Empowering Consumers Through Self-Service Technology: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This study tests consumer evaluations of services with the adoption of self-service technology (SST) in the hospitality service context. We revised the conventional consumer evaluation model by incorporating the concept of consumer empowerment to capture the consumer experience with the technology. This model was tested in a two-stage process using data collected from the consumers of clubhouses in Singapore before and after the adoption of SST. We found that structural relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty were established with consistent pre- and post-adoption, and that consumer empowerment has positive effects on service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. Moreover, the adoption of SST increased customer loyalty but did not increase service quality or customer satisfaction. The study’s results suggest that the focus when adopting SST should be on empowering consumers, which should also be incorporated into managing customer satisfaction.