The Influence of AI Chatbots On Customer Engagement and Service Delivery in B2B Environments
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
This study investigates how business-to-business (B2B) organizations experience and perceive the implementation of AI chatbots in customer engagement and service delivery. Drawing on Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) and Consumer Involvement Theory (CIT), the research examines cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions of engagement and explores the influence of varying organizational involvement. A qualitative design involving semistructured interviews with stakeholders from diverse industries provided rich insights into the dynamics of chatbot integration.
Findings indicate that AI chatbots act as active operant resources, enhancing information accessibility, decision support, and knowledge integration. Organizational responses ranged from initial skepticism to conditional trust through deliberate human-AI collaboration, while behavioral changes were observed in communication patterns, resource reallocation, and 24/7 service availability. Stakeholder engagement during design, testing, and implementation emerged as crucial for addressing integration challenges and optimizing value creation.
The study's practical implications center on three key areas: implementing systematic crossfunctional collaboration involving IT, customer service, compliance, and operational staff; establishing transparent human-AI collaboration models with clear escalation protocols and handover mechanisms; and developing adaptive involvement strategies that evolve from intensive design phases to sustained optimization monitoring. These findings prove particularly relevant for organizations in regulated industries where trust-building through transparent processes becomes essential for successful adoption.
The study showcases the application of SDL and CIT applications in AI-mediated B2B contexts by demonstrating how continuous resource integration processes and adaptive stakeholder involvement patterns operate in complex organizational settings. Specifically, the research suggests that successful chatbot implementation requires hybrid service delivery models that preserve human relationship elements while leveraging technological efficiency, particularly important in B2B environments where relationship quality directly impacts business outcomes.
Future research should examine long-term organizational transformation patterns, cross-cultural implementation variations, and the evolution from initial chatbot adoption to broader AI integration across organizational functions.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 82
Keywords [en]
Abbreviations: AI: Artificial Intelligence, B2B: Business to Business, CIT: Consumer Involvement Theory, SDL: Service-Dominant Logic, TAM: Technology Acceptance Model, UTAUT: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
National Category
Social Sciences Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-113634OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-113634DiVA, id: diva2:1973391
Educational program
Master Programme in International Business
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-06-232025-06-192025-10-21Bibliographically approved