Web self-service and Technology Acceptance: a case study

This paper examines the factors that determine the acceptance and satisfaction for Web self-service for IT-problems. A case study has been conducted to gain more insights in the acceptance and customer satisfaction of Web self-service within a financial organization in the Netherlands. In the stream of automation innovations Web self-service plays an important role. The Web-based self-service technologies are expected to facilitate an improvement in customer satisfaction for the organization and at the same time reduce operating costs. However, despite the benefits of the web self-service for the organization, users do not have to perceive self-service technologies as favorable for themselves. For the business organizations it is not clear what factors contribute to a successful acceptance of Web self-service for the purpose of improving end-user satisfaction. This study integrates e-service quality aspects, (SERVQUAL) customer satisfaction and the Technology Acceptance Model into a new conceptual model. The relevant hypotheses are tested by survey data collected from 149 respondents of a financial organization. The results indicate that the most important factor for the end-users acceptance is how well the web self-service is perceived to be useful and easy to use. This perception, in its turn, is influenced by a degree and impact the e-services quality aspects have on the overall customer's satisfaction. The more the end-user is satisfied the more he feels the services are useful. The proposed model explained 29.9% of the variance in behavioral intention to use Web self-service.