The Influence of Service Innovation Capability for Self‐Service Technology Investment

• Author: Hung‐Tai Tsou,Lu‐Jui Chen
• Published date: 01 December 2019
• Date: 01 December 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1520

The Influence of Service Innovation Capability for

Self-Service Technology Investment

Hung-Tai Tsou

Wenzhou University

Lu-Jui Chen*

Ming Chuan University

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to predict self-service technol-

ogy (SST) investment from the extents of service innovation

capability (SIC) and electronic customer relationship man-

agement (e-CRM) practices. This study proposes a theoreti-

cal framework that delineates the relationships among SIC,

e-CRM practices, and SST investment. The results indicate

that SIC has positive impacts on e-CRM practices, which

in turn are positively related to SST investment. Moreover,

e-CRM practices have partial mediating effects on the rela-

tionships between SIC and SST investment as well as have

partial moderating effects on the relationships between

SIC and SST investment. © 2018 ASAC. Published by John

Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: electronic, CRM, service innovation, SST in-

vestment, survey

Résumé

Dans cet article, nous nous proposons de prédire

l’investissement dans les technologies libre-service (SST)

en nous appuyant sur les pratiques de capacité d’innovation

de service (SIC) et de gestion électronique des relations avec

la clientèle (e-CRM). Un cadre théorique délimitant les rela-

tions entre la SIC, les pratiques du CRM électronique et

l’investissement dans les SST est proposé. Les résultats

indiquent que la SIC a des répercussions positives sur les

pratiques de CRM électronique qui, à leur tour, ont un lien

positif avec l’investissement dans les SST. En outre, les pra-

tiques en matière de CRM électroniques ont des effets de mé-

diation partiels sur les relations entre les investissements

SIC et SST, ainsi que des effets modérateurs partiels sur

les relations entre les investissements SIC et SST. © 2018

ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mots-clés: électronique, CRM, innovation de service,

investissement dans le SST, enquête

Introduction

In recent years, technological advances have combined

with the increasing prominence of service-based products

to have a dramatic impact on service delivery businesses

(Bitner, Ostrom, & Meuter, 2002). Organizations often im-

plement information technology (IT) to seek its innovative

application to either enhance or enlarge the scope of their

products and services (Sprague & McNurlin, 1993). As in-

formation, communication, and digital technologies have

advanced, the basic concept of self-service that began with

vending machines, coin-operated washer-dryers, and self-

pumped gas has expanded into a pervasive offering of self-

service technology (SST) (Meuter, Ostrom, Roundtree, &

Bitner, 2000) and technologically based self-service

(Scherer, Wünderlich, & von Wangenheim, 2015). Accord-

ingly, f‌irms have increasingly replaced employee-assisted

transactions with SST to realize benef‌its, such as cost reduc-

tion, improved service (Kimes & Collier, 2015), and service

offerings of expansion (Kokkinou & Cranage, 2015). SST is

having a marked presence in the marketplace and represents

a considerable investment in money and strategy for many

organizations (Bitner et al., 2002). Although managers and

researchers often ponder the wisdom of their IT investments

(Carr, 2003), IT-related (that is, SST) investments continue

to rise (see for instance Dong & Netten, 2017; Mithas &

Rust, 2016). Therefore, examining the underlying enablers

for investing in SST is essential.

Today, as services continue to dominate the global

economy, f‌irms seek to introduce service innovations and

gain competitive advantage (Prajogo & Oke, 2016; Tsou,

Cheng, & Hsu, 2015). Organizations face the challenge of

offering their customers continuously improved or

completely new services and, hence, require service innova-

tions to sustain themselves in the market. For example, com-

panies such as Ericsson, IBM, and GE are increasingly

selling total solutions rather than stand-alone physical

products with simple add-on services. There is growing

*Please address correspondence to: Lu-Jui Chen, Department of Interna-

tional Business, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan. Email: shunyde@mail.

mcu.edu.tw

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration

Published online 17 December 2018 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1520

36: 544–558 (2019)

Can J Adm Sci

© 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 36(4), 544–558 (2019)544