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The role of other customers during self-service technology failure

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Abstract

Service recovery through inter-customer helping is especially meaningful in the self-service technology (SST) failure context because SSTs are associated with a high risk of failure due to the lack of face-to-face contacts with employees. In understanding the phenomenon of inter-customer helping, two fundamental questions are investigated in the current research: (1) does social influence play a role in customers’ helping decisions? and (2) what are the motives for helping? Through two experimental studies, we provide evidence that two different forms of social influence play a role in helping others during SST failures, and customers have self-centered (vs. other-centered) motives. Results from Study 1 showed that individuals in the private environment indicated more willingness to help than individuals in the public environment did due to heightened perceived responsibility. Study 2 revealed that tie strength influenced willingness to help via a dual pathway: perceived responsibility and social approach motives. Finally, we discuss and highlight the positive influence that self-centered motives can exert in the SST failure scene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business Administration, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak gu, Seoul, 151-916, South Korea

    Youjae Yi & Seo Young Kim

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  1. Youjae Yi
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  2. Seo Young Kim
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Correspondence to Youjae Yi.

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Yi, Y., Kim, S.Y. The role of other customers during self-service technology failure. Serv Bus 11, 695–715 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-016-0325-2

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