Cues and Clues that Influence Customer Trust in Agent of Service Supply Networks

The traditional supply chain models may fit well with the physical movement of goods but are problematic when applied to coproducing service experiences with customers. While there has been progress with regard to developing service supply chain models that more thoroughly capture service operations, none have sufficiently addressed how a customer chooses who will provide the service. This paper takes an agency theory perspective to frame the importance of trust building clues and cues created by an agent who offers customers access to the network of resources required to coproduce the desired experience. Our paper argues that trust is the key to a customer’s selection of an agent for coproduction and offers trust creating strategies that agents can use to influence this selection.