The path to digital transformation: overcoming prejudice in the digital era with service operations

Innovation in service science and the adoption of new information and communication technologies are transforming the business landscape. While senior customers are facing ever-greater challenges to adapt to new technologies, non-aligned customers may be taking defensive stances towards the adoption of new technologies. These sceptical positions may eventually weaken the firms' strategies towards the path to digital transformation. This paper uses a qualitative case study research to analyse a Portuguese network of firms who gathered around a common technology to deliver services to their customers. Although this business network appears to be gathering nation-wide enthusiasts and seem to be a success in delivering heterogeneous services through new technologies, some customers appear to contest. The results indicate that while senior customers are trying to adapt to new technologies or at least adopting an optimistic stance by showing some kind of curiosity, a niche of sideliner customers are not overcoming preconceived misconceptions, preventing them from taking a closer contact to new markets and services. By investing on the integration of sceptical customers and service operations standardisation, firms may avoid negative word-of-mouth, find new sources of revenue and expand their business, thereby increasing their competitiveness over their rivals.