The objective was to study the influence of self-service technology on customer experience and the attributes that constitute customer experience. The study was conducted in the airline industry. The respondents were airline travellers who were surveyed to understand the relationship between self-service technology and customer experience. As customer experience is defined through the sensory, affective, behavioural and relational context, the measurement tools were designed accordingly. The data were collected through personal interview, focus group and survey method. The results of the study show that there is a significant positive relationship between self-service technology and customer experience. This study highlights that customer empowerment through self-service technology has today fundamentally changed the dynamics of the marketplace. Technology interface of the traveller did not vary due to varying income levels and hence had no bearing on his customer experience. A traveller’s usage of self-service technology was not affected by the purpose of travel (leisure or business). The study highlights the importance of usage of self-service technology in creating a customer experience for the traveller. Self-service technology facilitates the customer interaction with the service provider, thereby helping the airline serve the customer faster and better. The service provider’s introduction of self-service technology at various touch points in the customer’s journey enhances customer experience.
AbrahamsR.D. (1986). Ordinary and extraordinary experience. In TurnerV.W. & BrunerE.M. (Eds), The anthropology of experience (pp. 45–73). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
2.
AddisM., & HolbrookM.B. (2001). On the conceptual link between mass customisation and experiential consumption: An explosion of subjectivity. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 1(June), 50–66.
ArnouldE.J., & PriceL.L. (1993). River magic: Extraordinary experiences and the extended service encounter. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(1), 24–45.
5.
ArnouldE.J., PriceL.L., & ZinkhanG.L. (2002). Consumers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irvin.
6.
BarlowJ., & MøllerC. (1996). A complaint is a gift. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
BauerH.H., FalkT., & HammerschmidtM. (2006). eTransQual: A transaction process-based approach for capturing service quality in online shopping. Journal of Business Research, 59(7), 866–875.
9.
BendapudiN., & BerryL.L. (1997). Customers’ motivations for maintaining relationships with service providers. Journal of Retailing, 73(1), 15–37.
10.
BendapudiN., & LeoneR.P. (2003). Psychological implications of customer participation in coproduction. Journal of Marketing, 67(1), 14–28.
11.
BerryL.L., SeidersK., & GrewalD. (2002). Understanding service convenience. The Journal of Marketing, 66(3), 1–17.
12.
BettencourtL.A. (1997). Customer voluntary performance: Customers as partners in service delivery. Journal of Retailing, 73(3), 383–406.
13.
BitnerM.J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71.
14.
BitnerM.J., BrownS.W., & MeuterM.L. (2000). Technology infusion in service encounters. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(1), 138–149.
15.
BitnerM.J., OsromA.L., & MeuterM.L. (2002). Implementing successful self-service technologies. Academy of Management Executive, 16(4), 96–109.
16.
BlazevicV., & LievensA. (2008). Managing innovation through customer coproduced knowledge in electronic services: An exploratory study. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 138–151.
17.
BoltonR., & Saxena-IyerS. (2009). Interactive services: A framework, synthesis and research directions. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23(1), 91–104.
18.
BoshoffC.R., & LeongJ. (1998). Empowerment, attribution and apologising as dimensions of service recovery: An experimental study. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 9(1), 24–47.
19.
BowenD.E., & JohnstonR. (1999). Internal service recovery: Developing a new construct. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 10(2), 118–131.
20.
BradleyG.L., & SparksB.A. (2012). Antecedents and consequences of consumer value a longitudinal study of timeshare owners. Journal of Travel Research, 51(2), 191–204.
21.
BrownS.W., CowlesD.L., & TutenT. (1996). Service recovery, its value and limitations as a retail strategy. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 7, 32–46.
22.
BrowneM.W., & CudeckR. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. Sage Focus Editions, 154, 136–136.
23.
ByrneB.M. (2001). Structural equation modelling with AMOS, basics concepts, applications, and programming. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
24.
CarùA., & CovaB. (2003). Revisiting consumption experience: A more humble but complete view of the concept. Marketing Theory, 3(2), 267–286.
25.
CollierJ.E., & BienstockC.C. (2006). Measuring service quality in e-retailing. Journal of Service Research, 8(3), 260–275.
26.
CsikzentmihalyiM. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
27.
DabholkarP.A., & BagozziR.P. (2002). An attitudinal model of technology-based self-service: Moderating effects of consumer traits and situational factors. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30(3), 184–201.
28.
DenzinN.K. (1992). Symbolic interactionism and cultural studies: The politics of interpretation. Cambridge: Blackwell.
29.
FassnachtM., & KoeseI. (2006). Quality of electronic services conceptualizing and testing a hierarchical model. Journal of Service Research, 9(1), 19–37.
30.
FerraresiM., & SchmittB. H. (2006). Marketing esperienziale. Franco Angeli, Milano.
31.
FornellC., & LarckerD.F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 39–50.
32.
GDP at Factor Cost at 2004–05 Prices, Share to Total GDP and % Rate of Growth in GDP. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/2504/databook_3.pdf (accessed on 16August2013).
33.
GeorgeA., & KumarG.G. (2013). Antecedents of customer satisfaction in internet banking: Technology acceptance model (TAM) redefined. Global Business Review, 14(4), 627–638.
34.
GrönroosC. (1983). Innovative marketing strategies and organization structures for service firms. In BerryL., ShostackL. & UpahG. (Eds), Emerging perspectives on service marketing (pp. 9–21). Chicago: American Marketing Association.
35.
GrönroosC. (2000). Service management and marketing: A customer relationship management approach. West Sussex, UK: Wiley.
36.
GrönroosC. (2006). Adopting a service logic for marketing. Marketing Theory, 6(3), 317–333.
37.
GummessonE. (1995). Relationship marketing: Its role in the service economy. In GlynnW.J. & BarnesJ.G. (Eds), Understanding service management (pp. 224–268). Dublin, Ireland: Oak Tree Press.
38.
HairJ.F., BlackW.C., BabinB.J., & AndersonR. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
39.
HalsteadD. (1989, August. Cognitive and affective determinants of consumer satisfaction for a durable good. AΜA Educators’ Proceedings, American Marketing Association, pp. 285–289.
40.
HolbrookM.B., & HirschmanE.C. (1982). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings, and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 132–140.
41.
HomburgC., & GieringA. (2001). Personal characteristics as moderators of the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty: An empirical analysis. Psychology & Marketing, 18(1), 43–66.
42.
HuL., & BentlerP.M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
43.
JohnstonR. (1998). The effect of intensity of dissatisfaction on complaining behaviour. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 11, 69–77.
44.
JohnstonR. (2001). Linking complaint management to profit. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 12(1), 60–69.
45.
JohnstonR., & FernA. (1999). Service recovery strategies for single and double deviation scenarios. The Service Industries Journal, 19(2), 69–82.
46.
KashyapR., & BojanicD. (2000). A structural analysis of value, quality & price perceptions of business and leisure travelers. Journal of Travel Research, 39(August), 45–51.
47.
KauraV., PrasadC.S.D., & SharmaS. (2013). Customer perception of service convenience: A comparison between public and new private sector banks. Global Business Review, 14(3), 529–547.
48.
KlausP. (2013). The case of Amazon.com: Towards a conceptual framework of online customer service experience (OCSE) using the emerging consensus technique (ECT). Journal of Services Marketing, 27(6), 443–457.
49.
KlausP., & MaklanS. (2012). EXQ: A multiple-item scale for assessing service experience. Journal of Service Management, 23(1), 5–33.
50.
KlineR.B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.) New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
51.
KotlerP. (1977). From sales obsession to marketing effectiveness. Harvard Business Review, 55(6), November–December, 67–75.
52.
La SalleD., & BrittonT.A. (2003). Priceless: Turning ordinary products into extraordinary experiences. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
53.
LehtinenU., & LehtinenJ.R. (1982). Service quality: A study of quality dimensions (Unpublished working paper). Helsinki, Finland: Service Management Institute.
54.
LinK.M. (2006). An examination of the relationship between experiential marketing strategy and guests’ leisure behavior in Taiwan hot-spring hotels. Alabama, USA: United States Sports Academy.
55.
LovelockC.H. (1999). Developing marketing strategies for transnational service operations. Journal of Services Marketing, 13(4/5), 278–295.
56.
LuschR.F., BrownS.W., & BrunswickG.J. (1992). A general framework for explaining internal vs. external exchange. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20(2), 119–134.
57.
LuschR.F., & VargoS.L. (2006). The service-dominant logic of marketing: Reactions, reflections, and refinements. Marketing Theory, London, 6(3), 281–288.
58.
MahadevanB. (2000). Business models for internet-based e-commerce: An anatomy. California Management Review, 42(4), 55–69.
59.
MaklanS., & KlausP. (2011). Customer experience: Are we measuring the right things?International Journal of Market Research, 53(6), 771–792.
60.
MarshH., & HocevarD. (1985). The application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept: First and higher order factor structures and their invariance across age groups. Psychological Bulletin, 97(3), 562–682.
61.
MaslowA.H. (1964). Religions, values, and peak-experiences. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Press.
62.
MattilaM., KarjaluotoH., & PentoT. (2003). Internet banking adoption among mature customers: Early majority or laggards?Journal of Services Marketing, 17(5), 514–528.
63.
MeuterM.L., OstromA.L., RountreeR.I., & BitnerM.J. (2000). Self-service technologies: Understanding customer satisfaction with technology-based service encounters. Journal of Marketing, 64(3), 50–64.
64.
MeuterM.L., BitnerM.J., OstromA.L., & BrownS.W. (2005). Choosing among alternative service delivery modes: An investigation of customer trial of self-service technologies. Journal of Marketing, 69(2), 61–83.
65.
MitchellS. (1994). Technophiles and technophobes. American Demographics, 16(2), 36–42.
66.
NovakT.P., HoffmanD.L., & YungY.F. (2000). Measuring the customer experience in online environments: A structural modeling approach. Marketing Science, 19(1), 22–42.
67.
O’CassA., & CarlsonJ. (2012). An empirical assessment of consumers’ evaluations of web site service quality: Conceptualizing and testing a formative model. Journal of Services Marketing, 26(6), 419–434.
68.
OliverR.L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decision. Journal of Marketing Research, 17, 460–469.
69.
ParasuramanA. (2000). Technology readiness index (TRI): A multiple-item scale to measure readiness to embrace new technologies. Journal of Service Research, 2(4), 307–320.
70.
ParasuramanA., & GrewalD. (2000). The impact of technology on the quality-value-loyalty chain: A research agenda. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(1), 168–174.
71.
ParasuramanA., BerryL.L., & ZeithamlV.A. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(Spring), 12–40.
72.
ParasuramanA., ZeithamlV. A., & MalhotraA. (2005). ES-QUAL: A multiple-item scale for assessing electronic service quality. Journal of service research, 7(3), 213–233.
73.
PineB.J., & GilmoreJ.H. (1999). The experience economy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
74.
PollackB.L. (2009). Linking the hierarchical service quality model to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Journal of Services Marketing, 23(1), 42–50.
75.
PrahaladC.K., & RamaswamyV. (2004). The future of competition: Co-creating unique value with customers. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
76.
QuinnJ.B. (1992). The intelligent enterprise. New York, NY: Free Press.
77.
ReindersM.J., DabholkarP.A., & FrambachR.T. (2008). Consequences of forcing consumers to use technology-based self-service. Journal of Service Research, 11(2), 107–123.
78.
SawhneyM., & PrandelliE. (2000). Communities of creation: Managing distributed innovation in turbulent markets. California Management Review, 42(4), 24–54.
79.
SchmittB.H. (1999). Experiential marketing: How to get customer to sense, feel, think, act and relate to your company and brands. New York, NY: Free Press.
80.
SchmittB.H. (2003). Customer experience management. New York, NY: Wiley.
81.
SelnesF., & HansenH. (2001). The potential hazard of self-service in developing customer loyalty. Journal of Service Research, 4(2), 79–90.
82.
ShawC., & IvensJ. (2005). Building great customer experiences. London: Prentice-Hall.
83.
SmithH., & WheelerJ. (2002). Managing the customer experience: Turning customers into advocates. London: Prentice-Hall.
84.
VargoS.L., & LuschR.F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68, 1–17.
VossC., RothA.V., & ChaseR.B. (2008). Experience, service operations strategy, & services as destinations: Foundations & exploratory investigation. Production & Operations Management, 17(3), 247–266.
87.
World Bank. (2011). Services etc., value added, % of GDP. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/nv.srv.tetc.zs (accessed on 16August2013).
88.
YavasU., & BabakusE. (2003). What do guests look for in a hotel? A multi-attribute approach. Services Marketing Quarterly, 25(2), 1–9.
89.
ZeithamlV.A. (1988). Consumers’ perceptions of price quality and value: A means end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52, 2–22.
