A Study Of Self-service Technologies Quality

Technology is dramatically and profoundly changing the nature of services. It is resulting in tremendous potential for new service offerings not imaginable even a decade ago,The application of wireless data services bring customers’lives more colorful. Technology is also profoundly changing how services are delivered, the emergence of self-service technoloies enable customers to produce a service independent of direct face-to-face interaction with employees.In recent years, companies race to introduce self-service technologies, the development of self-service technologies is swift and violent, and the self-service technologies have become one of important channels for firms delivery service to the customer. In the face of such a development trend in the self-service technologies, managers find that self-service technologies will be crucial for long-term business success,which must be concerned. And managers also find that implementing and managing effective self-service technologies is more difficult than it looks, how to succeed. Therefore, in order to help the firms which provide self-service technologies effectively achieve the set strategic objectives, and avoid blinding to implement and manage the self-service technologies, it is necessary for the firms to identify the successful ways to practiceself-service technologies.In fact, firms implement and manage self-service technologies is to make up for the shortcomings of personal service encounter, and the ultimate goal is to improve the service quality, because the service quality is the core of the firm to obtain economic benefits. Note that the self-service technologies study, researchers are more concerned about customer trial, adoption, and satisfaction. But the self-service technologies as an important service delivery mode, the study about its service quality and its relationship with firm performance are still uncommon. Therefore, this dissertation explores the relationship between self-service technologies and firm performance based on service quality view. The purpose is to help firms successfully implement and manage self-service technologies, and ultimately to achieve competitive advantage.First, this dissertation defines and measures the concept of the self-service technologies quality. The existing literature is basically on technology-based perspective to study self-service technologies, and not yet from perspective of service quality. We first propose the concept of the self-service technologies quality and give the formal logic definition, then dig out and purify five dimensions of self-service technologies quality through empirical research methods, at last developed a measurement scale with high reliability and validity. The results show that the measurement scale of self-service technologies quality has good internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and legal validity. The efficiency, privacy, information, empathy and innovation five constitute dimensions are good convergence in the higher level concept of the self-service technologies quality.Second, this dissertation explores the influencing factors of self-service technologies quality. The existing literature provides no information on the influencing factors of self-service technologies quality. Based on the influencing factors of service quality and measurement of information technology investment, and combine with qualitative interviews with firm employees, we propose three influencing factors of self-service technologies quality, including managerial cognition, capital investment and services innovation. The results show that the two variables of the managerial cognition and services innovation has a significant positive impact on the self-service technologies quality, but the capital investment impact on the self-service technologies quality is not significant.Finally, this dissertation explores the moderator variable of the relationship between self-service technologies quality and firm performance. Based on the research of moderator variable of direct relation between service quality and firm performance, as well as information technology investment and firm performance, then combine with qualitative interviews with firm employees, we propose brand influence and industry competition are the two moderator variables of the strength of relationship between self-service technologies quality and firm performance. Empirical test results show that, brand influence and industry competition have a significant moderating role.