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1 – 10 of over 5000
Article
Publication date: 1 April 1991

Shlomo Globerson and Michael J. Maggard

The article focuses upon the concept of self‐service within theservice sector. The nature and growth, as well as the present andpotential use of self‐service are analysed and…

1051

Abstract

The article focuses upon the concept of self‐service within the service sector. The nature and growth, as well as the present and potential use of self‐service are analysed and explored. Starting with the service industry, several common classification and evaluation schemes are reviewed. Recent contributions to the understanding of the self‐service industry are next discussed. A model of the self‐service sector is proposed which incorporates attributes drawn from three major sectors: the consumer, the organisation, and the environment. Examples and hypotheses to be explored are included.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 November 2023

Filipa Freitas Alves, Cláudia Miranda Veloso, Elisabete Gomes Santana Félix, Bruno Barbosa Sousa and Marco Valeri

This research aims (i) to assess the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty to self-service technologies and Auchan Retail Portugal, (ii) to identify the determinants of…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims (i) to assess the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty to self-service technologies and Auchan Retail Portugal, (ii) to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty to these technologies and also, (iii) to identify their influence on customer loyalty to this modern distribution retailer operating in Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model was defined to meet the research objectives and to carry out the quantitative analysis applied to the random sample (n = 483) of customers. The data used where gathered via an online questionnaire survey, which covered all dimensions of the conceptual model, applied in 2021 in Portugal. To validate the hypotheses, Cronbach’s alpha and multiple linear regression models were used.

Findings

The results reveal that customer satisfaction with self-service technologies has a direct and positive effect on customer loyalty to Auchan Retail Portugal. Furthermore, results reveal that the technology utility factors significantly influence the customer technology experience which has an impact on perceived service quality and perceived risk. The findings of this research provide data on how to improve customer adoption and satisfaction with self-service technology and highlight that these technologies should be part of firm’s competitive strategy.

Originality/value

This study presents itself as a novelty for science, while granting important contributions to the retailer. It presents an innovative conceptual model that delivers to Auchan the basis for it to move toward smart retail technologies, aiming at the market trend of personalization. For future research, this study can be used as an instrument to evaluate the customer experience with self-service technology and to examine the determinants and effects of self-service technology separately.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2020

Estelle van Tonder, Stephen G. Saunders and Leon T. de Beer

In the absence of direct employee involvement, customers sharing knowledge and know-how with other customers during self-service encounters is key for promoting service quality…

Abstract

Purpose

In the absence of direct employee involvement, customers sharing knowledge and know-how with other customers during self-service encounters is key for promoting service quality. This study assessed the extent to which customer support and help during self-service encounters could simply be explained by multiple motivations of the social exchange theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey approach was followed. The model was tested among 258 electronic banking customers in South Africa and later cross-validated among 253 electronic banking customers in Australia. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with country as the grouping variable, latent variable modelling and indirect tests were performed to assess interrelationships among diverse factors that may contribute to customer support and help during self-service encounters, as accounted for by motivations of the social exchange theory.

Findings

Adequate model fit was obtained for the combined structural model, which was based on the invariant model. Value contribution and competence affirmation, pleasure derived from helping, reciprocity and reputation enhancement are relevant motivations of the social exchange theory that may impact customer support and help through knowledge sharing.

Research implications

The study provides a simplified and more cohesive explanation of customers' motivations for engaging in customer support and helping behaviours during self-service encounters.

Practical implications

Service providers seeking guidance on knowledge sharing among customers, which may lead to greater service quality, should benefit from this research.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to greater understanding of social exchanges by customers who provide support and help to other customers during self-service encounters, and that ultimately may affect service quality.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 37 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2016

Nadia Zainuddin, Leona Tam and Angie McCosker

This paper aims to investigate the concept of value self-creation and provides a formal definition for this concept. The paper suggests that it sits within an overall continuum of…

1911

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the concept of value self-creation and provides a formal definition for this concept. The paper suggests that it sits within an overall continuum of value creation that includes value delivery and value co-creation.

Design/methodology/approach

A proposed model of value self-creation was developed and empirically tested in a health care self-service, bowel screening. An online, self-completion survey was administered to Australian men and women aged 50 years and above, as this represents the primary target population for bowel screening.

Findings

The results of the structural equation modelling in AMOS suggest that consumers can self-create value, leading to desired outcomes of satisfaction with the consumption experience and behavioural intentions to engage with the self-service again in the future. The findings provide empirical evidence to suggest that consumers’ behavioural contributions represent the most important consumer contributions in self-service, followed by cognitive contributions.

Originality/value

The study provides an empirically validated model of value self-creation in health care self-service. Much of the existing research on value co-creation has concentrated on traditional service types and is ill-placed to explain the value creation processes in self-services. This study offers originality by addressing this gap and demonstrating to service managers how they can manage consumer contributions towards a self-service and facilitate value-self creation, even though they are not present during the consumption stage of the consumption process.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 January 2021

Jungkun Park, Dongyoup Kim and Hyowon Hyun

The purpose of this study is to investigate the evaluation of desirability/feasibility and adoption intention for the self-service technology of “older” consumers. This study also…

1725

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the evaluation of desirability/feasibility and adoption intention for the self-service technology of “older” consumers. This study also aims to show that the evaluation of desirability/feasibility and adoption intention varies depending on the type of customer value provided by self-service technology. Moreover, the authors improve the understanding of “older” consumers by comparing the adoption behavior through three proxies that express consumer aging: chronological age, subjective age and future time perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was performed as an experimental design by manipulating advertisement messages of self-service technology for online grocery shopping according to customer values. There are two analytic methods applied in this study. First, the current study compares the effects of chronological age, subjective age and the future time perspective on the evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology by using structural equation modeling. Second, this study examines the moderation effect of customer values by conducting a multi-group analysis.

Findings

The results of current research indicate that the future time perspective explains participants’ evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology compared to chronological age and subjective age. Specifically, participants who perceive their future time to be limited, rather than expansive, negatively assess the expected desirability and feasibility of self-service technology. In addition, the results of the moderation test show that the future time perspective affects more significantly the evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology when the functional value is emphasized rather than emotional or social value.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study showed that the effect of future time perspective on expected desirability and feasibility was almost significant in each sub-dimension, but there were relatively few factors influencing trial intention. In this respect, it is necessary to look into the impact of the details of desirability and feasibility along with other variables known to influence the adoption of self-service technology related to aging. It would be meaningful to find and operationalize items that are valid for older consumers, rather than the desirability and feasibility elements typically applied to self-service technology.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extension of the socioemotional selectivity theory that has been suggested to interpret older consumers’ behaviors. This research applies the concept of future time perspective to the assessment of desirability and feasibility and adoption intention. At the same time, for the marketing managers, the comparison between proxies that represent aging proposes the ways to attract “older” consumers with appropriate emphasis on customer values.

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1997

Krister Lagerborg

An overview article about self‐service ought to start with a definition of the concept. Although many of us have some idea of what constitutes self‐service, it is difficult to…

Abstract

An overview article about self‐service ought to start with a definition of the concept. Although many of us have some idea of what constitutes self‐service, it is difficult to find a good definition. None of the encyclopaedias I examined had a separate entry for self‐service. The concept appears though in articles about retailing and self‐service restaurants. In the tenth edition of the Merriam‐Webster's Collegiate Dictionary the following definition was given: “the serving of oneself (as in a restaurant or service station) with goods or services to be paid for at a cashier's desk or by means of a coin‐operated mechanism”. This definition is old‐fashioned and much too limited. It does not cover all the aspects of self‐service that have been made possible through technical development. At the end of this article I will come back to a definition more applicable to self‐service for libraries, but I would like to start with an overview of different aspects important to a self‐service library.

Details

VINE, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0305-5728

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2017

Joel E. Collier, Michael Breazeale and Allyn White

When a failure occurs with a self-service technology (SST), do customers want to give back the “self” in self-service? The authors explore employee’s role in a self-service

2985

Abstract

Purpose

When a failure occurs with a self-service technology (SST), do customers want to give back the “self” in self-service? The authors explore employee’s role in a self-service failure and how the presence of other customers can change that role. Specifically, they examine how the self-monitoring of customers behavior during a failure can change recovery preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from customers of a movie self-service ticket kiosk and a grocery self-checkout. Three experiments were conducted.

Findings

Results from these studies find that customers want employees to fully take over a transaction after a failure if it takes place in isolation. If other patrons are present or waiting in line, then customers prefer the employee to simply correct the problem and let them complete the transaction. Finally, the servicescape along with the presence of other customers in a self-service area can induce self-monitoring behaviors and alter optimal recovery strategies.

Research limitations/implications

These findings have implications on the appropriate amount of recovery assistance customers need in a self-service experience.

Practical implications

This research reveals the social and functional complexities associated with executing a satisfactory SST failure recovery, particularly with respect to determining the extent to which the employee or customer should control the attempt.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the employee’s role in a self-service failure. While other studies have examined customers’ intentions in a self-service failure, authors examine how a service provider can assist in the recovery of a self-service failure.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

L. Michelle Bobbitt and Pratibha A. Dabholkar

Technology‐based self‐service is growing at a tremendous rate all over the world, but a strong unifying theory to understand this form of service is lacking. Proposes a…

10916

Abstract

Technology‐based self‐service is growing at a tremendous rate all over the world, but a strong unifying theory to understand this form of service is lacking. Proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework that incorporates several well‐known attitudinal theories to explain the pivotal role of attitudes in influencing intentions and behavior related to technology‐based self‐service. The framework makes it possible to understand and predict better consumer decisions related to using technology‐based self‐service by thoroughly examining underlying consumer attitudes. Uses the Internet to illustrate how our framework can be applied to study consumer behavior related to a specific technology‐based self‐service. Draws on insights from the extant literature on technology‐based self‐service and also incorporates the many unique characteristics of the Internet that have implications for theory. Discusses practical implications of our model for marketers and provides directions for future research on technology‐based self‐service in general and the Internet in particular. With its integrative approach to theory, also contributes to the attitudinal literature.

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 12 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

Lisa Engström and Johanna Rivano Eckerdal

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of self-service at public libraries from the perspective of their users. The implementation of self-service is related…

1406

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of self-service at public libraries from the perspective of their users. The implementation of self-service is related to a diverse societal context including, for example, an overall digitalisation, budget constraints and political expectations on public libraries to contribute to marketing the local community.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews with users and observations have been undertaken at self-service libraries in the south of Sweden. The material is analysed by means of a theoretical framework consisting of previous critical LIS-research, Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis and Habermas’ theory of the colonisation of the life world.

Findings

The implementation of self-service is affecting the users’ library practices as well as their expectations on the library. These expectations are shaped by various and sometimes competing discourses.

Social implications

To support public libraries’ role as democratic, public spheres, the complexity of the users’ understandings should be taken into consideration when implementing self-service.

Originality/value

The differing expectations articulated by the users, and the various discourses they can be related to, implicate a hegemonic struggle, corresponding to a changing view on public libraries.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 73 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 January 2020

Alireza Pooya, Mehran Abed Khorasani and Simin Gholamian Ghouzhdi

This study aims to measure the effect of customers’ technology readiness and the quality of electronic services on customer satisfaction.

2904

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to measure the effect of customers’ technology readiness and the quality of electronic services on customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The statistical sample included 410 respondents from 24 branches of a private bank. The sampling method was questionnaire. Because of the structural and organizational similarity of private banks and the elimination of nuisance variables, a bank with the most branches and customers has been selected. To test the model, equation modeling was performed to test the hypotheses. Data were collected through a self-developed structured questionnaire, which served as the measurement tool as well.

Findings

The results of the study showed that technology readiness has a significant and positive effect on customer satisfaction through the quality of self-service. Moreover, the intermediate role of perceived value in this regard was confirmed; however, the role of trust was not confirmed.

Originality/value

Previous studies have considered technology readiness as an effective factor in the quality of self-service and customer satisfaction. In this study, apart from quality of service in self-service banking and customer satisfaction, two variables of trust and perceived value have been investigated. An attempt has also been made to address some questions, including “what the effect of customer technology readiness on perceived value of self-services as well as customer satisfaction is?” and “how it is possible to improve self-service quality in modern banking based on customer expectations?” or “what effects variables such as trust and perceived value have on customer satisfaction?” Having a glance at the studies done before, it can be understood that so far, there has been no study done using a mixture of these variables, yet societies’ demands for self-service operations grow day by day. It is, therefore, mandatory to study the prerequisites associated with any actions before one is taken. The paper contributes in the following way: trust and perceived value are added to the the study because of their role in customer satisfaction. In addition, for the first time, variables have been studied, which had never been under focus in any studies in developing countries before.

Details

International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8394

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 5000