Third actors’ roles in the BSRI key processes within a stable business network
| BSRI key processes (Aarikka-Stenroos and Halinen, 2007) | Role (Aarikka-Stenroos and Halinen, 2007; Aarikka-Stenroos et al., 2018) | Description | To whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Scouter | Third actors can look for potential customers for sellers | Seller |
| Awareness builder | Third actors can build awareness since dyadic parties need to be aware of each other to initiate. In the phase model of Dwyer et al. (1987, p. 15), during the awareness phase, ‘party A recognises that party B is a feasible exchange partner’. The literature suggests that awareness is built with reputation, reference works and referrals with the support of third actors | Buyer and seller | |
| Need creator | A reference or a referral from a third actor can create the need for a professional service | Buyer | |
| Access | Access provider | The access provider role implies that the third actor can offer access, create the contact or help create the contact. Access can be based on social relations or on the third actor’s experience | Seller |
| Accelerator | The initiation can be long; months and years may elapse after promising first contacts. Therefore, the third actor can accelerate initiation | Buyer and seller | |
| Advocate seller | The third actor can send marketing messages and deliver marketing information about the work, the process and the relations with the seller, thus supporting the seller | Seller | |
| Matching | Matchmaker | When third actors act as matchmakers, they evaluate the fit between potential parties or aid the parties themselves in assessing the fit. The matchmaker might identify the most suitable party, build awareness and bring the parties together, which means that the matchmaker’s role is linked to those of the awareness and access builder | Buyer and seller |
| Trust builder | The third actor transfers trust by offering an external ‘statement’ about trustworthiness. Trust is crucial in relationship development, and implicit references to trust are related to expert and referent power and the reliability of threats and promises (Dwyer et al., 1987). Trust in new customers is also established through reputation, which is viewed as a trust signal | Seller | |
| Evaluation assistant | The third actor may help the new customer evaluate quality because intangible and knowledge-intensive service outcomes and processes are difficult to assess in advance | Buyer | |
| Specifying the deal | Expectation Builder | The third actor may help the new customer build expectations. In business service industries, it is difficult for the customer to figure out the service’s outcome and process in advance, and equally, it is challenging for the service provider to represent the outcome and process to the customer beforehand | Buyer |
| Risk reducer | The risk-reducer role implies that third actors can reduce risk by actively or passively offering risk-reducing information | Buyer | |
| Provider of concrete evidence | The third actor can make the intangible service tangible. Past assignments and customers can act as examples of performance and provide information about the results and outcomes of the process/service | Buyer | |
| Power Balancer (Fraboni et al., 2024) | The third actors allow parties to fairly deal and negotiate during the initiation process | Buyer and seller |
| Role ( | Description | To whom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Scouter | Third actors can look for potential customers for sellers | Seller |
| Awareness builder | Third actors can build awareness since dyadic parties need to be aware of each other to initiate. In the phase model of | Buyer and seller | |
| Need creator | A reference or a referral from a third actor can create the need for a professional service | Buyer | |
| Access | Access provider | The access provider role implies that the third actor can offer access, create the contact or help create the contact. Access can be based on social relations or on the third actor’s experience | Seller |
| Accelerator | The initiation can be long; months and years may elapse after promising first contacts. Therefore, the third actor can accelerate initiation | Buyer and seller | |
| Advocate seller | The third actor can send marketing messages and deliver marketing information about the work, the process and the relations with the seller, thus supporting the seller | Seller | |
| Matching | Matchmaker | When third actors act as matchmakers, they evaluate the fit between potential parties or aid the parties themselves in assessing the fit. The matchmaker might identify the most suitable party, build awareness and bring the parties together, which means that the matchmaker’s role is linked to those of the awareness and access builder | Buyer and seller |
| Trust builder | The third actor transfers trust by offering an external ‘statement’ about trustworthiness. Trust is crucial in relationship development, and implicit references to trust are related to expert and referent power and the reliability of threats and promises ( | Seller | |
| Evaluation assistant | The third actor may help the new customer evaluate quality because intangible and knowledge-intensive service outcomes and processes are difficult to assess in advance | Buyer | |
| Specifying the deal | Expectation Builder | The third actor may help the new customer build expectations. In business service industries, it is difficult for the customer to figure out the service’s outcome and process in advance, and equally, it is challenging for the service provider to represent the outcome and process to the customer beforehand | Buyer |
| Risk reducer | The risk-reducer role implies that third actors can reduce risk by actively or passively offering risk-reducing information | Buyer | |
| Provider of concrete evidence | The third actor can make the intangible service tangible. Past assignments and customers can act as examples of performance and provide information about the results and outcomes of the process/service | Buyer | |
| Power Balancer ( | The third actors allow parties to fairly deal and negotiate during the initiation process | Buyer and seller |
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