(Re)Designing IT Support: How Embedded and Conversational AI Can Augment Technical Support Work
Mathis Poser, Eva Alice Christiane Bittner · Journal of the Association for Information Systems · 2021
Striving for operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness, companies increasingly deploy artificial intelligence (AI). This trend also incrementally permeates service-related work in technical support. As current narrow AI cannot fully substitute service employees and greater effects are achieved with hybrid service delivery, adapted work settings are required. Based on a qualitative field study with a socio-technical approach, this research provides current problem scenarios in IT support and a support process redesign by integrating conversational and embedded AI. The study contributes evaluated insights about current work processes, work-related issues, and a hybrid IT support process that introduces substitution and augmentation of human tasks to improve service delivery.