Human vs. Automated Sales Agents: How and Why Customer Responses Shift Across Sales Stages

2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Adam, Martin; Roethke, Konstantin; Benlian, Alexander

Abstract: Customers in sales processes increasingly encounter automated sales agents (ASAs ... Expand

Abstract: Customers in sales processes increasingly encounter automated sales agents (ASAs) that complement or replace human sales agents (HSAs). Yet, little is known about whether, how, and why customers respond to ASAs in contrast to HSAs across successive decision stages of the same sales process. Even less is known about customer responses to HSA-ASA combinations, where both agents assume distinct roles and focus on complementary tasks that are traditionally performed by only one single sales agent. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the influence of increasingly common sales representative (rep) types (i.e., ASA, HSA, and HSA-ASA) on customer decisions across sales stages. Drawing on information processing theory and the literature on hedonic-utilitarian decision making, we investigate customer responses to text-based ASAs from vendor companies in two common early stages of email sales processes (i.e., sales initiation stages) when customers successively decide whether to indicate their initial interest in an offer and then, whether to provide their contact information. Specifically, we conducted two complementary multi-decision experiments, namely (1) a randomized field experiment in a high-stakes sales initiation setting (n = 325) and (2) a subsequent randomized online experiment to complement the real-world insights (n = 408). Our core findings reveal reversing effect patterns of sales rep types across stages: although customers are more likely to indicate their initial interest to HSAs (versus ASAs) because of HSAs’ higher levels of social presence, they are less likely to provide contact information to HSAs because of HSAs’ lower levels of performance expectancy and effort expectancy. We also show that HSA-ASA combinations can be reasonable options for single ASAs, yet contextual features of the sales setting may affect differential customer responses to HSA-ASA combinations (versus ASAs) in each sales stage. Taken together, we uncover shifting effect patterns in customer responses to sales rep types across successive sales stages and shed light on the consecutive underlying mechanisms that explain these shifts. These findings have significant implications for vendor companies seeking to allocate HSAs and/or ASAs effectively across various decision stages in sales processes and beyond. History: Wonseok Oh, Senior Editor and Khim Yong Goh; Associate Editor. Funding: This work was supported by the Center for Responsible Digitality (ZEVEDI) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) [Grant 471168026]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1171. Collapse

Topics: electronic mail social presence decision making recommender system information system use

Methods: experiment randomized field experiment regression analysis method experimental task field experiment

Theories: information processing theory

The Evaluation of Founder Failure and Success by Hiring Firms: A Field Experiment

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Botelho, Tristan L.; Chang, Melody

Abstract: Organizations tout the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship. Yet, when ... Expand

Abstract: Organizations tout the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship. Yet, when hiring it remains unclear how they evaluate entrepreneurial human capital—namely, job candidates with founder experience. How hiring firms evaluate this experience—and especially how this evaluation varies by entrepreneurial success and failure—reveals insights into the structures and processes within organizations. Organizations research points to two perspectives related to the evaluation of founder experience: Former founders may be advantaged, due to founder experience signaling high-quality capabilities and human capital, or disadvantaged, due to concerns related to fit and commitment. To identify the dominant class of mechanisms driving the evaluation of founder experience, it is important to consider how these evaluations differ, depending on whether the founder’s venture failed or succeeded. To isolate demand-side mechanisms and hold supply-side factors constant, we conducted a field experiment. We sent applications varying the candidate’s founder experience to 2,400 software engineering positions in the United States at random. We find that former founders received 43% fewer callbacks than nonfounders and that this difference is driven by older hiring firms. Further, this founder penalty is greatest for former successful founders, who received 33% fewer callbacks than former failed founders. Our results highlight that mechanisms related to concerns about fit and commitment, rather than information asymmetry about quality, are most influential when hiring firms evaluate former founders in our context. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1592. Collapse

Topics: IT career human resource management entrepreneurship systems development innovation management

Methods: qualitative interview field experiment theory development experiment experimental design

Theories: lemon market theory

Infrastructural and network support in the illness experience: The role of community crowdsourcing in self-care

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Britt, Rebecca; Doss, Erin Faith; Hayes, Meredith

Abstract: Social sharing within pseudonymous online communities can assist- or hinder- the ... Expand

Abstract: Social sharing within pseudonymous online communities can assist- or hinder- the self-management of health care and emphasize challenges associated with chronic illness. For those who are affected by chronic illness who participate in a public online community, the breadth of topics discussed in a corpus of a pseudonymous group can lend insight into tracking the interaction processes and outcomes. Examining the topics discussed in the endometriosis subreddit (r/endo) informs public health strategies as well as ethical considerations in health care surrounding stigmatized illness in a public community. In the present study, the data corpus of r/endo was analyzed and scraped, employing computational data mining techniques to uncover the discursive practices within the community. The topics of self-management is constructed by diagnosed and undiagnosed patients; endometriosis etiology and understanding symptoms negotiated within the community. In an online community for those who face unique health challenges from endometriosis, we argue that users engage in a form of community crowdsourcing via information exchange and network support, spurred by the platform affordances of Reddit. Collapse

Topics: Python information exchange Reddit online community pseudonymity

Methods: machine learning qualitative content analysis natural language processing latent dirichlet allocation

Theories: theory of affordance

No Ground Truth at Sea – Developing High-Accuracy AI Decision-Support for Complex Environments

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Bumann, Adrian

Abstract: As AI decision-support systems are increasingly developed for applications outsi ... Expand

Abstract: As AI decision-support systems are increasingly developed for applications outside of traditional organizational confinements, developers are confronted with new sources of complexity they need to address. However, we know little about how AI applications are developed for natural use domains with high environmental complexity, stemming from physical influences outside of the developers’ control. This study investigates what challenges emerge from such complexity and how developers mitigate them. Drawing upon a rich longitudinal single-case study on the development of AI decision-support for maritime navigation, findings show that achieving high output accuracy is complicated by the physical environment hindering training data creation. Further, developers chose to reduce the output accuracy and adapt the HMI design to successfully situate the AI application in an existing sociotechnical context. This study contributes to IS literature following recent calls for phenomenon-based examination of emerging challenges when extending the scope frontier of AI and provides practical recommendations for developing AI decision-support for complex environments. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence decision support decision support system geographic information system innovation management

Methods: qualitative interview single case study personal interview longitudinal research field study

Theories: socio technical theory

Match Made by Humans: A Critical Enquiry into Human-Machine Configurations in Data Labelling

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Chandhiramowuli, S.; Chaudhuri, B.

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Banga ... Expand

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Bangalore-based AI start-up. Labelled datasets are primarily produced by human data workers. We explore how humans and machines are configured together in data labelling and what are the demands placed on human workers, including on their body and cognition, while being assigned in the service of machine intelligence. We also show how these human-machine configurations sustain and reproduce the seamless functioning of apparently "autonomous" AI as a normative vision. Though labelled datasets are an indispensable prerequisite to creating ML/AI-based systems, the human labour that produces these datasets cannot be acknowledged fully if the techno-entrepreneurial vision of "self-learning" machine intelligence is to be celebrated and sustained. In pursuit of a normative position of what AI should be, we are left with a denial of how AI is actually produced now. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence price management organization structure outsourcing crowdsourcing

Methods: qualitative interview ethnography participant observation personal interview grounded theory

Theories: sociotechnical systems theory

Factors Affecting the Use of Blockchain Technology in Humanitarian Supply Chain: A Novel Fuzzy Large-Scale Group-DEMATEL

2023 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Lu; Hendalianpour, Ayad; Feylizadeh, Mohammad Reza; Xu, Haiyan

Abstract: Based on previous evidence, the use of blockchain for improving Supply Chains (S ... Expand

Abstract: Based on previous evidence, the use of blockchain for improving Supply Chains (SCs) regarding humanitarian projects has received attention over the past five years. The present study is innovative in investigating crucial parameters affecting the using of Blockchain Technology (BT) in Humanitarian Supply Chains (HSCs). More precisely, this study emphasizes parameters that affect blockchain in the HSCs and presents a new fuzzy large-scale group decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy large-scale group-DEMATEL) approach to analyze the interdependence of contributing factors for using BT in HSCs. This method consists of two stages: (1) clustering the large-scale group-experts into small subgroups by their characteristics, and (2) identifying the key factors affecting BT in HSCs with a novel fuzzy large-scale group-DEMATEL approach. According to experts, in this study, among the 25 evaluated factors, disintermediation has been identified as the most important one, followed by anonymity and security. A closer look reveals that 13 and 12 factors have been “cause” and “effect” factors, respectively. Our research can be used to promote the effectiveness of using BT in HSCs, so as to promote the proper distribution of relief materials in practical disasters. Collapse

Topics: blockchain database system risk management anonymity decision making

Methods: cluster analysis computational algorithm cross sectional research literature study

Theories: fuzzy set theory

The multiplexity of diagrams and prototypes in requirements development

2023 | Information and Organization | Citations: 0

Authors: Ciriello, Raffaele Fabio; Richter, Alexander; Schwabe, Gerhard; Mathiassen, Lars

Abstract: Information systems development (ISD) requires dynamic and flexible ways of wor ... Expand

Abstract: Information systems development (ISD) requires dynamic and flexible ways of working, particularly when developing requirements in collaboration with customers. Although prior research has acknowledged the importance of objects to support ISD practices, there has been a lack of frameworks to help discern the multiple overlapping roles objects play to support requirements development in a variety of ways throughout an ISD project. This paper explores and theorizes this phenomenon by leveraging multiplexity as a theoretical lens to analyze an extensive qualitative data set from a case study at a Swiss multinational banking software provider. Results show how diagrams and prototypes both play the roles of epistemic, activity, boundary, and infrastructure objects as a reflection of how they are used in requirements development. Our analysis articulates how two classical requirements specifications play multiple overlapping roles to support dynamic and flexible ISD practices. Based on these findings, we advance a framework for discerning the multiplex role of objects in practice * Corresponding author. Collapse

Topics: banking sytem intranet software developer innovation management systems design

Methods: design artifact qualitative interview case study qualitative coding field study

Theories: boundary objects theory general systems theory

The double-edged effects of data privacy practices on customer responses

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Shijiao (Joseph); Tran, Khai Trieu; Xia, Zhenhua (Raymond); Waseem, Donia; Zhang, Jing A.; Potdar, Balkrushna

Abstract: Requesting personal information in frontline service encounters raises privacy c ... Expand

Abstract: Requesting personal information in frontline service encounters raises privacy concerns among customers. The proximity contact tracing that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic provides an intriguing context of in­ formation requests. Hospitality venues required contact tracing details from customers, and customer coopera­ tion varied with concerns about privacy. Drawing on gossip theory, we investigate the roles of businesses’ data privacy practices and government support in driving customers’ responses to contact tracing. Our findings show that perceived transparency of a business’s privacy practices has a positive effect on customers’ commitment to the business, while perceived control exerts a negative effect on commitment. These effects are mediated by customers’ information falsification rather than disclosure, because the former is a sensitive behavioral indicator of privacy concerns. The results also reveal the moderating roles of government support. This research con­ tributes to the customer data privacy literature by demonstrating the distinct effects of perceived transparency and control on commitment and revealing the underlying mechanism. Moreover, the research extends the conceptual understanding of privacy practices from online contexts to face-to-face contexts of frontline service. The findings offer implications for the management of customer data privacy. Collapse

Topics: privacy information privacy concern pandemic unintended consequence behavioral intention

Methods: qualitative interview survey conceptual modelling statistical hypothesis test structural equation modeling

Managing historical conditions in information systems strategizing: An imprinting perspective

2023 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Dias, Malshika; Pan, Shan L.; Tim, Yenni; Land, Lesley

Abstract: Information systems (IS) strategizing is particularly challenging for establishe ... Expand

Abstract: Information systems (IS) strategizing is particularly challenging for established organizations because of their historical conditions. The question of how established organizations can effec­ tively manage their historical conditions in IS strategizing remains under-explored. To address this question, we conducted a case study tracing the history (1960–2020) of an established or­ ganization in the building and construction industry. Through the analysis, we found four sys­ tems: accounting management system, business communication system, knowledge management system, and community collaboration system, as the historical conditions that formed an IS imprint, which was later managed and reproduced during IS strategizing. Using the imprinting lens, we developed an understanding of: (1) the formation of the IS imprint at the organizational foundation; and (2) the reproduction of the IS imprint, considering imprint-as-resource and imprint-as-constraint during IS strategizing. We contribute to the literature by providing an un­ derstanding of how historical conditions inform IS strategizing in the long term and by applying the imprinting lens to uncover the process through which an IS imprint is strategically managed and reproduced beyond the founding phase. The insights developed from this study are trans­ ferable to similar organizational contexts for managing historical conditions in IS strategizing. Collapse

Topics: information systems strategy accounting communication service infrastructure IT supported collaboration knowledge management system

Methods: case study qualitative interview archival research narrative analysis longitudinal research

The art of digital transformation as crafted by a chief digital officer

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 1

Authors: Davison, Robert M.; Wong, Louie HM; Peng, John

Abstract: Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) play a multitude of roles as they facilitate digit ... Expand

Abstract: Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) play a multitude of roles as they facilitate digital transformation. In this opinion paper, we draw on an interview that we undertook with the CDO at a major Chinese software and technology services firm to highlight the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of digital transformation work both within the or­ ganization and externally to clients. We characterise the nature of the CDO’s role as ‘the art of digital trans­ formation’, recognising the blend of business and technology knowledge with superior communication and persuasion skills. Collapse

Topics: digital transformation marketing management business process management organizational transformation digital platform

Methods: qualitative interview grounded theory literature study personal interview theory development