Expert systems and the implementation of quality customer service

Pages63-68
Published date01 March 1997
Date01 March 1997
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/02635579710161377
AuthorMatt Eppinette,R. Anthony Inman,Roger Alan Pick
Subject MatterEconomics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations
[ 63 ]
Industrial Management &
Data Systems
97/2 [1997] 63–68
© MCB University Press
[ISSN 0263-5577]
Expert systems and the implementation of quality
customer service
Matt Eppinette and R. Anthony Inman
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisianna, USA
Roger Alan Pick
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Argues that expert systems
are a useful tool in imple-
menting quality customer
service. Examines seven steps
of customer service and
illustrates how expert sys-
tems can support each step.
Draws on the literature in the
field to cite commercial
installations of expert sys-
tems to support quality cus-
tomer service.
For some time now, customer service has
been emerging as a competitive weapon for
business firms. Chase and Garvin (1989) state
that, “it is becoming harder and harder to
compete on manufacturing excellence alone.
Manufacturers who thrive…will compete by
bundling services with products.” Of course,
the use of customer service as a form of com-
petition does not apply only to manufactur-
ers. With the economy becoming increasingly
service based and new kinds of services being
offered continually (Schmenner, 1986), the
input of customer service may be even more
dynamic for non-manufacturers. It is proba-
bly safe to say that, in one form or another, all
businesses are concerned with customer
service. As early as 1972, Levitt noted that
everyone is involved in service and that the
service sector of the economy includes every-
thing from banking and airlines to product-
related services and sales-related services
offered by manufacturers and retailers. Obvi-
ously, customer service is a part of all facets
of our economy and is especially important to
the long-term survival of companies.
With the increased importance of customer
service comes increased concern with service
quality. Denton (1994) asserts, “Customers are
becoming increasingly militant about the
quality of products and services they pur-
chase.” This concern is reflected in the cur-
rent business literature (Chase and Garvin,
1989; Davidson and Uttal, 1989; Garvin, 1987;
Sheridan, 1988) Also noteworthy is the num-
ber of different kinds of services reflecting
this emphasis. Articles have appeared sug-
gesting that quality service is an issue in the
performing arts (Abbe-Decarroux, 1994),
traffic management (Byrne, 1991), dietetics
(Johnson et al., 1992), insurance (Barnes,
1992; National Underwriter Property & Casu-
alty-Risk & Benefits Management, 1993),
amusement (Cottey, 1993), banking (Madsen,
1993), and even human resources (Szpekman,
1992).
Expert systems play a key role in this
search for service quality; for example,
numerous articles detail the use of expert
systems in accounting (Baldwin-Morgan,
1994; Englard et al., 1989; Flesher, 1987;
Goldwater and Fogarty, 1993; McDuffie et al.,
1994; Muggridge and Lymer, 1993; Phillips and
Brown, 1991; Smith et al., 1991). Batchelor
(1995) predicts that by 1999, 75 per cent of all
legal documents will be written with the
assistance of expert systems. Other indus-
tries that have discovered the utility of expert
systems include the criminal justice system
(Copley, 1994), health care, (Hospital and
Health Services Administration, 1995), medi-
cine ETH Commmerce, Inc., 1996, Widman,
1996; ecology (Kuzmin and Solovyov, 1993),
construction (Lowe et al., 1993), finance
(Leonard, 1993; Newquist, 1987; Oz et al., 1993;
Widman, 1996), education (Kaula, 1993),
municipal government (ETH Commerce, Inc.,
1996) and agriculture (Repea, 1996a; 1996b).
Non industry-specific uses for expert systems
exist in maintenance (ETH Commerce, Inc.,
1996), office procedures (ETH Commerce, Inc.,
1996), equipment diagnosis (ETH Commerce,
Inc., 1996), lab analysis (ETH Commerce, Inc.,
1996), sales support, product design (ETH
Commerce, Inc., 1996), training (ETH Com-
merce, Inc., 1996; Expert Legal Systems, 1996),
quality control (Widman, 1996) and human
resource management (Inoue, 1993; Lawler
and Elliot, 1996). Tieperman et al. (1994) feel
that expert systems are exigencies for service
industries. A. Blanton Godfrey (1994), chair-
man of the Juran Institute, asserts that,
“Information systems will be vital for gaug-
ing quality.” This perspective provides the
premiss for this paper.
In the early 1980s, an article by Takeuchi
and Quelch (1983) appeared in the Harvard
Business Review in which the authors put
forth a seven-step customer service
programme. This paper outlines possible
uses of expert systems at each stage of the
Takeuchi-Quelch customer service
programme.
Expert systems
Englard et al. (1989) say that “expert systems
are computer programs that emulate human
thinking processes in problem-solving situa-
tions”, and their goal is “to arrive at the same
results that a specific human mental process
would produce”. Expert systems differ from
traditional decision support systems in that

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT