Pilot Study on User Service Guarantee Elements for Electric Minivans

Abstract

With the introduction of “carbon neutrality”, promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality has become contingent upon the vigorous development of pure electric vehicles. The development of electric minivans is receiving substantial backing from the government as China’s logistics vehicle market undergoes a transformation. The drivers of electric minivans in China’s Shanxi Province are the objects of this research, whose purpose was to establish a service model based on the four elements of service design and grounded theory to clarify the key factors of user guarantee for electric minivans. We conducted a pilot study using questionnaires, user patterns, user interviews, and a user journey map to determine the user needs for electric minivan user service guarantees. NVivo was used to analyze and code the user interview data qualitatively. The research findings can serve as a resource for entrepreneurs, service providers, managers, and designers of electric minivans.

1. Introduction

During the COVID-19 period, brick-and-mortar retailers preferred to operate online, and the express logistics sector experienced explosive expansion [1]. In China, the transportation and logistics industry is one of the major energy-consuming industries, consuming approximately 91.2% of China’s gasoline and 63% of its diesel fuel annually, ranking first among all industries [2], and transportation industry pollutant emissions continue to rise, thus demanding imminent reform and development [3]. Along with energy and environmental pressures, the government actively encourages the use of electric logistics vehicles. In the sphere of urban logistics, the adoption of electric logistics vehicles as opposed to traditional fuel logistics vehicles has become an unavoidable trend that will continue into the future [4]. With the construction of infrastructure, the implementation of right-of-way rules, and the provision of national subsidies, logistics vehicle owners are increasingly opting for electric logistics vehicles [5]. Concurrently, the linked service guarantee is undergoing an uneven development, and the future electric logistics vehicle industry will require more humane facilities and services due to the logistics sector’s trend of rapid development. In terms of actual use, minivan logistics vehicles account for the majority of electric logistics vehicle use, with the city’s short-haul transportation market being the most important [6]. The year 2021 and beyond is the post-subsidy phase for new energy vehicles in China, where the development of new energy vehicles is expected to transition from a policy-driven to a market-driven approach, supplemented by policy assistance, eventually becoming totally market-driven [2]. In the early stages of the promotion of electric minivans, policy subsidies had a significant role. However, as the subsidies diminished, customers became more selective. Currently, automotive technology is continually developing, but there are only a few good user service systems. Due to the development stage, however, the after-sales service method has not changed significantly, resulting in a bad user experience and low user retention [7].

As an essential energy supplier in the country, Shanxi has made outstanding contributions to ensuring the national energy supply over the years. However, the long-term development has resulted in serious environmental pollution in Shanxi Province. Therefore, the current utilization rate of pure electric vehicles in Shanxi Province is relatively high, and we chose users in this area as the survey objects.

In this research, we used questionnaires, user patterns, user interviews, and a user journey map to discover the problems and needs of electric minivan users in terms of vehicle usage, and we employed coding and qualitative analysis of the data gathered from user interviews in accordance with the grounded theory. The factors affecting user service guarantee were determined to be as follows: business environment, purchase intention, behavior, and trend. The user service model for electric minivans proposed in this research recommends that business owners, service providers, managers, and designers take effective measures to enhance user experience during the usage process and provides a theoretical reference and practical guidance for optimizing electric minivan user service.

2. Literature Review

Electric minivans belong to a branch of new energy logistics vehicles, and so there is a need to outline the research related to the development of new energy logistics vehicles in terms of the driving force and user service guarantee development.

2.1. Relevant Research on the Driving Force of New Energy Logistics Vehicle Development

Some scholars believe that freight transportation can meet the demand for transporting goods between regional producers, manufacturers, and final consumers, but that such transportation also affects the environment, society, and economy, and that improved infrastructure, equipment, technology, operations, and policy regulations can improve freight efficiency and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions [8,9,10].

The Chinese government has vigorously promoted and developed the new energy logistics vehicle industry, from policy subsidies to industry control, and from right-of-way advantages to technical support. In 2021, China’s new energy vehicles entered into the post-subsidy era, prior to which China’s new energy logistics vehicle industry had formed a more complete ecosystem, with battery suppliers and users as the central link [2]. The development of new energy logistics vehicles is primarily influenced by three factors: policy, technology, and business model.

Policies such as right-of-way advantages, operating subsidies, purchase tax exemptions, new energy commercial vehicle purchase point management, traditional fuel logistics vehicle purchase restrictions, charging facility construction subsidies, and other policies and systems offer significant support for the development of new energy logistics vehicles [11,12,13,14].

Technology-wise, new energy logistics vehicle costs have significantly decreased thanks to ongoing advancements in the field. At the same time, the vehicles’ performance and quality have significantly improved, and the effectiveness of logistics transportation has increased. This has helped to lower transportation costs and further encourage the development of new energy logistics vehicles [15,16].

Regarding business models, the industry’s size has progressively increased, the market will continue to mature, and the system for producing new energy logistics vehicles has gradually improved. In addition to the widespread use of the Internet, the Internet of Things, 5G, and other communication technologies, business models such as the operator model and integration model will gradually be integrated into the market for new energy logistics vehicles. At the same time, user experience and user feedback have become an indispensable part of the ideal after-sales service system. Any attempt to resolve the issues and challenges faced by users would also be a potent strategy to increase the market share [17,18].

Numerous researchers have examined the direction of new energy logistics vehicles’ future development from the perspective of economics and management, with the market and operation mode as the research background and the technology and application of new energy logistics vehicles as the research subject. Service and user protection have not received sufficient consideration. With the arrival of the post-subsidy era in China, the promotion of new energy logistics vehicles also faces obstacles. Moreover, as new business models develop, the after-sales service system must be urgently improved to assist new energy logistics vehicle business owners, managers, and designers in developing a new concept, user service guarantee.

2.2. Relevant Research on User Service Guarantee

As society evolves and user requirements change, so do service concepts and approaches. G. Lynn Shostack first introduced the idea of service design in 1984 [19]. The current service design as a design discipline is user-centric, collecting user behavior and identifying user needs via service design methods and tools [20,21]. The four elements of service design include stakeholders, touchpoints, offerings, and processes. In the social environment of the current energy crisis, service design is able to meet the needs of various individuals and investigate and solve resource optimization issues. The desire to increase the business value of after-sales service necessitates the expansion of a high-quality service base in light of the continuous development of digital technology [22,23]. In the face of intense market competition, enhancing after-sales service and increasing user satisfaction have become crucial means for businesses to acquire customers and expand their market shares. Service guarantee influences service value and user benefits [24], and it is an excellent management tool for enhancing the competitive advantage of businesses while enabling users to obtain high-quality products and services [25]. Consequently, a good service design can improve not only user retention and user experience but also service quality and business value [26,27,28,29,30].

In conclusion, domestic and international researchers have produced a wealth of findings with respect to the technology and application of new energy logistics vehicles, product characteristics, and market demand. As China’s new energy logistics vehicles enter into the post-subsidy era, the innovation of business models has also gradually become the primary force in promoting the development of new energy logistics vehicles, and after-sales services such as user experience, user feedback, and user guarantee have also become crucial for each enterprise to attract users and increase user stickiness [31,32]. From the standpoint of service design, it can help owners and managers of new energy logistics vehicles better comprehend user needs, provide timely feedback on user opinions, and improve the user experience management system [33]. In the current state of affairs, relevant user service guarantees for new energy logistics vehicles have been gradually established. However, it is unclear whether these service guarantees are suitable for users, whether they are truly user-centered, and whether switching from the actual use of traditional fuel logistics vehicles to electric logistics vehicles has been considered in the practical application stage. Furthermore, the relevant user service guarantees lack emphasis.

This research defines the user service guarantee as the service supplied by the work platform and logistics vehicle firm to the driver throughout the usage of the electric minivans in order to increase user happiness and user loyalty. This research built a service guarantee model centered on electric minivan users based on grounded theory and the four elements of service design [34,35] and explored the current development direction of the future service model of electric minivans through various influencing factors to maximize the public interest [36,37]. This research conducted a two-way survey of traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users to achieve three related aims: (1) to investigate the current difficulties and challenges faced by transforming users in the logistics vehicle industry; (2) to design a new user service process; and (3) to offer recommendations for improving the service guarantee of electric minivans.

3. Methodology

This research used questionnaires, user patterns, user interviews, and a user journey map to perform a pilot study on user service guarantees for electric minivans in China, as well as a qualitative analysis based on grounded theory. This section discusses the methodologies employed in this research.

3.1. Research Subjects and Participants

According to the current market situation for new energy logistics vehicles in China, the authors focused on minivans as the research subject. Currently, pure electric and traditional fuel vehicles dominate this market, so the authors surveyed the users of both types of minivans separately to better understand their needs. The respondents in this research possessed all of the sample’s typical characteristics, and the study’s data are accessible and comprehensive.

3.2. Research Process

This research process was divided into two parts (Figure 1).

The first part of the research employed the user research method [38,39,40]. A questionnaire survey was administered to users, user patterns were identified, user interviews were conducted with eligible respondents, and finally, user journey maps were created to determine user needs.

The second part of the research was based on grounded theory [41,42,43]. The results of the user interviews were qualitatively analyzed, and the texts were coded and categorized.

3.2.1. Part One—User Research Methods

(a)

Questionnaire

In this survey, a total of 160 questionnaires were distributed, and 140 valid questionnaires were returned for a recovery rate of 88%. There were 88 users of electric minivans and 52 users of traditional-fuel-powered minivans.

The questionnaire survey aimed to obtain the fundamental information of users, the initial stage of user satisfaction, and their needs [44,45,46]. The questionnaire survey featured three parts. The first part of the survey asked electric minivan users about the degree of demand for service security, and it asked traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users about current information regarding the use of vehicle. The second part asked about electric minivan users’ degree of satisfaction with respect to basic service facilities, and the degree of expectation of traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users regarding electric minivans. The third part asked the users to provide their basic information (Appendix A).

(b)

User Patterns

Identifying the user patterns allows one to gain a deeper understanding of the users and pinpoint their needs. This research identified the user patterns of two different types of users: traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users.

In this research, user patterns were derived from a content-based recommendation system [47], which in turn identified the user patterns, and the core portion was constructed from the information content. Through information acquisition and information filtering, the similarity between users was determined based on the content they selected. First, the information selected by the user was analyzed based on the acquired information, and the items were grouped based on certain features; second, the key information from the user preference features was filtered and extracted; and third, the item-grouping features from the first step and the user preference features from the second step were compared, and the features with the highest similarity were extracted and fed back to the system, thereby completing the recommendation.

In this research, preliminary questionnaire survey information statistics on minivans were divided into two types of user groups based on the type of vehicle: traditional-fuel-powered minivans and electric minivans. Next, user information was extracted separately to determine the user patterns, and then, based on the extracted user characteristics information, the next phase, in-depth interviews with the users, could proceed (Figure 2).

(c)

User Interviews

Interviews can offer a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and needs [48,49,50]. There were two types of interviewees: users of traditional-fuel-powered minivans and users of electric minivans. Among the 140 participants who completed the questionnaire survey, 35 interviewees were selected based on their age, comprising 13 traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and 22 users of electric minivans. They all had extensive experience utilizing logistics vehicles and a high demand for service guarantees. Before the interview was conducted, the interviewees were informed of the interview’s purpose, and the content of the interview was recorded upon obtaining the interviewees’ consent.

Table 1. Outline of user interview questions.

Research Questions	Interview Questions
Interviewee behavior	Why to choose electric minivans? Why not to choose electric minivans? What is the acceptable mileage for the electric minivans? Which aspects of electric minivans most concern you (price, endurance, battery safety, government subsidy policy, or charging convenience)? Which future-breakthrough news regarding electric minivans is most likely to stimulate your desire to purchase?
Interviewee psychology	6. What are your concerns about electric minivans? 7. Which aspect of the service of electric minivans do you think is the most urgent? 8. What service recommendations do you have for electric minivans? 9. Are you satisfied with the current use of electric minivans and after-sales service? 10. What obstacles or problems do you encounter when using electric minivans?

shows the interviewees’ in-depth interview questions.

(d)

User Journey Map

In order to better understand users, grasp their emotions, and identify their needs, researchers can employ user journey maps, which visually depict users’ points of pain and satisfaction throughout the use process [51,52]. The user journey maps of traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users are illustrated in this research (see Appendix B, Figure A1 and Figure A2).

3.2.2. Part Two—Qualitative Analysis of Grounded Theory

Grounded theory was used in this research’s qualitative analysis of the user interview data, and Nvivo12 was used to code the interview data [53]. In total, 35 people, divided into two categories—users of traditional-fuel-powered minivans and users of electric minivans—were interviewed. The purpose of the in-depth interviews was to gather information about users’ needs and psychological intentions, evaluate the state of the electric minivans’ infrastructure, basic environment, and user service status, investigate the key components of the user service guarantee model, and clarify the design strategy for the user services of those vehicles. The user interviewees’ basic information is displayed in

Table 2. Basic information of user interview respondents.

Category	Age Range	Number	Proportion (%)	Gender
Traditional-fuel-powered minivans	26–35 years old	2	5.7	Male (2)
	36–45 years old	3	8.6	Male (2)/Female (1)
	46–55 years old	5	14.3	Male (3)/Female (2)
	56–65 years old	3	8.6	Male (3)
Electric minivans	26–35 years old	5	14.3	Male (3)/Female (2)
	36–45 years old	9	25.7	Male (6)/Female (3)
	46–55 years old	6	17.1	Male (4)/Female (2)
	56–65 years old	2	5.7	Male (2)

.

4. Data Analysis and Results

This research employed user research and grounded theory to conduct a systematic analysis. Drawing from the four elements of service design, a service model was constructed with user guarantees as the central emphasis.

4.1. Data Analysis

This research’s data analysis consisted of two parts, the first of which was to identify user needs via the user research method. The second part was a grounded-theory-based qualitative analysis of user interview data. The aim was to summarize the parts of the user service model scientifically and objectively using systematic analysis.

4.1.1. Part One—Finding User Needs

This research started with two user groups, traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users, whom we surveyed through a questionnaire to establish a preliminary understanding of them. It then selected key users for in-depth interviews to identify the core users of the two user groups and created a user journey map to better understand user needs.

(a)

User Patterns

The authors analyzed and calculated the information from the preliminary questionnaire survey in accordance with the content-based recommendation system, created two user groups, traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users, and summarized the user patterns of these two user groups after filtering and extracting the key user information. The user patterns of traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users are displayed in

Table 3. User Patterns.

Role Model	User Characteristics	User Needs	User Behavior
Traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users	More work experience; more willing to choose cost-effective products	High expectation for follow-up guarantees of products	➢ Highly receptive to working overtime outside of fixed working hours. ➢ Able to maintain the same work and environment for a long period of time. ➢ Interested in information about themselves.
Electric minivan users	Less work experience; more willing to accept new products	High expectations for product accessories and hardware facilities	➢ Unwilling to choose to work overtime outside of fixed working hours. ➢ More willing to try new environments. ➢ Interested in the latest information and want to learn to experience new technology and equipment.

.

(b)

User Needs

In order to better understand users and improve user experience, the authors compared and analyzed the user perception of traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users to better determine the needs of electric minivan users.

Table 4. Comparative analysis of usage.

	Traditional-Fuel-Powered-Minivan Users	Electric Minivan Users
Before using	Safety check to ensure sufficient gasoline engine oil	Safety check to ensure normal charging the day before and sufficient battery power for use the next day.
In use	The power is normal, and the logistics vehicle can meet the demands of the workday	The cold winter temperatures in the north of China make the battery energy storage lower and the power insufficient. Due to the long and slow charging speed, the charging demand cannot be met during the lunch break, and it is not certain that the battery can meet the full demands of the workday.
After using	More gas station facilities to meet the needs of refueling at any time	The construction of charging stations is not perfect, there are too few charging posts, and it takes a long time to completely charge the vehicle.

shows the usage comparison between traditional-fuel-powered-minivan users and electric minivan users, and

Table 5. User needs.

Electric Minivans	User
Charging time is long and slow	Not enough time to recharge during lunch break.
In the winter in northern China, the battery capacity is low, the energy storage is insufficient, and the driving range of electric minivans is too short	In the winter, the battery capacity is very low, and the cost of battery replacement is high.
Low number of charging piles and uneven use	Not enough time to fully charge the vehicle when needed.

shows the user needs of electric minivan users.

4.1.2. Part Two—Analyzing Interview Information

Based on grounded theory, we conducted a qualitative study of user interview data and analyzed and summarized the interviews using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding.

(a)

Open Coding

Open coding is the first stage of grounded theory, where user information is collected and recorded in text during interviews, and the textual information is processed using Nvivo12 software to extract sentences related to the research topic through repeated reading of the raw data and generalization to form nodes. After repeated classification and generalization, a total of 292 original sentences, corresponding to 36 categories, were obtained in the first stage of coding.

(b)

Axial Coding

The second stage is axial coding, which aims to further refine the categories, identify the logical relationships between the categories, and group the open codes. This article analyzes 36 initial categories and summarizes 12 fundamental concepts.

Table 6. Fundamental concepts and connotations of axial coding.

Basic Concept	Connotation
Supporting facilities	Infrastructure construction, after-sales service, and related industrial chains.
Policy support	The state’s support services for electric minivans, such as economic subsidies and right-of-way advantages.
Technical security	The technical support for electric minivans, such as safety, battery life, and charging support.
Psychological cognition	The subjective intentions of users when making choices.
Work context	The state and situational problems encountered by users while working.
External factors	The factors from the external environment that affect users in decision making.
User-centered design	The provision of convenient services for users, such as arranging reasonable working hours and rest time to meet charging needs.
Economic value	The behavior of users under acceptable economic conditions.
Market condition	The user’s satisfaction with the development of electric minivans and the expectation of future development.
Social effect	The communication and interaction between users, communities, companies, and institutions.
Economic effect	The effective economic effect produced by users in their work.
Ecological effect	The positive effects that users have on the environment at work.

demonstrates the fundamental concepts and connotations of axial coding.

(c)

Selective Coding

The third stage is selective coding, which builds core concepts, identifies core categories, and integrates other conceptual dimensions by sorting and analyzing the logical relationships and internal connections between the categories. These include “Business Environment” (A1~A3), “Purchase Intention” (B1~B3), “Behavior” (C1~C3), and “Service Effect” (D1~D3).

Table 7. Overview of Grounded Theory Coding.

Open Coding	No.	Files	Probability (%)	Axial Coding	Probability (%)	Selective Coding
Complete charging facilities	a1	31	88%	A1 Supporting facilities	89%	A Business Environment
Maintenance service	a2	29	82%
After-sales guarantee	a3	25	71%
Government subsidies	a4	32	91%	A2 Policy support	91%
Right-of-way advantage	a5	21	60%
Cost control	a6	19	54%
Safety of use	a7	20	57%	A3 Technical security	82%
Endurance	a8	33	94%
Improved vehicle technology	a9	15	41%
Desire for new things	b1	13	37%	B1 Psychological cognition	65%	B Purchase Intention
Development limits	b2	19	54%
User satisfaction and trust	b3	22	62%
Transportation cost	b4	18	51%	B2 Work context	77%
Delivery efficiency	b5	16	45%
Transportation environment	b6	26	74%
National advocacy	b7	20	57%	B3 External factors	70%
Company requirements	b8	25	71%
Influence of others	b9	9	25%
Daily rest facilities	c1	10	28%	C1 User-centered design	79%	C Behavior
Driving habits	c2	24	68%
Consideration of the actual situation	c3	19	54%
Reasonable price	c4	27	77%	C2 Economic value	80%
Car value preservation	c5	12	34%
Cost of use	c6	32	91%
Good development prospects	c7	14	40%	C3 Market condition	62%
Market reform	c8	22	62%
High-cost performance	c9	12	34%
Political effect	d1	10	28%	D1 Social effect	48%	D Service Effect
Ideological and cultural effects	d2	8	22%
Ecological and environmental effects	d3	23	65%
Inner economy	d4	13	37%	D2 Economic effect	44%
External economy	d5	7	20%
Economic conversion rate	d6	5	14%
Political environment	d7	9	25%	D3 Ecological effect	65%
Resource environment	d8	21	60%
Ecological environment	d9	16	45%

displays the results of the coding procedure. Due to the large number of Chinese records involved in the interview sample and coding process, this study only presents the coding results section.

4.2. Results

According to the classification dimensions of grounded theory coding, four perspectives were analyzed: (1) business environment—realistic conditions of user services; (2) purchase intention—users’ behaviors and perceptions; (3) behavior—paths toward the realization of user service systems; (4) trend —stakeholder strategies.

4.2.1. Business Environment: Realistic Conditions for User Service Systems

According to the survey, the primary concerns of electric minivan users were endurance (94%), government subsidies (91%), and complete charging facilities (88%). During the interview, when asked about their reasons for choosing electric minivans, respondents answered, “because the government will have subsidies” (91%); “Some cities have restrictive policies on the passage of traditional-fuel-powered minivans but are more receptive to electric minivans” (60%); and “Because the state regulates prices, compared with traditional-fuel-powered-minivans usage, electric minivans usage saves costs to a certain extent” (54%). The majority of respondents stated their reason for choosing electric minivans was because they are state-backed, according to the survey. Due to the state’s support and protection, respondents are willing to choose electric minivans because they have faith in the state and its favorable policies.

Regarding the use of the vehicles, respondents were most concerned with the vehicles’ endurance. According to the survey results, the actual endurance of the vehicle differs significantly from the standard endurance, with respondents stating that “the actual endurance is too low” (94%), followed by battery safety, which respondents are more concerned about (57%), compared to other technological aspects of traditional-fuel-powered minivans. The current technical advantages of electric minivans are not adequately reflected, according to survey respondents (41%). As vehicle technology advances, its own benefits must also be better reflected.

According to the survey results, in terms of charging facilities (88%), respondents indicated that “there are never enough charging posts in the company, and public charging posts will increase costs”, and “since the endurance issue has not been resolved, charging should be prioritized”. Regarding maintenance service, 82% said that “after-sales maintenance always requires battery replacement, and the price of battery replacement is high” and “battery loss cannot be prevented; therefore, a discount for battery replacement would be appreciated”. Regarding after-sales guarantee, 71% believed that “the wear and tear of pure electric is greater than that of traditional vehicles, so they hope to improve the quality of the guarantee” and “vehicle-quality problems and battery problems continue to occur, so they hope to receive appropriate follow-up guarantee services”. Enhancing supporting infrastructure has become a necessary condition for increasing user retention.

These results show that the current infrastructure for electric minivans and basic services must be improved, particularly in the post-subsidy period. With the elimination of new energy purchase subsidies, the policy supporting users in choosing electric minivans has become less influential; consequently, the supporting infrastructure and technical safety must be enhanced. This research is based on the four elements of service design to better reflect the benefits of electric minivans, clarify user needs, provide user-friendly service processes, and prioritize user interaction and service touchpoints.

4.2.2. Purchase Intention: Behavior and Cognition

Research indicates that user behavior and cognition are influenced by the user’s psychological cognition, work context, and external factors. According to 65% of the respondents, psychological cognition has a great influence on the selection of electric minivans, with participants stating they are: “Happy to accept new things and eager to try new things” (37%) and “Worried about returning to the era of fuel vehicles afterward, so it is preferable to use traditional fuel vehicles with confidence” (54%), and that they have “not enough confidence in new products, and traditional fuel-powered minivans are preferred with the same budget” (62%). The choice of users is influenced by the shift in psychological perception. Respondents’ primary concerns in the work context were transportation cost (51%), delivery efficiency (45%), and transportation environment (74%). Traditional-fuel-powered minivans have a large user base and a large market, but the emergence of electric minivans has provided users with more options. It may be a basic requirement for traditional-fuel-powered minivans, but it is an important consideration for users when choosing electric minivans. In the survey, respondents were asked what external factors influenced their decision, and 71% of them stated that the company mandated the use of electric minivans, while 57% cited national advocacy and publicity, and 25% cited the influence of others.

Understanding the user’s psychological cognition, external factors, and work context enables the development of new service methods and the enhancement of service content. Respecting the laws of cognition and physiological needs, the service system should focus on the relationship between the electric minivan user’s psychology, external role, and actual work context. Through good service design, user satisfaction and trust can be increased, allowing for the reconfiguration of services and the implementation of innovative service methods that can effectively increase user stickiness. According to empirical evidence, the contact points between a user’s psychological cognition, work context, and external factors can have a direct impact on the habits and behaviors of electric minivan users. Therefore, future research will concentrate on how to provide service options based on user behavior and cognition effectively.

4.2.3. Behavior: Implementation Path of User Service System

According to the results of the research regarding the concept of user-centered design, 68% of respondents stated that they take driving habits into account when considering purchasing an electric minivan. The current logistics vehicle market is in transition, as traditional-fuel-powered minivans are being replaced. For a portion of the less-adaptable users, driving habits were an important factor in their choice. Fifty-four percent of respondents said that the current user service does not take into account the actual situation. For instance, the needs of users during the summer and winter differ, but the services provided do not change. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said that the current focus is on the vehicle and not on the individual user’s needs: “every peak work period, squeezed out of the break, but nowhere to rest.” Humanized service has the potential to not only increase customer satisfaction but also win the market.

According to the respondents, their current use of electric minivans or otherwise depended mostly on economic factors (80%). Seventy-seven percent of respondents stated, “Because subsidies are decreasing and some have been eliminated, electric minivans are not as appealing”; “or high endurance, or low price, why would I choose pure electric otherwise?” A reasonable price is crucial when selecting an electric minivan and deciding whether to continue using it. According to the concept of market condition, adherence to market reform (62%), good development prospects (40%), and high-cost performance (34%) are significant determinants of user conduct. Respondents stated that “they firmly believe that electric vehicle usage is the future development trend”, that “electric minivans supported by the state will have advantages and guarantees”, and that “(because) oil prices are too high, electric minivans are indeed the best option”.

This section of the research demonstrates that the user’s attitude influences user behavior. Therefore, in future research, a service system centered on users of electric minivans should be established to classify user needs and provide targeted services; at the same time, the communication efficiency between users and stakeholders of electric minivans should be enhanced to alleviate the usage burden.

4.2.4. Trend: Stakeholder Strategy

In “Stakeholder Theory: The State of the Art”, Freeman proposed that “stakeholders are all individuals and groups that can influence the achievement of an organization’s goals or are affected by the process of achieving those goals”, thus completing the stakeholders’ theoretical structure [54]. Since the target users and their stakeholders are involved in service design [55,56], it is necessary to better comprehend the users’ behavior so that the users can have a profound experience and the service’s meaning can be reflected.

The research data indicate that the environmental effect accounts for 65% of purchases, the social effect accounts for 48%, and the economic effect accounts for 44%. In the service design, stakeholders are divided into main stakeholders and secondary stakeholders. This research’s service object was the electric minivan user group; therefore, future research must clarify the classification and importance of this user group’s stakeholders and develop a stakeholder strategy to provide theoretical support and practical relevance to the literature.

5. Discussion

After systematic analysis, the main categories of the core concepts of selective coding were identified, and the four core concepts of selective coding were unified.

This research constructed a service model based on the four elements of design, with user guarantee as the central focus. Business environment is the true condition of electric minivan user guarantee, purchase intention and behavior constitute the practical road taken to accomplish user guarantee, and trend is the consequence of user guarantee and the driving element of service. Figure 3 depicts the structure of the electric minivan user service guarantee model.

The authors have organized the user needs in accordance with the service model and presented 12 areas of recommended guidelines.

Table 8. Overview of User Requirement Suggestions.

Scope	User Requirement Suggestions
Supporting facilities	Provide more charging facilities within the workspace, including public charging stations, public charging piles, swap stations, etc. Increase the number of locations where maintenance is performed and the number of maintenance professionals. Due to the technical blockade of associated companies, dealing with problems is inconvenient, which is disastrous for the logistics industry and places a premium on efficiency. Enhance the system of after-sales assistance and the “online service” paradigm. Professional service personnel and maintenance personnel can respond to after-sales issues, and regular services can be offered.
2. Policy support	Improve right-of-way advantages. Since policy regulations vary between cities, an attempt could be made to unify travel regulations in order to avoid problems arising from different regional regulations when traveling. With the elimination of purchase incentives, preferential policies can be implemented for the replacement of logistics vehicles or the acquisition of electric minivans that have been previously owned in order to increase user retention. Reduce charging costs.
3. Technical security	Improve the safety technology of the battery to avoid accidents caused by battery parts. Improve the vehicle’s range technology, particularly in the winter. Enhance the wireless charging technology in cities to increase user satisfaction.
4. Psychological cognition	Increase corporate impact and image, as well as user trust. Highlight the advantages of electric minivans and invigorate user enthusiasm.
5. Work context	To lower users’ use costs, logistics businesses should devise preferential subsidies or reward schemes for user work. Reasonable arrangement of work routes to enhance the efficiency of task delivery. According to the norms and regulations of various cities, a more user-friendly transportation environment can be created.
6. External factors	Avoid strong-headed attempts to require users to replace or use pure electric logistics vehicles. Improve user goodwill. As vehicle technology improves, more consideration needs to be given to user behavior and perception.
7. User-centered design	Focus on user requirements and approach practical issues from the user’s perspective. It is important to provide more rest stops and favorable working conditions for logistics drivers. For less-adaptable users, the focus needs to be on the driving habits of the logistics vehicle after the transition.
8. Economic value	A reasonable price influences the user’s selection and continued use. In actual use, the most important factor for users to assess is whether the item can actually reduce the cost of use.
9. Market condition	Based on high cost-effectiveness, the market reform for logistics vehicles should be more aligned with the direction of development for electric minivans.
10. Social effect	Effective communication and communication between users, communities, companies, and government institutions.
11. Economic effect	Users are more able to generate effective economic benefits at work.
12. Ecological effect	Positivity between environmental agencies, new energy companies, and suppliers.

provides an overview of the user requirement suggestions.

6. Conclusions

This research creates a user service guarantee system for electric minivan users from the standpoint of four elements of service design. It adds to the practice and fundamental theory of user service and delineates the components of user service guarantee in four dimensions: business environment, purchase intention, behavior, and trend. In the business environment dimension, the infrastructure of electric minivans must be improved, as must the fundamental services that clarify the needs of users, offer a user-friendly service process, and prioritize user interaction and service touchpoints. In the purchase intention dimension, the relationship between the psychology of electric minivan users, their external role, and their actual work situation should be the main area of focus in order to identify the points of contact between the three interrelated concepts, which can significantly influence the user’s habits and behavior. In the behavior dimension, the user’s attitude affects their user behavior; humanized service can not only improve service satisfaction but also win the market, and it would be beneficial to establish an electric-minivan-user-centered service system, classify user needs, provide targeted services, improve the communication efficiency between electric minivan users and stakeholders, and reduce the usage burden among users. In the trend dimension, based on the concept of stakeholders, the classification and importance of stakeholders in the electric minivan user group are clarified, and stakeholder strategies are constructed to give users a deep sense of experience and reflect the meaning of service. In conclusion, the service model categorizes the four components of user assurance and clarifies the key factors, providing crucial theoretical support and direction for future in-depth research.

This research offers three main contributions to the literature. First, this study offers a novel research perspective and research subject, having employing the service design method and qualitative analysis method to investigate the user service guarantee. Second, this research, which is based on the four elements of service design and grounded theory, systematically investigates, analyzes, and summarizes the needs of electric minivan users. It also codes, summarizes, and analyzes the interview data using NVivo, identifies the four factors influencing the user service guarantee of electric minivans, and suggests a new service guarantee system for the users of these vehicles. Third, this study discusses the respective elements of electric minivan users’ service guarantee and expands the application field of user service guarantee research.

This research has limitations as well. The first limitation relates to the sample area of this study. Due to China’s large electric minivan user base, additional studies are required to evaluate the data, despite the fact that the integrity and completeness of the sample were taken into account during the data-coding process. Second, this research applied field interviews; however, in order not to interfere with the interviewees’ daily work, the length of the interviews varied, and differences in the extracted information were not readily apparent. Third, given the rapid development of China’s electric minivans and the fact that this research’s content was conducted entirely within the context of China’s national circumstances, it is unclear whether the conclusions hold true for other nations and regions. Nonetheless, this research is exploratory. Users belonging to the demographics featured in this study can identify their pain points and needs and construct their own user protection service system by referencing the methodology and findings of this research. Future research may expand the sample size and interview area in order to provide more scientific research data for developing a more generalized service system in the future and to provide more specific and applicable references for stakeholders.