Service routines, technology and service delivery: focusing on the Telco frontline

This exploratory study gave an insight into the effect that service routines and technology had on the ability of frontline employees from a large Australian telecommunications company to deliver effective service to call centre customers. The study highlighted that for simple and timely service routines to occur, product lines and support services needed to be compatible with both the technology provided and frontline employees’ expertise in using the technology. When this occurred, simple and timely service routines appeared to follow, which equated to higher quality service and better customer satisfaction. On the other hand, when this did not occur frontline employees were often forced to unwillingly deliver poor service to customers. The comments of the frontline staff provide an interesting window into the potentially high cost for any organization that does not understand the power that frontline employees have to build or break a business.