Controlling outsourced service delivery: managing service quality in business service triads

Organisations are increasingly sourcing services that become part of their value proposition to their (business) customers from external providers. Often, these services are directly delivered by the service provider to the customer. The buying organisation, service provider and customer operate in a triadic service relationship. In these triads, the buying organisation lacks direct control over service delivery and thus completely depends on the service provider for a high-quality performance towards its customers. The question is, therefore, how to ensure that service is delivered in the way the buying organisation wants it to be delivered. This research uses a case-based approach to build propositions on how buying organisations can control service delivery in service triads. The buying organisation is able to control service delivery in service triads by exerting control in other phases than the service delivery phase.