Do It Yourself: Customer Self-Directed Learning in Self-Service Technologies

Modern-day customers engage with a multitude of service transactions in technological interfaces performing with Self-Service Technologies (STTs). Nevertheless, many are not conversant with the use of technologies and are willing to use traditional physical service encounters, particularly those that live in developing countries. Since business organizations spend a vast amount of money to transform their traditional physical interfaces into technological-based self-service outlets, it is vital and necessary to make sure that customers willingly move along with this new trend. To accept SSTs, customer should feel comfortable with it, which require knowledge, skills and experiences on how to use such technologies. Since customer learning in SSTs is largely self-directed and experience-based, organizations should understand how customers naturally engage with SSTs and the role important organizations have to play in motivating customer self-learning process in SSTs.

Thus, this study aims at investigating the customer learning in self-service technologies based on Self Directed Learning Theory. Accordingly, application of motivation, self- management, and self-monitoring on customer self-learning at SSTs were investigated. Using a quantitative approach, self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 600 individuals selected, based on non-probabilistic convenience method. The Study found that customer learning at SSTs mainly influenced by their motivation and self-management skills.

This study contributes to theory by explaining the customer self-learning at SSTs, which is very limited in the literature. Further, it helps practitioners to understand how customer learning takes place at SSTs and therefore to decide on what should be the focus of the organization in designing customer communications aiming at providing a supportive learning experience to the customer.