Affiliations: NEC Soft, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan | Department of Applied Physics, Waseda University,
Tokyo, Japan | Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA. U.S.A.
Abstract: The evolution and dominance of service functions in addition to
their distinguishing features has been the subject of study for years. Service
functions aim to satisfy and facilitate the needs of their customers. In doing
so, service providers design the service functions so that the customers feel
comfortable and convenient when using them. The evolution of technology and
automation has enabled functions like knowledge-intensive man-machine
interactions to be flexible and user friendly. In this paper, we discuss a wide
range of interconnected topics, emphasizing the multi-faceted nature of service
functions. These areas include the evolution of service functions and their
associated systems and products, as well as the consequent creation of implicit
requirements, the technology transfer process, and the error proneness due to
intense and prolonged interaction. We argue that by proper 'humanization
and personalization' the service-based interactive systems can be made easy for
the customer to use and enjoy personalized services. We conclude that by
introducing transparent feedback mechanisms, the quality of service and its
associated systems can be automatically monitored and their functions can be
continuously improved. We also note that such feedback mechanisms must
guarantee the preservation of the customers?privacy.
Keywords: Interactive service system, humanization, Kozmetsky Effect
