英语论文网

Hertog (2000) suggests that service innovation is not limited to differences existing in the characteristics of the service product. Innovation includes new ways of product distribution, customer interaction, quality control, etc. The specific ways are different for each organization; a company's goal may be to introduce a new product into the market, while this may be not the same for other companies. Offering a completely new service is different from offering an existing service using a new distribution channel. In practice, many organizations just make major or minor changes in the characteristics of the existing (service) products. In Hertog's point of view, service innovation consists of four dimensions as presented below:

The service concept. Manufactured products and processes have highly tangible and visible characteristics. On the contrast many services involve more intangible characteristics, such as how to organize new ideas to a solution or to a problem. But there are some cases when service innovations involve highly visible characteristics. An example is the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), where delivery of the product is involved. Perceptions can differ when a product, service or thought is new, according to whether it incorporates new reasoning or scientific knowledge. Perceptions can differ when the product, service or thought are new to the client base, the providers and the local, national or international market.

The client interface. The second dimension of service innovation is about how the service provider and its clients design the interfaces that focus on a good deal of service innovations.The way how the service provider and the client interact with each other can be a source of innovation itself.

The service delivery system/organization. This dimension is about how to empower the employees so that they can perform their daily jobs and deliver service products properly. It refers to the internal arrangements done in the organization to permit the service workers perform their job adequately and develop innovative services.

Technological options. There exists a relationship between technology and service innovation because technology has a facilitating or enabling role. IT has a great enabling and facilitating role in service innovation. Users are important in developing and implementing new services, but the suppliers are the one that fulfill the required technologies to implement the new services as technology is typically supplier-dominated.

Hertog (2000) suggests that a service innovation is a combination of the above mentioned dimensions. A complete new service requires:

- a new service delivery system to be developed in the organization,

- the employees will have to change the way they work or relate to customers (the client interface),

- and the way IT is used in business processes will have to be changed while a new service concept may be involved.

Miles (2008) suggests that a service productis a service function or a set of funct本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。