Online government advisory service innovation through Intelligent Support Systems

Motivated by lessons learnt from countries with a high e-government readiness index, we used the lens of ‘empowerment’ to understand the ways in which online Intelligent Support Systems can be successfully developed. We found that decision transparency and decision making satisfaction played key roles providing a higher sense of empowerment to the public, including their having a greater perceived power relationship with the government agency and a better feeling of being in control. This approach has improved citizens’ positive perceptions of the government agencies as service providers. These findings make a strong case for the investment in the ISS and have provided useful information for government agencies who wish to develop or improve their online advisory services.     

Design für Kostentransparenz in Anlageberatungsgespr?chen

Investment advisory services of financial service providers (FSPs) exhibit several characteristics that are detrimental to advisory quality. The interaction of advisor and client is strained by a lack of transparency regarding the advisory process (what activities are performed and why) and the information used therein (what information is used for what purpose and with what effect), as well as regarding the precise costs of the service and the recommended products. In prior research, we suggested that process and information transparency issues may be appropriately addressed with collaborative information technology (IT) artifacts. In this paper, we argue that collaborative, transparent artifacts may also be a premise of enabling cost transparency. To this end, we describe a complete research cycle of designing, implementing, and evaluating a shared cost-transparent IT artifact to support client-advisor interaction in investment advisory encounters. Evaluation results suggest the efficacy of our design in improving the clients?? perceived cost transparency as well as increase their satisfaction and their willingness to pay for the received investment advice. These findings may also challenge the common belief of FSPs that transparent, fee-based advisory services would neither be accepted by clients nor be economically viable. Practical implications of these findings for designing advisory encounters with supportive IT are discussed.     

The effect of pre- and post-service performance on consumer evaluation of online retailers

This study examines the effect of consumers' pre- and post-service encounter performance (SEP) on their satisfaction and repurchase intention in online markets. Specifically, we suggest that, in an online context, the different service performances: pre- and post-Service over time, affects consumer evaluation (i.e., overall satisfaction and repurchase intention) of a vendor. We introduce the experience-dissonance process in this research by integrating cognitive consistency theory as well as expectation-confirmation theory in order to investigate the consumer satisfaction formation processes in online transactions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Online customer service and emotional labor: An exploratory study

The recent growth of service industries as well as the rise of e-commerce has increased the number of online customer service workers. Research on face-to-face service work has shown that these workers are expected to display certain emotions in the course of their work, a phenomenon known as emotional labor. However, little is known about emotional communication among online customer service workers. We explored emotional labor in an online context by examining the degree of emotional presence in mediated service interactions and its relationship with workers' acting strategies (i.e., surface acting, deep acting). Further, we examined if emotional presence and acting strategies predict job satisfaction as well as burnout. Data collected from 130 online customer service workers indicated that they perceive the highest emotional presence in phone conversations, followed by email and chat. Although there was little relationship between emotional presence and acting strategies, those who engage in surface acting are less satisfied with their job and more likely to experience burnout. In addition, those who feel a higher degree of emotional presence over the phone tend to experience higher job satisfaction and less burnout. These findings suggest that online customer service workers also engage in emotional labor.     

Social media and online health services: A health empowerment perspective to online health information

This study investigates how differences in the use of online health information and social media affect the use of online health services. We attempt to predict the extent to which the use of social media and online health information prompt individuals to use online health services. We draw upon a combination of sociology and communication studies and integrate relational maintenance assumptions regarding the quality of online social relationships to promote the importance of health empowerment factors–socio-demographic characteristics, internet attitudes and health status models to predict the likelihood of using online health services. The study’s sample consists of 1406 individuals using the Internet, including 633 individuals using the Internet and social media to look for health information. The study’s results provide evidence that (a) online health information empowers most of the examined individuals to use online health services; (b) among all social media only those that offer consulting have a significant effect on the likelihood of using online health services. The implications of these findings support that a conceptual integration of CMC and social media use theories along with health empowerment assumptions, is a promising theoretical framework to test the effectiveness of social media use in prompting use of online health services. The practical applications for health management are highlighted as well. Finding practical and affordable ways to support the use of social media and encourage access to online health information and use of online health services could improve health literacy and self-management of health at the individual level and increase the efficiency in the provision of health services at the institutional level.     

The effect of online social value on satisfaction and continued use of social media

Social media offers customers a unique service value proposition. Recognizing service value as a pivotal concept, this study develops an aggregate construct of online social value, whereby customers evaluate utilitarian and hedonic benefits relative to what they must sacrifice in effort and risk in deriving a value calculation of online social networking services which predicts satisfaction and continued use of online social media, such as Facebook. By empirically testing a model that explains online social value, this research contributes to information systems (IS) theory by introducing a customer value perspective in the social media context and helps service providers by identifying factors predicting satisfaction and continued use that might be employed to improve offerings to keep customers coming back.     

A study on factors that affect users’ behavioral intention to transfer usage from the offline to the online channel

Increasingly more service providers offer both offline and online services simultaneously, but consumers still seem to prefer using offline services rather than online ones. Our research focuses on factors that influence users’ intention to transfer their usage from the offline to the online channel that offer similar services. Drawing on the valence framework and prior research related to habit, innovativeness, and Internet experience, we propose a research model that incorporates motivators and inhibitors of usage transfer from both the offline and online channels. Using banking services in China as the research context, our study reveals that innovativeness in new technology and relative benefit have positive effects on users’ intention to transfer usage. Conversely, habits that consumers form in the offline channel have a negative effect on the intention to transfer usage. Moreover, our findings indicate that Internet experience moderates the relationship between relative benefit and consumers’ intention to transfer usage from offline to online services. These results provide a better understanding of consumers’ usage-transfer behavior and offer suggestions to providers in boosting their consumers’ use of online services.     

Designing for reintermediation in the brick-and-mortar world: Towards the travel agency of the future

The Internet and electronic marketplaces have profoundly transformed the travel services industry and challenged the traditional value proposition of travel agencies: What is the reason for their existence if information is abundantly available and transactions can be flexibly conducted in direct buyer-seller interactions on the Internet? Traditional travel agencies are struggling to develop new value propositions which differentiate them against the Internet competition, largely based on expanding their reach through online subsidiaries. We present a reintermediation approach based on a novel way of IT-enabled travel advisory which integrates the advantages of interactive technologies and Internet channels with the advantages of direct customer interaction in the physical agency setting. In particular, we propose a reintermediation framework based on the integration of kernel theories from information seeking behavior, interactive value creation, relationship marketing and the design of hedonic information systems. We argue that physically collocated travel advisory services can create a significant added value, if they succeed in uncovering customers’ hidden needs, heightening trust and relationship building in the advisory process and creating a better user experience. Following the design science methodology we validate the proposed framework through the design, implementation and evaluation of a proof-of-concept prototype in a field experiment in a real-world travel agency.     

用户群体满意度最大化的Top-k在线服务评价

考虑用户评价准则不一致的在线服务评价通常以服务的完整排序作为评价结果,而不是选择出使用户群体满意度最大的Top-k在线服务集合,使评价结果难以满足Top-k在线服务评价场景的合理性和公平性需求.为此,提出了一种用户群体满意度最大化的Top-k在线服务评价方法.该方法首先定义用户群体满意度指标,以衡量选择的k个在线服务的合理性;其次,考虑用户评价准则不一致及用户偏好信息不完整的情况,采用Borda规则将用户对在线服务的偏好关系构造为用户-服务满意度矩阵;然后借鉴Monroe比例代表思想,将Top-k在线服务评价问题建模为寻找最大化用户群体满意度的在线服务集合的优化问题;最后采用贪心算法对该优化问题进行求解,将得到的在线服务集合作为Top-k评价结果.通过理论分析和实验验证了该方法的合理性和有效性.理论分析表明,该方法满足Top-k在线服务评价所需的比例代表性和公平性.同时,实验结果也表明,该方法能够在合理的时间内获得接近用户群体满意度理想上界的评价结果,可以有效地辅助用户群体做出正确的服务选择决策.另外,该方法还可以在用户偏好不完整的情况下实现Top-k在线服务评价.     

Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction

Given increasing investment in an IT (information technology) artifact (i.e., online service website), it is becoming important to retain existing customers. In order to help link website design and investment decisions to the strategy for retaining customers, we propose a model by extending the user satisfaction perspective into research on online service continuance. We empirically tested the model within the context of a social network service. The analysis results found that website information satisfaction and system satisfaction play key roles in forming continuance intention through perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It is also noted that computer anxiety serves as an important moderator toward continuance intention. Theoretical and practical implications are offered for better understanding of the role of the IT artifact in online service post-adoption phenomena.     

Designing online audiovisual heritage services: an empirical study of two comparable online video services

The purpose of this study is to seek input for a new online audiovisual heritage service. In doing so, we assess comparable online video services to gain insights into the motivations and perceptual innovation characteristics of the video services. The research is based on data from a Dutch survey held among 1,939 online video service users. The results show that online video service held overlapping antecedents but does show differences in motivations and in perceived innovation characteristics. Hence, in general, one can state that in comparison, online video services comply with different needs and have differences in perceived innovation characteristics. This implies that one can design online video services for different needs. In addition to scientific implications, the outcomes also provide guidance for practitioners in implementing new online video services.     

Connection between customer emotions and relationship quality in online music services

Previous research focuses primarily on studying the influence of emotions on satisfaction in online music services, whereas few studies analyse their effects on trust and commitment. This study specifically examines the interaction role of emotions in relationship quality (i.e. a higher-order construct composed of commitment, satisfaction and trust). We hypothesise that emotions will exert a direct effect on relationship quality, but will also moderate the relationship between its components. An empirical survey is used to test the hypotheses. Data are collected from a total of 408 users of online music services from the UK, Germany and Denmark. The results provide strong support for the proposals that, on the one hand, satisfaction and trust lead customers towards developing high commitment to online music services; and, on the other hand, emotions are important quasi-moderators to engage in online service relationships. The results of this study could help online music service providers (a) to create a successful business model; and (b) to determine the main drivers of online loyalty.     

Effects of consumer characteristics on their acceptance of online shopping: Comparisons among different product types

Previous electronic commerce (EC) studies have found that consumer characteristics are important when considering issues related to the acceptance of online shopping. However, most studies have focused on a single product or similar products. The effects of different product types have been relatively neglected. Previous studies have limited the generalizability of their results to a few products at best. To overcome this limitation, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of different product types. The Internet product and service classification grid proposed by Peterson, Balasubramanian and Bronnenberg (Peterson, R. A., Balasubramanian, S., & Bronnenberg, B. J. (1997). Exploring the implications of the Internet for consumer marketing. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 25(4), 329–346) was employed to examine the effects of consumer characteristic differences on online shopping acceptance in the context of different products and services. A survey-based approach was employed to investigate the research questions. Regression analysis demonstrated that the determinants of online shopping acceptance differ among product or service types. Additionally, personal innovativeness of information technology (PIIT), perceived Web security, personal privacy concerns, and product involvement can influence consumer acceptance of online shopping, but their influence varies according to product types.     

Antecedents of customer satisfaction with online banking in China: The effects of experience

This study investigates the antecedents of customer satisfaction with online banking in China, and explores the effects of experience on the relationships between the antecedents and customer satisfaction. Based on prior research, the six antecedents of customer satisfaction – ease of use, design, speed, security, information content and customer support service – are proposed, and the effects of experience on the relationships between these and customer satisfaction are analyzed using a structural multi-group (a high-experience group and a low-experience group) model.     

Developing an index for online customer satisfaction: Adaptation of American Customer Satisfaction Index

This study proposes an index for online customer satisfaction, which is adapted from an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Since online shopping is an experience different in many ways from traditional shopping, a new index for measuring electronic-customer satisfaction index (e-CSI) is required. Thus, this study is the first step towards integrating satisfaction literature to propose an index for online contexts. The e-CSI model was tested in the context of a one month study of Taiwan’s largest online retailer (PChome Online) where it was found to significantly predict customer loyalty and overall customer satisfaction. In this study, we found that the satisfaction score of PChome Online is similar to the average for the online retail industry in ACSI. This model also allows the online retailer to understand the specific factors that significantly influence overall customer satisfaction by reading the causal relationship in the e-CSI model and the strategic management map. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used to test the theoretical model and to derive the e-CSI score.     

Towards effective online review systems in the Chinese context: A cross-cultural empirical study

Online reviews, as one kind of quality indicator of products or service, are becoming increasingly important in influencing purchase decisions of prospective consumers on electronic commerce websites. With the fast growth of the Chinese e-commerce industry, it is thus indispensable to design effective online review systems for e-commerce websites in the Chinese context, by taking into account cultural factors. In this paper, we conduct two empirical studies on online reviews. Firstly, we study how culture differences across countries (i.e., China and the USA) impact the way in which consumers provide online reviews. Secondly, we investigate the impact of online reviews on product sales in the Chinese context, and show that directly copying the ideas of successful online review systems in the USA will deteriorate the effectiveness of the systems in China. Finally, we propose several suggestions for the development of effective online review systems in the Chinese context based on the results of our two empirical studies and the findings in previous studies.     

Analysing complaint intentions in online shopping: the antecedents of justice and technology use and the mediator of customer satisfaction

Complaint behaviours are the key to the competition in an online market when service quality is a major concern of consumers. An understanding of complaint intentions can provide insight into a negative service experience and in turn, effectively redress consumer's problems. It is our purpose to examine the determinants of complaint intentions in the online shopping. When online consumers essentially involve the purchase of products/services and the use of web-based technologies, two major issues particularly arise in this context, exchange behaviour and technology use. This study thus integrates justice perception and expectation–confirmation model (ECM) of information system continuance to understand customer satisfaction and in turn, complaint intentions. Data were collected for online consumers with negative service experiences. The results of testing the structural model indicated that distributive and interactional justices significantly contribute to customer satisfaction and complaint intentions, but procedural justice does not. ECM-based features, such as perceived usefulness, are all important in determining customer satisfaction and complaint intentions. The implications for managers and scholars are further discussed.     

The Mechanisms through Which Certain Variables Influence Customer Loyalty: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Value and Satisfaction

This study surveyed 123 bank users who experienced problems with their banks’ online banking services, with the aim of understanding the mechanisms through which certain variables influence customer loyalty. Principally, the possible mediating roles of value and satisfaction on the relationships between recovery and loyalty and between ISO 9001 and loyalty were scrutinized. The dimensionalities of the scales were assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Thereafter, structural equation modeling and multiregression analyses were used to test the proposed model. The overall results showed that service recovery can be used to enhance customers’ satisfaction and perception of value and, therefore, customer loyalty. This study also confirmed the partial mediating roles of customers’ satisfaction and perception of value in the relationship between service recovery and loyalty. In contrast, ISO 9001 has no influence on perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty; the mediating roles of both perceived value and satisfaction were not supported in the relationship between ISO 9001 and loyalty. In practice, even though ISO 9001 appeared to offer few extras to satisfy and retain customers, its use is still advisable because of the other potential benefits that it provides.     

Designing trust in the Internet services

Being a supersophisticated system, the Internet not only gives unquestionable benefits but also brings some problems. These problems are caused by the transparency of the network space for creators and its nontransparency for general users, who experience processing complexity, lack of privacy, and fear of making a mistake. Such problems give grounds for questioning whether users can trust Internet services. We analyze graphic design and public relations (PR) as tools used to generate trust in Internet services under both the circumstances of transparency and nontransparency of the Internet. Our analysis shows that visual, reputational, and contextual factors have crucial importance in generating trust in Internet services under the circumstances of transparency and nontransparency of the network space; graphic design and PR play a critical role. Interactive design develops network images that produce the initial impression and lay the foundation for users’ trust (or lack of trust) in network resources (the perceptual and emotional level). PR tools are used to complete the process of generating trust by turning the initial impression into such qualitative characteristics as goodwill and information transparency with regard to status and social context (the rational level). Such combined application of graphic design and PR tools leads to harmonization of the network environment and generates users’ trust in Internet services.     

Service quality of mHealth platforms: development and validation of a hierarchical model using PLS

Advancing research on service quality requires clarifying the theoretical conceptualizations and validating an integrated service quality model. The purpose of this study is to facilitate and elucidate practical issues and decisions related to the development of a hierarchical service quality model in mobile health (mHealth) services research. Conceptually, it extends theory by reframing service quality as a reflective, hierarchical construct and modeling its impact on satisfaction, intention to continue using and quality of life. Empirically, it confirms that PLS path modeling can be used to estimate the parameters of a higher order construct and its association with subsequent consequential latent variables in a nomological network. The findings of the study show that service quality is the third-order, reflective construct model with strong positive effects on satisfaction, continuance intentions and quality of life in the context of mHealth services. Finally, the study discusses the implications of hierarchical service quality modeling in electronic markets and highlights future research directions.