Several studies have discussed the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration in primary care. However, what remains unclear is how collaboration is undertaken in a multidisciplinary manner in concrete terms. To identify how multidisciplinary teams in primary care collaborate, in regards to the professionals involved in the teams and the collaborative activities that take place, and determine whether these characteristics and practices are present across disciplines and whether collaboration affects clinical outcomes. A systematic literature review of past research, using the MEDLINE, ScienceDirect and Web of Science databases. Four types of team composition were identified: specialized teams, highly multidisciplinary teams, doctor–nurse–pharmacist triad and physician–nurse centred teams. Four types of collaboration within teams were identified: co-located collaboration, non-hierarchical collaboration, collaboration through shared consultations and collaboration via referral and counter-referral. Two combinations were commonly repeated: non-hierarchical collaboration in highly multidisciplinary teams and co-located collaboration in specialist teams. Fifty-two per cent of articles reported positive results when comparing collaboration against the non-collaborative alternative, whereas 16% showed no difference and 32% did not present a comparison. Overall, collaboration was found to be positive or neutral in every study that compared collaboration with a non-collaborative alternative. A collaboration typology based on objective measures was devised, in contrast to typologies that involve interviews, perception-based questionnaires and other subjective instruments.

In a highly competitive landscape, adopting an omnichannel approach might lead to a market advantage in terms of acquiring and retaining customers, as well as a means to ensure business sustainability. Omnichannel organizations situate the customer at the core of their interaction. However, research on omnichannel customer experience (CX) is still fragmented. In this paper, by adopting an integrative approach, we aim to articulate the empirical evidence around omnichannel CX and its management. Moreover, we show how research around omnichannel CX emerged from different theoretical perspectives and disciplines such as marketing, sociology and computer science. Towards this goal, we conducted a systematic literature review—with in depth analysis of 50 papers—and identified that omnichannel CX literature has engaged a number of research streams from various theoretical perspectives. Based on the research gaps, we propose an agenda for future research including topics such as (1) understanding the customer lifecycle in an omnichannel context; (2) integrating new touchpoints and channels; (3) predicting the omnichannel customer behavior; and (4) approaching omnichannel CX in service-based organizations. We conclude that adopting an omnichannel CX management approach requires the entire organization to be customer-centric while articulating interdisciplinary teams. Available studies on omnichannel CX provide the foundations for extending the knowledge on this topic and developing tools for practitioners to use in the omnichannel management assessment, operationalization, and measurement.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet

Omnichannel as a strategy has long been associated with retailing, but service-based organizations have been increasingly embracing it with the help of digital technologies. Moving from a multichannel to an omnichannel service-based organization is a challenge per se; we aim to add to the discussion an understanding from a customer experience (CX) management point of view. Our goals are to (1) understand the key factors to unlock omnichannel capabilities, (2) identify the challenges of becoming an omnichannel service-based organization, and (3) propose a set of strategies to overcome them. We interviewed practitioners in key roles in traditional industries such as banking, insurance, and telecommunications. Based on the findings, we introduce and validate a conceptual framework, which includes enablers, challenges, drivers, and contextual factors, for the transition process from a multichannel to an omnichannel customer-experience-oriented organization.