Why do People move Towards Self-Service Technologies? Insights from Banking Sector in Sri Lanka

Rapid technological breakthroughs have transformed traditional physical service interactions managed by service professionals into Self Service Technologies (SSTs) controlled by clients. To improve their services and give consumers a unique experience, many service providers increasingly use the current technology to allow consumers to interact with service production processes through technological interfaces. Local and worldwide banks are using self-service channels to correspond with this transformation. Sri Lankan banks firstly deployed SSTs such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), and now offer Internet Banking, SMS Banking, different Kiosks such as CDMs, and Telephone Banking. Even if firms introduce SSTs, customers may not use them as intended. Despite their benefits, SSTs have been largely ignored, particularly by developing nations. However, few studies have sought to understand customers' acceptance of SSTs, particularly in developing countries. In light of this, this study's goal is to explore self-service technology's acceptance among Sri Lankan commercial bank customers. To achieve the study's goal, 50 individuals from Sri Lanka's western province were interviewed utilizing a non-probabilistic purposeful sampling method. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically evaluated. ‘Convenience’, ‘Dynamic Lifestyle’, ‘Efficiency’, ‘Ease of Functioning’, ‘Supportive Technology’, ‘Credibility’, ‘On-site banking difficulties’, ‘Risk’, ‘Emergent Trends’, ‘Experience’, ‘Technology Outlook’, ‘Social Influence’, ‘Independence’, ‘Technological Playfulness’ and ‘Technology Anxiety’ were found to be influential factors for banks to accept SSTs. This study contributes to the theory by identifying factors influencing customer adoption of SSTs in banking. Also, provides insights to practitioners on how to increase SST delivery in commercial banking by improving client acceptability. Customers' actual use of SSTs and their experiences in banking and other service industries can be explored in future research.