Assessing consumer attitudes toward off‐site customer service contact methods

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to present the development of a scale, off‐site customer service (OCS), which assesses the factors that are important in consumer evaluation of an off‐site customer service contact method (e.g. website or telephone). Design/methodology/approach A scale is developed and tested. A discrete choice model provides supporting evidence of the practical applications of the scale. Findings The resultant scale is developed with consumer evaluation delineated on usability and experiential dimensions. The usability dimension consists of items capturing ease of use, error recovery, security, and customization constructs. The experiential dimension consists of items capturing satisfaction, socialization, empathy, and privacy sensitivity constructs. A discrete choice model shows that the scale performs equally well for both website and telephone contact methods. The paper concludes with managerial implications and avenues for additional research. Originality/value Unlike existing scales that focus on a particular type of contact method or a particular customer service encounter or transaction, OCS scale is versatile enough to be used for different contact methods and under different customer service encounter scenarios.

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