Mandatory use of technology-based self-service: does expertise help or hurt?

This study aims to investigate the effects of two types of expertise (self-service technology and service type) on the disconfirmation of customers’ expectations and the use-related outcomes of technology-based self-service (TBSS).

This empirical study pertains to the mandatory use of a national public transport chip card in The Netherlands based on a sample of 267 users of this TBSS.

The findings show that technology experts experienced a less positive disconfirmation of expectations and reported less positive evaluations of the new self-service than technology novices. Technology experts also showed lower intentions to engage in positive word-of-mouth than technology novices. The evaluation of the self-service by technology novices is more positive for those that are service experts as compared to service novices, while the evaluation by technology experts is more negative for those that are service experts as compared to service novices.

This study provides insight into how different types and levels of customer expertise affect individuals’ assessments of a TBSS upon its mandatory use.

For marketing managers and public policy-makers, understanding the multifaceted role of customer expertise enables more effective market segmentation and targeting, thus improving implementation of TBSS.

This research suggests that customers’ technology and service expertise have some counter-intuitive effects on TBSS use-related outcomes.