The Effect of Self-Service Technologies on Customer Experiences in Banking: The Case of Ghana

Introduction

The growing interest in the use of self-service technologies (e.g., web applications, internet of things, unstructured supplementary service data technology, mobile applications, automated teller machines, etc.) for business operations across the globe is gradually altering consumer behaviors and experiences (Shahid Iqbal, Ul Hassan & Habibah, 2018). Self-service technologies (SSTs) are defined as technologies that customers use independently without interaction or assistance from a firm’s employees (Meuter et al., 2000). The adoption of SSTs in the area of banking undoubtedly has reduced customer waiting times, and queuing (De Leon, Atienza & Susilo, 2020). This trend has resulted in customers experiencing more responsive and equally effective banking services. The manifestation of these experiences is seen around the world as customers perform transactions in the comfort of their rooms (e.g., transfer between bank accounts and mobile money wallets), and update personal banking details via the internet.

Customer experience (CE) is a fundamental concept that is embraced in banking industries across the globe. CE encompasses every aspect of a firm’s offering, stemming from the nature or quality of customer care to packaging, products and services, ease of use and reliability (Meyer & Schwager, 2007; Schmitt, Joško Brakus & Zarantonello, 2015). The economic climate and business environments require more than just innovative and low-priced products. Firms rely also on customer experiences for survival (Voorhees et al., 2017). Customer decisions, intention to purchase or rely on the services of a firm such as a bank is greatly influenced by their experiences (Tannahill & Jamshidi, 2014) as their satisfaction level depends on their experiences (Schmitt, Joško Brakus & Zarantonello, 2015). This has resulted in banks paying attention to customer experience-based systems (Kim et al., 2011) which SSTs offers.

The positive effects of employing SSTs in the banking industries across the globe is evident in literature (Nijssen, Schepers & Belanche, 2016; Shahid Iqbal, Ul Hassan & Habibah, 2018). Contemporary studies have focused on personal traits, technology adoption, customer purchase intention, and customer intention to continually use a firm’s services, which is customer retention oriented (Ho & Ko, 2008; Foroudi et al., 2018). Little is known about the individual and combined effect of the different types of SSTs on customer experience in the banking industries. Studies in this area can help banks to understand how different types of SSTs can be combined to obtain maximum customer experiences. This study seeks to fill the knowledge gap on the individual and combined effect of different SSTs on customer experience in the banking industry using Ghana as a case site. Specifically, the study will examine the types of SSTs used by customers, the experiences they gain, the factors that affect SST adoption and acceptance as well as the individual and combined effect of the different types of SSTs on customer experiences in the banking industry of Ghana. This study will contribute to literature and serve as a lens for banks to determine the type of SST to invest in to achieve maximum customer experience especially in developing countries where banks have limited investment resources.