Self-service Technology Adoption: An Analysis of Customer to Technology Interactions

Self-service technologies (SST) have become ubiquitous in modern life. The adoption of such technologies has been well researched in consumer contexts but little research exists in business contexts where knowledge workers interact with technology to consume work related services. This study attempts to address this deficit. Four dimensions of the SSTQUAL quality scale namely (a) functionality, (b) security, (c) design and (d) customization were used as a reference guide to collect data from 182 knowledge workers in a financial services multi-national organization. Findings from this analysis are presented herewith. The study is important for many reasons. First, it expands the discussion on SST adoption by focusing on a specific business (as opposed to consumer) context thus contributing to the body of knowledge in the domain. Second, it captures and analyzes real world empirical data and helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. Finally, the findings can help decision makers to ascertain whether to invest in SST as an alternative to service representative solutions.