Articles

Special issue Service Business (Springer Nature).

Implementing Industry 4.0 Technologies in Services: Challenges to reinvent the services business (Impact factor year 2019= 2.169)

The emerging Industry 4.0 technologies (also known as Technologies 4.0) represent a great opportunity to increase customer value in the service sector (Lee and Lee, 2020). These advanced technologies are surpassing the advantages of previous digital tools by incorporating disruptive analytical systems and hardware such as: Artificial Intelligence (AI), autonomous robots, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), Big Data analytics, cloud computing or the Internet of Things (IoT). However, previous research on the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been focused on the impact of Technologies 4.0 on manufacturing and supply chain operations (Alcácer and Cruz-Machado 2019), ignoring their tremendous potential to shape current and future service interactions with customers. Indeed, these technologies have enhanced the dynamic capabilities of organizations to rapidly respond to the evolving customer needs and preferences (Lee and Lee, 2020).

This special issue aims to fill existing gaps in the literature to deepen the current understanding of Technologies 4.0 impact on customer value and customer experiences in services. Research should examine relevant customers’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors derived from the implementation of these technologies in service sectors. Studies about the challenges and concerns related to this Fourth Industrial Revolution in the service domain are also welcomed. We are open to a wide range of methods, including both qualitative and quantitative empirical research. Theoretical, conceptual and critical papers are also welcomed as far as they contribute to establish the fundaments for a better comprehension of the consequences of such innovative technologies. We also invite to submit interdisciplinary research that broaden the scope of current knowledge or cross-cultural studies analyzing the global nature of these phenomena.

A non-exhaustive list of some sample topics that merit exploration would include:

• Technologies 4.0 introduction in services: managers, employees and customers approach
• Differential features of Technologies 4.0 and their contribution to generate customer value
• Opportunities of Technologies 4.0 to shape new customer experiences in services
• Technologies 4.0 for a better management of the customer journey
• The influence of Technologies 4.0 in services branding
• The role of touch versus tech in technology driven services
• Impact of AI implementation on efficiency at different service industries
• Use of smart robots in the transformation of frontline and other service processes
• Robots and other technologies as customers’ social companions
• Potential benefits of employing VR/AR technologies to enhance customer experience in services
• Challenges related to the use of Big Data analyses and cloud computing in service business
• Strategies to develop new services based on IoT technology
• The dark side of Technologies 4.0
• Users concerns about the disruptive changes derived from Technologies 4.0
• Ethics in the Fourth Industrial revolution: privacy, security and other threats derived from a higher dependence on technology

Submissions dates:

1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022

Guest Editors:

• Carlos Flavián (Universidad de Zaragoza) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Daniel Belanche (Universidad de Zaragoza) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.