An empirical analysis of self-service technologies: mediating role ofcustomer powerlessness
ISSN: 0887-6045
Article publication date: 28 July 2021
Issue publication date: 28 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
As self-service technologies (SSTs) become more prevalent, service providers are actively encouraging customers’ involvement with these technologies, sometimes even forcing their customers to use SSTs. This paper aims to examine the influence of the SST-only (vs full-service) mode on customers’ negative attitude toward SST providers through the mediating mechanism of powerlessness and explores how SST familiarity and SST anthropomorphism moderate the impacts of the SST-only mode on powerlessness.
Design/methodology/approach
Three experiments were performed, study 1 tested the main and mediating effect and studies 2 and 3 verified the moderating effects.
Findings
The results suggest that customer perceived powerlessness mediates the relationship between SST-only (vs full-service) mode and negative attitude toward SST providers. When the levels of SST familiarity and SST anthropomorphism are high, the impacts of SST-only on powerlessness are attenuated. Alternative mediating mechanism of powerlessness is examined and ruled out.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should investigate other moderators that may reduce the impacts of SST on customer powerlessness. These moderators could be service-operating procedures, SST interface design, types of service situations and customer characteristics. In addition, other consequences of powerlessness, other than the negative attitude toward SST providers and intention to switch investigated here, should be investigated as well.
Practical implications
This research provides guidelines helping service providers to improve their customers’ SST usage experience by showing both SST familiarity and SST anthropomorphism may alleviate the negative effects of SST-only mode on customer perceived powerlessness more effectively.
Originality/value
This research examines the role of customers’ psychological reactions toward the SST-only mode, particularly from the perspective of power and control.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the JSM editors and review team for their constructive comments and feedback.Funding: The first author (Dr Zhongpeng Cao) and the fourth author (Lina Wang) was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 71672028) to collect data. The second author (Dr Qian Xiao) and third author (Dr Weiling Zhuang) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article from any organizations.
Citation
Cao, Z., Xiao, Q., Zhuang, W. and Wang, L. (2022), "An empirical analysis of self-service technologies: mediating role ofcustomer powerlessness", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 129-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-07-2020-0271
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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