Study of consumer attitudes towards use of self service technologies

Abstract

The use of information and communication technology in the service industry has brought about changes in the way organizations interact with their customers. With the power of advanced information technology, many traditional services have been altered to self-services (services that customers serve themselves). Technological developments like the internet, smart phones, tablets etc. are creating numerous possibilities for organisations to introduce self-service technologies along with human contact-based services to create multiple touch points with the customer. However, the benefits to be reaped from the introduction of self-service technologies are dependent on customer acceptance and use of these self -service technologies. The purpose of the present research is to examine consumer attitudes towards the use of self-service technologies and to investigate the antecedents of these attitudes. Further, the relationship between consumer attitudes towards the use of self-service technologies and intention to use self-service technologies is also examined. Based on the extant literature review and interviews with experts in the field, a set of hypotheses regarding the various factors influencing consumer attitudes towards use of self- service technologies have been formulated. Self-service technologies can be categorized as public or private self-service technologies. A public self-service technology is a self-service technology located in a public place and there is a possibility of social interaction between the consumer and other people. A private self-service technology can be used by the customer in a setting without interaction with others. For this study one self-service technology has been taken up from each of the two categories. Two of the self-service technologies present in the travel sector in Delhi are used for this study: Token Vending Machine (public self-service technology) and Online Railways Reservation (private self-service technology). Two versions of a structured questionnaire were ...