Research at the Chair of Service Management
The Chair of Service Management conducts research on how services can be designed for customers, employees, and society. In doing so, we draw on a wide range of perspectives: from customer experiences to new technologies to the role of employees. We publish our findings in internationally renowned academic journals.
Our research areas
Designing and Managing Customer Experiences
Holistic experiences — from first touchpoint to lasting impression
Today, customers no longer evaluate companies based solely on products or prices, but rather on the overall experience across all touchpoints. We examine which factors shape the customer experience and how emotions, expectations, and individual interactions work together to create a cohesive overall impression. Based on this, we develop strategies that enable companies to purposefully design and manage customer experiences.
Topic-related publications:
- Wünderlich, N. V. / Hogreve J. / Chowdhury I. N. / Fleischer H. / Mousavi S. / Rötzmeier-Keuper J. / Sousa R. (2020): Overcoming vulnerability: Channel design strategies to alleviate vulnerability perceptions in customer journeys, Journal of Business Research, 116, 377-386.
- Wünderlich, N. / Hogreve, J. (2019): Configuring Customer Touchpoints: A Fuzzy-Set Analysis of Service Encounter Satisfaction, Journal of Service Management Research, 3 (1), 3-11.
Industrial Service Solutions and Productivity
Innovative service concepts, servitization, and smart pricing
More and more industrial companies are transitioning from product providers to service providers. We are researching how such servitization strategies can be implemented and what organizational and strategic prerequisites are required for this. We place a particular focus on new service concepts and smart pricing models.
Topic-related publications:
- Hogreve, J./ Hübner, A. / Dobmeier, M. (2024): Optimizing Service Productivity With Substitutable and Limited Resources. Journal of Service Research, 27 (4), 543-558.
- 2024 Roland T. Rust Journal of Service Research Best Article Award Finalist - Bischoff, P. / Hogreve, J. / Elgeti, L. / Kleinaltenkamp, M. (2023): How salespeople adapt communication of customer value propositions in business markets, Industrial Marketing Management, 114, Oktober, 226-242.
Impact of Emerging Tech on Service Co-Creation
AI, digital twins, and collaborative intelligence reshaping value creation
New technologies are fundamentally changing the way companies and customers create value together. We are exploring how AI, digital twins, and other forms of collaborative intelligence are shaping the interaction between humans and machines. The central question is how these technologies can be meaningfully integrated into existing customer relationships and service processes.
Topic-related publications:
- Janotta, F. / Hogreve, J. (2024): Ready for Take-off? The Dual Role of Affective and Cognitive Evaluations in the Adoption of Urban Air Mobility Services, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 185, 104122.
Organizational Frontlines
Empowering frontline employees to deliver, recover, and build relationships
Employees who interact directly with customers have a significant impact on how the service is perceived. We are researching how frontline employees can be supported in resolving problems on their own and handling challenging situations with confidence. Our goal is to identify the conditions that strengthen both employee satisfaction and long-term customer loyalty.
Service Marketing for Individual and Societal Well-Being
Service design that supports well-being, sustainability, and third places
Services can do more than simply satisfy needs. They can promote well-being and create social value. We investigate how service design can specifically impact individual well-being and sustainability, for example in the area of financial well-being or in social spaces. Our goal is to design services in such a way that they create genuine added value for individuals and society beyond their basic function.
Topic-related publications:
- Brüggen, L. / Gianni, R. / de Haan, F./ Hogreve, J. /Meacham, D. / Post, T. / van der Werf, M. (2025), AI-based Financial Advice: An Ethical Discourse on AI-based Financial Advice and Ethical Reflection Framework, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 44(3), 436-456.
- Hogreve, J. / Matta, S. / Hettich, A. / Reczek, R. (2021): How Do Social Norms Influence Parents’ Food Choices for Their Children? The Role of Social Comparison and Implicit Self-Theories, Journal of Retailing, 97 (2), 173-190.
Service Profit Chain
How happy employees drive great service, loyal customers, and lasting profit
Satisfied employees are the foundation for excellent service, loyal customers, and, consequently, sustainable business success. We study the mechanisms underlying the service-profit chain, from employee satisfaction all the way to corporate profitability. Based on this research, we develop strategies for how companies can leverage these relationships to their advantage.
Topic-related publications:
- Hogreve, J. / Iseke, A. / Derfuss, K. (2022): The Service-Profit Chain: Reflections, Revisions, and Reimaginations, Journal of Service Research, 25 (3), 460-477.
- 2022 Journal of Service Research Best Article Award Finalist - Hogreve, J. / Iseke, A. / Derfuss, K. / Eller, T. F. (2017): The Service Profit Chain: A Meta-Analytic Test of a Comprehensive Theoretical Framework, Journal of Marketing, 81 (3), 41-61.
- 2017 AMA SERVSIG Best Service Article Award
- 2017 Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award Finalist
