virtual answering service

The virtual value chain, created by John Sviokla and Jeffery Rayport, is a business model for the information services industry. This value chain begins with the content supplied by the provider, which is then distributed and supported by the information infrastructure, and then the context provider supplies actual customer interaction. It differs from the physical value chain of manufacturing/sales of traditional companies.

To illustrate the distinction between the two value chains consider the following: "when consumers use answering machines to leave a message, they are using an object that is both made and sold in the physical world, however when they buy electronic answering services from the phone company they are using the marketspace—a virtual realm where products and services are digital information and are delivered through information-based channels. ” (Rayport et al. 1996) There are many businesses that employ both value chains including banks which provide services to customers in the physical world at their branch offices and virtually online. The value chain is separated into two separate chains because both the marketplace (physical) and the marketspace (virtual) need to be managed in different ways to be effective and efficient (Samuelson 1981). Live Answering Service.