Customer Service Ethics in the Metaverse: A Value-Sensitive Design Science Approach

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop recommendations for the value-sensitive design of social virtual reality (VR) applications with respect to the interaction between customers and customer service representatives, considering the value-sensitive design approach. Based on a systematic literature search, 125 relevant hits could be found, which especially assigns the values of openness, security, and liability to problems and categorizes them into six problem areas. These values of openness, security, and liability and problem fields form the requirements for a value-sensitive design of social VR applications. Based on these requirements, preliminary design principles were derived in two evaluation cycles, each assessed using an online survey (Survey 1 with 221 participants and Survey 2 with 310 participants) and presented in the form of instantiation. One main finding of the paper can help counteract discrimination in social VR applications within the interaction between customers and customer service representatives.

Keywords:

• Metaverse
• social virtual reality
• customer service
• ethic
• value-sensitive design
• design science research

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants in the study, Marc Borm, Lukas Hilmer, and Marius Hucke for their valuable and substantive assistance, as well as the reviewers for their constructive suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martin Sonntag

Martin Sonntag is an external doctoral student at Jade University of Applied Sciences and conducts research on Industry 4.0, AI, and human-computer interaction in customer service.

Julian Schuir

Julian Schuir is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, which is part of the Institute of Information Management and Information Systems Engineering at the Osnabrück University. His research interests include contemporary issues related to the metaverse, immersive technologies, and artificial intelligence.

Jens Mehmann

Jens Mehmann studied industrial engineering with a focus on process optimization and project management at Osnabrück University. He completed his doctorate at the Chair of Business Accounting and Information Systems at the University of Osnabrück. Since 2018, he has been Professor of Supply Chain Management and Operations at Jade University.

Frank Teuteberg

Frank Teuteberg is a full professor at the Osnabrück University in Germany and Head of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems. He is author of more than 450 research papers with more than 8000 citations in numerous peer-reviewed journals in the field of artificial intelligence and human computer interaction.