Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
that supports the development of effective strategies for the management of customer relationships
within the self-service environment of eTourism.
Self-service technologies
SSTs are defi ned as 'technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service
independent of direct service employee involvement' (Meuter, Ostrom, Roundtree and Bitner
2000: 50). They are extensively used on the Web although not all SSTs are web-based and
services offered extend from metro swipe cards and self-checkout machines (e.g. libraries and
supermarkets) to ATMs and self-fi ll petrol pumps (Forbes 2008). The advent of social media tools
is extending the range of SSTs by offering broader access to targeted information through
applications that for example, enable customers to make price comparisons when shopping
or provide real time fl ight information. SSTs offer a range of benefi ts to both customers and
organizations that encourage adoption, although there are challenges for all stakeholders in the
increasing use of such technologies (Lee, Castellanos and Choi 2012).
The customer perspective
From a customer perspective SSTs provide a measure of customer empowerment through
promoting a perception of control to the individual (Lee
et al
. 2012). The use of the Web has
enabled customers both to service their own information requirements and to facilitate their
own online purchasing (Jensen 2012). This dual activity of information search and transaction
activity is a distinct feature of Web activity, particularly in the tourism sector, which is information
rich and socially orientated and was an early adopter of the Web (Werthner and Klein 1999).
Web-based SSTs enable customers to search extensively for information, locate and book fl ights,
hotels and other travel services, and to communicate with other travellers.
Meuter
et al
. (2005) examine customer satisfaction with self-service technologies and
identify the concepts of successful use as ease of use and perceived usefulness. They extend their
consideration of contributory concepts to discuss the role of customer readiness in terms of three
factors: customer knowledge and understanding of what they have to do, motivation to use SSTs
and having the necessary skills to complete a task (Meuter
et al
. 2000). Liljander, Gillberg,
Gummerus and van Riel (2006) add that customers must see a clear benefi t to themselves before
they will engage with a SST. For example, when offered extra air miles customers' use of check-
in kiosks increased only to decline again when the offer ended. The customers' perception of
benefi ts lay in gaining air miles and not in direct gain from using the kiosks. However, there is
some counter-evidence that suggests that once the initial reluctance to use a SST has been over-
come, customers become more frequent users and demand more SSTs to speed up service (Lee
et al
. 2012). In other words, as Meuter
et al
. (2000) forecast, customers become more accustomed
to using SSTs as they gain the necessary skills and knowledge of how to do so and in turn, may
remain loyal to an organization despite the self-service requirements. Lee
et al
. (2012) report that
use of airline check-in kiosks has increased substantially in 2012 and only 24 per cent of custom-
ers surveyed now abjure kiosks in favour of human interaction at the check-in desk.
The organizational perspective
In the fast moving domain of SSTs, earlier arguments that customers have been a paramount
obstacle to organizations' ability to extend the use of SSTs (Meuter
et al
. 2005; Kinard, Capella
and Kinard 2009) are fading. However, many consumers remain resistant or slow to accept these
