The Art of Interaction – Engaging with Customers in Online Co-Creation Activities

Abstract: Over decades companies co-created products together with customers. The rise of social media has created new possibilities of collaboration and changed the way how companies can interact with customers. Social media features play a significant role in online co-creation projects, because they enable companies to engage in an active dialogue with their customers. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a theoretical framework for companies as a guideline for effective interaction during online co-creation. The work investigates, how companies should talk to their customers, by analyzing cases which show how virtual interaction can look like in collaborating projects. The first part gives an extensive understanding of the topic. The work then introduces an analytical framework, which enables the analysis of three online co-creation projects. Based on the concept of the ‘DART model of interaction’ combined with five advices how to act social, the analytical framework builds the foundation for the analysis. The investigated virtual interactions and conversations during the online co-creation projects showed, that virtual conversations should be moderated in a contributing, eye-level, empathic and personal manner. To engage in online company-customer interactions, it is important that the person who acts in the name of the company is highly committed to the project. Finally the research contributions and practical implications are presented in the conclusion.