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When More Is Less: Field Evidence on Unintended Consequences of Multitasking

Author

Listed:
  • Paulo B. Goes

    (Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721)

  • Noyan Ilk

    (Department of Business Analytics, Information Systems and Supply Chain, College of Business, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306)

  • Mingfeng Lin

    (Department of Management Information Systems, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721)

  • J. Leon Zhao

    (Department of Information Systems, College of Business, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong)

Abstract

Online customer service chats provide new opportunities for firms to interact with their customers and have become increasingly popular in recent years for firms of all sizes. One reason for their popularity is the ability for customer service agents to multitask (i.e., interact with multiple customers at a time) thereby increasing the system “throughput” and agent productivity. Yet little is known about how multitasking impacts customer satisfaction—the ultimate goal of customer engagements. We address this question using a proprietary data set from an S&P 500 service firm that documents agent multitasking activities (unobservable to customers) in the form of server logs, customer service chat transcripts, and postservice customer surveys. We find that agent multitasking leads to longer in-service delays for customers and lower problem resolution rates. Both lead to lower customer satisfaction, although the impact varies for different customers. Our study is among the first to document the link between multitasking and customer satisfaction, and it has implications for the design of agent time allocation in contact centers and more broadly for how firms can best manage customer relations in new service channels enabled by information technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Paulo B. Goes & Noyan Ilk & Mingfeng Lin & J. Leon Zhao, 2018. "When More Is Less: Field Evidence on Unintended Consequences of Multitasking," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(7), pages 3033-3054, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:64:y:2018:i:7:p:3033-3054
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2017.2763
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    References listed on IDEAS

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