Service Digitization in the Consulting Domain - Classification and Service Implementation for a Digital Consulting Front Store Pilot
Link zur Publikation:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias_Greff/publication/319549851_Service_Digitization_in_the_Consulting_Domain_-_Classification_and_Service_Implementation_for_a_Digital_Consulting_Front_Store_Pilot/links/59b2cee20f7e9b37434ea5b1/Service-Digitization-in-the-Consulting-Domain-Classification-and-Service-Implementation-for-a-Digital-Consulting-Front-Store-Pilot.pdf
Abstract:
Consulting is a service industry at surprisingly low level of digitization. While digital business models enter all economic branches, consulting itself as one of the drivers of digitization has not yet encountered disruptivechanges. Since both customers and consultants express a need for digital consulting, a potential cause for the described situation is the lack of e-commerce solutions for complex services. Once any service type can be offered digitally, offering innovative digital consulting services becomes achievable. But currently, no consultancy uses online stores. In this work, we identify reasons for this lack of consulting front stores. We derive a generic process model and service classification enabling consultancies to implement web stores by integrating their current sales and business processes. Our evaluation with consultants shows that the results including the front store architecture and an established digital consulting front store pilot are applicable to established companies, opening up the path for digital consulting services by offering a new digital sales channel.