Tangible Service Automation: Decomposing the Technology-Enabled Engagement Process (TEEP) for Augmented Reality

Abstract

The rise of augmented reality (AR) technology, which overlays digital content to alter customers’ views of a physical service setting, using mobile and wearable computing, drives the digital automation of physical services. In particular, it promises to achieve tangibility even in service encounters delivered in digital formats. However, customer engagement with AR is falling short of expectations. Managers lack an integrated framework of AR service automation and therefore tend to focus on the technology rather than on the process of customer engagement with AR service automation. To address this problem, the current study proposes a technology-enabled engagement process that integrates multiple stages of customer engagement, as a service-centric process. To establish that engagement with AR service automation requires the inclusion of service tangibility, as part of the process, the authors decompose the steps of interactive service engagement, the spatial presence of the service, customers’ emotional and cognitive engagement with the service, and perceived value-in-use, which lead to emergent behavioral forms of engagement.

Rise of the Machines? Customer Engagement in Automated Service Interactions

“…Our fifth paper titled "Tangible Service Automation: Decomposing the Technology-Enabled Engagement Process (TEEP) for Augmented Reality" by Heller et al (2021) identifies the lack of an augmented reality (AR)-based service automation framework, leading managers to focus on the (e.g., ML/DL) technology, versus CE with AR-based service automation. The authors therefore propose a five-stage Technology-Enabled Engagement Process framework comprising interactive qualities, perceived tangibility, psychological engagement, realization of value, and behavioral engagement.…”

Augmented Reality Marketing: A Technology-Enabled Approach to Situated Customer Experience

“…These affordances drive customer experience and actions through their embedding in the environment (i.e., value of the ARM experience is contextual; Heller et al, 2019a) and embodiment through physical interaction (i.e., value is experienced in use; Hilken et al, 2018). Consequently, ARM shifts the focus of marketing from attributes of a product or service to affordances of the situation in which value is experienced through engagement (Heller et al, 2020).…”

WOW, the make-up AR app is impressive: a comparative study between China and South Korea

“…Emerging and developed economies are focusing on implementing cutting-edge digital infrastructure to make life easier for end-users (Thomas, 2020). Such interactive technology can assist businesses in increasing sales and revenues, as well as attracting new customers (Heller et al, 2021;Rauschnabel, 2018).…”