What is it that the application of modelling and simulation can contribute towards understanding and managing service quality data for internet service providers (ISP) in Australia?

This thesis assesses the appropriateness and effectiveness of discrete event simulation technique to understand and manage service elements in the ISP (Internet Service Provider) context. The baseline for this research involved the secondary data published by ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) and TIO (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman) involving ISP numbers, Internet issues/complaints data. As many relatively new services are being offered, ISPs are finding it difficult to cope with varying customer expectations and their future technology expectancy. Access to infrastructure, avoiding anti—competitive behaviour from large players and service differentiation has become more important than ever for their survival. A number of challenges such as lack of provision of good quality service, lack of ability to cope with increasing (or varying) customer demands and expectations and lack of flexibility in providing services need to be overcome. The service environment in networking has focused heavily on the technical side and very little attention has been given to functional variables such as complaints handling, aligning technical and functional service quality processes and effective service recovery during service failures. Relying fully on the technical side obscures the nature of service. This research identified the fact that end users’ perspective of quality of services need to consider not only the inherent quality of the network, but also the service quality provided by the ISP. Users perceive poor service quality provided by their ISP if they do not get help desk support required from using the ISP services. This can turn a complaint about a problem in to a complaint about the company. The research question is answered by this thesis “What is it that the use of discrete event simulation technique can contribute to the understanding and managing service quality data for different ISP service operations?” The research methodology chosen was discrete event simulation methodology. The discrete event technique involves building up models based on the dynamic behavior of a network system as the time progresses. The appropriateness and effectiveness of this technique was tested by modelling technical service elements (modelling policy based networks using differentiated service schemes, alarm based network management system for effective service level agreement monitoring) and key functional elements that determine ISP non-technical service performance (ISP complaints handling, ISP call centre performance variables). The scenarios led to the development of an integrative simulation framework that addresses both user level service quality issues and network system oriented service quality issues. In the past user level service quality issues have been provided with negligible importance. The framework developed can help ISPs to model service attributes and use the results from such simulation studies to make competitive marketing decisions. The issues raised before and after simulation can be compared for effective service design. To achieve service excellence ISPs have to understand the interrelationship between various service quality dimensions such as tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy and how these dimensions affect customer perception of ISP service quality. In conclusion the research found that discrete event simulation can be used to understand and manage service quality data by internet service providers involving different ISP service operations

Using SIMCTS framework to model determinants of customer satisfaction: a case in an ISP

In this paper we describe a call center simulation case study that uses real data obtained from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The case study is conducted using SIMCTS (Simulation Modelling and Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Patterns for Telecommunication Service Providers) framework [25]. The applicability of this framework to model ISP business scenario is discussed in detail. The simulation case study reveal that the dimensions of service quality have huge impact on customer satisfaction and also provide valuable insight in to gap analysis of customer perception and expectation. Various key satisfaction variables in relation to call center are modelled using SIMAN simulation language and ARENA simulation software. The simulation case study investigates service quality dimension, technical (or) functional service quality and their role in evaluation of overall satisfaction judgment. The simulation model collects transient performance measures which can be used to make competitive marketing decisions

Customer service and complaints handling practices of the Internet industry in Australia : an institutional perspective

Rapid technological changes and strong rates of service growth in the Internet industry call for development of responsive and sustainable consumer protection policies that deliver desirable outcomes to Internet customers. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia are faced with numerous challenges in meeting customer service expectations. Careful critique and examination of academic literature identified customer service (CS) and complaints handling (CH) as the top two Internet service issues discussed in the context of poor performance of ISPs. The ability of the co-regulatory Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) code to deal with emerging and new CS issues is important for ensuring consistent CS performance. Although ISPs operate as a part of a complex interdependent social, economic and political network, little research has been carried out on the institutional pressures that operate in the ISP industry and their influence on the CS/CH practices of very large ISPs (vLISPs). Studying institutional pressures is important to understand how and why vLISPs respond to institutional pressures, and to identify central actors who influence the CS/CH practices of vLISPs and inform future CS policy formulations. This PhD study examines the institutional influences on the CS and CH practices of the vLISPs in Australia using neo-institutional theory. Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews with senior executives from vLISP stakeholder organizations was conducted. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and ideas from grounded theory. The study found that the CS and CH practices of vLISPs are institutionally derived practices. The institutional pressures in the form of regulatory pressures (imposed through the regulator’s enforcement actions and inquiry recommendations), normative pressures (evidenced through the industry association’s effort to focus on development of standardized CS practices), mimetic pressures (under-performing ISPs mimicking practices of successful ISP’s CS practices) and customer pressures (customers voicing their concerns to the regulator and the consumer association) had a potent conforming influence on the CS/CH practices of the top four vLISPs. The intensification and interplay between these institutional pressures led to an increased degree of inter-organizational collaboration between the top four vLISPs and external stakeholders that created inter-organizational linkages that did not exist before. The frequent and fateful interactions between the institutional actors of the vLISP industry resulted in significant changes to that industry’s CS/CH practices. The deep interactions, embedded collaboration and information exchange between the institutional actors of the vLISP industry have led to the emergence of Organizational Fields. It is argued in this thesis that there is potential for Emerging Organizational Fields to mature over time and inform future CS/CH practices. This thesis brings bodies of literature together and makes a contribution to the organizational studies literature by highlighting the importance of understanding the institutional influences on vLISP industry practices and identifying potential avenues for further research

Do External Stakeholder Pressures Influence Customer Service and Complaints Handling Practices in the Australian Internet Service Provider Industry?

Poor customer service (CS) and complaints handling (CH) performance of the Australian Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry has been the subject of intense scrutiny over the past few years. Internet industry stakeholders such as the ombudsman, consumer association, regulator and government authorities have considered tighter regulation as a response to address the industry\u27s poor CS track record. This paper explores the role of external stakeholder pressures on the very large ISP (vlISP) industry that resulted in significant revisions to the CS/CH sections of Telecommunication Consumer Protection (TCP) Code. Qualitative research using eleven in-depth interviews with senior vlISP industry executives was conducted. Data analysis found that three key pressures (regulatory, customer, competition) influenced the revisions to the TCP code. Very few studies in the Australian context examine personal viewpoints of vlISP industry stakeholders to understand how and why vlISPs respond to such pressures. This is the first study that examines such viewpoints using an institutional theory lens. The study findings are: encourage vlISPs to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to manage expectations regarding CS/CH performance; provide valuable information for regulatory agencies, the consumer association and the complaints authority to develop an understanding of what pressures drive the changes required to enhance service improvements in areas where vlISPs under-perform; and assist external stakeholders to understand the types of pressures to which vlISP managers respond. The study findings will inform future quantitative studies to examine the influence of such pressures on the actual CS/CH performance of vlISPs

Towards understanding how institutional forces influence the functional service quality practices of Australian very large Internet service provider industry

Customer service and complaints handling referred to as Functional Service Quality (FSQ) are the top two Internet service issues that has drawn serious attention of the Australian telecommunications regulator. In the past few years, several regulatory activities, campaigns, stakeholder interactions and collaborations have occurred to improve the FSQ performance of the Australian very large ISPs (vLISPs). This paper analyses senior ISP industry stakeholders’ perspectives on institutional pressures that influence the FSQ practices of vLISPs. Major findings are (i) regulatory pressures dominate and vLISPs respond to such pressures for fear of tighter regulation and (ii) the response to such pressures have resulted in significant improvements to the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) code which has implications for FSQ practices and performance

What do we know about the service experiences of Australian ISP customers and the quality of services provided by their ISP?

A key challenge, of interest to researchers and practitioners in the ISP (Internet Service Provider) industry is the assessment and management of customer experiences. Majority of past research in networking area on quality of services is system oriented and minor attention is paid to user level service quality issues. This paper presents the justification for the need to not just measure network operational parameters from regulatory viewpoint, but also consider the end users perception of quality of services provided by their ISPs. This is influenced by various factors that lie outside the ISP network such as complaints handling, responsiveness and empathy. This paper is aimed towards providing a better understanding of the sparse knowledge about customer experiences in ISP context. It also clarifies a number of past findings on customer experiences and that there are no theoretically founded, academic research that has so far examined the relationship between service experiences (technical and non-technical) of ISP customers and the quality of services provided by their ISP. The main contribution of this paper is that it has identified the gap in ISP service environment which has heavily focused on technical side and not on functional aspects. The initial research review has helped us to identify that the customer experiences have an impact on the evaluation of quality of the services provided by their ISP. The technical experiences in ISP context involves inherent quality aspects of the ISP network and non-technical experiences involve the service quality aspects of the ISP

Institutional pressures in Australian Internet industry and its influence on the functional service quality practices of very large Internet service providers

Functional service quality (FSQ) characteristics such as customer service (CS), complaints handling (CH) are increasingly becoming important for Australian very large Internet service providers (vLISPs) to retain existing customers and attract new customers in a highly competitive and demanding ISP market. The purpose of this study is to understand the role of institutional pressures (regulatory, mimetic and normative) in influencing FSQ practices of vLISPs. The research adopted a qualitative research methodology using semi-structured interviews for data collection and captured ISP industry stakeholders' perspective on the role of institutional pressures in influencing the FSQ practices of the industry. Senior executives from the relevant stakeholder organizations were interviewed. The study findings along with the literature review found that the poor FSQ performance of the vLISPs particularly over the last three years (2009- 20 11) ignited heated debate among various stakeholders on the effectiveness of the existing co-regulatory arrangements to deal with systemic issues involving CS and CH. This led to ministerial intervention, ombudsman campaigns, regulatory inquiry on FSQ practices and a real threat of tighter regulation by the regulator eventuated. The regulatory pressures combined with customer and competitive pressures played a pivotal role in bringing various stakeholders together during the TCP (Telecommunications Consumer Protection) code review in 2010-2011 to address FSQ concerns and revise FSQ practices. Increased collaboration, interaction between very vLISPs and other industry stakeholders occurred to modify FSQ practices in the TCP code with a view to improve FSQ performance of the industry and achieve better FSQ outcomes for ISP customers. The main contribution of this study is that it links and integrates the FSQ literature, institutional pressures and ISP industry by examining multi-stakeholder perspective on the role of institutional pressures in influencing FSQ practices of vLISPs

How and why technology based service organizations act together : emerging organization fields in the Australian Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry

This paper uses institutional theory of Organization Field to analyse the recent collaborative efforts of the Australian Internet industry stakeholders to address customer service (CS) and complaints handling (CH) concerns. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and interviewed eleven senior executives in key positions in the Internet industry. Major findings are: 1) Vigorous collaboration amongst the institutional actors has led to emergence of Organization Fields 2) The actors of the Emerging Fields actively influence the development/review of the CS/CH practices and its subsequent implementation in ISPs 3) there is potential for Emerging Fields to mature over time to inform future CS/CH practices and 4) there are implications for CS/CH performance of the ISPs and Internet consumer protection

A study of Australian Internet service provider industry stakeholder collaboration : implications for functional service quality practices

Customer Service (CS) and Complaints Handling (CH) referred to as Functional Service Quality (FSQ) are the top two Internet service issues that have drawn the serious attention of the telecommunications industry regulator and the ombudsman following poor FSQ performance of the Australian Internet industry. FSQ is the quality of services delivered to customers. This paper analyses the recent collaborative efforts of the Australian Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry stakeholders to address systemic problems related to CS and CH. Eleven senior executives from key ISP industry stakeholder organizations were interviewed. Using institutional theory lens, this study found that the institutional forces (regulatory, customer and competition pressures) played a pivotal role in bringing all stakeholders together to address FSQ deficiencies in the old Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code 2007. This led to significant changes to the CS/CH practices detailed in the revised TCP Code 2012. The study findings revealed that frequent and fateful collaborations between central institutional actors has led to the emergence of organizational fields. The actors identified in the emerging fields actively influence the FSQ practices and the subsequent implementation of the practices in ISPs. Such ‘emerging’ fields can transform into ‘mature’ fields and inform future FSQ practices of the ISP industry