Involving users in complex service systems' innovation processes by means of ICT-based tools: The case of Facility Management Services

Whether service innovation processes are planned or happen ad hoc, the involvement of users is increasingly being recognized as potentially supporting successful innovation outcomes. Facilities Management (FM) services are complex business-to-business services, whose innovation process is complicated by heterogeneous needs and expectations of the diverse stakeholders. This makes it particularly interesting to study user involvement within the context of FM services. This paper aims at contributing to the literature on user involvement in services by addressing the roles played by the different stakeholders in FM open service innovations and depicting some of the supporting tools for stakeholder interaction within the context of FM services. The research design included 23 interviews in 15 Danish companies, complemented with archival data to ensure triangulation. The data were analyzed deductively based on literature on service innovation and costumer roles in new service development. The results of the analysis indicate that the involvement of users varies not only depending on the offered services, but also on the specific relation between users and the service. This implies that heterogeneous needs and expectations have to be matched and balanced for service innovation to be successful, by using specific Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based and face-to-face support tools to involve different stakeholders throughout innovation processes. These results contribute to the literature on open innovation and user involvement in services as they highlight the process to follow, and the tools to use, to increase user satisfaction in service innovation.