Enabling Successful Web-based Information Technology Support for Enterprise Customers: A Service Provider Perspective of Stakeholder-based Issues

An understanding by support organisations of the key factors enabling successful enterprise after-sales customer support provision when using Web-based Selfservice Systems (WSSs) is essential to making improvements in such systems. This paper reports key stakeholder-oriented findings from an interpretive study of critical success factors (CSFs) for the transfer of after-sales support-oriented knowledge from an information technology (IT) service provider to enterprise customers when a WSS is used. The findings suggest that researchers and practitioners should consider WSSs within a complex network of service providers, business partners and customer firms. The paper also clearly points to a need for support organisations to engage in greater collaboration and integration of WSSs with enterprise customers and business partners.