended customers use different or multiple devices, the service must be designed to work on all of them. But there is little consensus about the best approach for designing services to run on multiple devices or platforms.