An investigation of customers’

typology in relation to the Self-

Service Technology (SST) kiosks
implementation at airports

Vitezslav Becka

Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism operation

HTMi Switzerland
Introduction

The increased availability and use of technology has not only been changing

services, such as automated operators in factories or mail sorting, but also

creating new one’s, such as IT support or programming. The implementation of

Self-Service Technology (SST) has most notably been Automatic Teller Machines

(ATM’s), but also more recently Self-Check-in kiosks in airports around the

world. This research paper will be looking at customers’ motivations for

choosing a SST terminal over a human-operated kiosk and to create typologies

from the research done by other studies. Although most research is oriented

around the efficiency of the SST implementation in the hospitality industry, it is

vital to understand the customer's motivations and desires for providing a

pleasant service. According to the definition provided by Oxford Dictionary

(2015), ‘hospitality’ is: “The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of

guests, visitors, or strangers.” Based on this definition, it can therefore be argued

that efficiency is not the sole variable, since the hospitality industry is a hedonic

oriented service. Based on the quantitative and qualitative research made by Lu

et al. (2011) about customer’s choice of SST over regular kiosk in relation to their

nationality. Oh et al. (2013) state that the two main categories of customers in

relation to SST use are: intrinsically motivated and extrinsically motivated. The

definition for these two is provided by Study: (2015) “Intrinsic motivation is

defined as performing an action or behavior because you enjoy the activity itself.

Whereas acting on extrinsic motivation is done for the sake of some external

outcome, the inspiration for acting on intrinsic motivation can be found in the

action itself.” Using the research and theoretical models provided, this paper will
study the motivations of customers for choosing SST kiosks over human-

operated desks and on the basis of previous studies made will form possible

classifications of customer’s typologies in an airport, in relation to the SST kiosks.

“Understanding different types of customer typology is important in shaping the

service product and the thereby maximizing customer satisfaction” (Spiggle &

Sanders, 1984) This apt observation by Spiggle & Sanders is the foundation for

this paper, which will be useful for anyone either in hospitality or studying about

different customer typologies and psychology.

Intrinsically and Extrinsically Motivated Customers

Using the research of Oh et al. (2013) for stating the two main categories of

intrinsically and extrinsically motivated customers provides a base for a more

detailed exploration. The case study of a hotel/casino in Macau presented by

Rosenbaum and Wong (2015) states that customers prefer the SST option which

gives them certain discounts and other benefits in the entertainment or dining

departments. It also introduces an important topic to consider, which is that

certain customers choose to take “technological breaks” during their vacation

and avoid any technology interactions. Based on this we can see that correctly

understanding customers’ motivations and needs is crucial for optimally

designing the SST options.

Figure 1 is a technology acceptance model produced by Lu et al. (2009) based on

the original study of reasoned action proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen in 1975. It

outlines the basic line of decision by a customer in choosing an SST terminal.

Figure 1: Technology Acceptance Model by Lu, Chou, Ling (2009)

Figure 2 is the conceptual model by Oh et al. (2013). The 4 different variables

(‘ease of use’, ‘privacy’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘effectiveness’) are based on 2 styles of

perception: ‘perceived usefulness’ (the extrinsically motivated customers) and

‘desire for interaction’ (the intrinsically motivated customers). The researchers

introduce 11 hypothesis to the 7 categories. “Effectiveness” is the only positive

correlation with the desire for interaction, all the other hypothesis are linked

with “Perceived Usefulness”, which in turn is in a positive link to “Intention to

use SSTs”.

Figure 2: Conceptual Model by Oh, Jeong and Baloglu (2013)

Customer Choice Between SST kiosk or Interpersonal Service

The research made (see Figure 3) by Geiderman et al. (2011) is stating as one of

the situational factors influencing the choice as ‘perceived crowdedness.’ When

these studies are compared, we can see that customers are either mainly

extrinsically motivated or intrinsically motivated (Oh, Jeong and Baloglu, 2013)

and therefore are either mainly influenced by external factors (such as perceived

duration of waiting) or internal (need for interaction or innovativeness).

Figure 3: Choice Between SST or Interpersonal Service Factors by Gelderman,

Ghijsen, Diemen (2011)

Elaborating on the point made by Gelderman et al. (2011) about the role of

‘discomfort’ and ‘role clarity’ in the decision process of choosing an SST terminal,

Meuter et. al. (2003) introduce the idea of “Technology Anxiety”. This factor is

important to consider to understand the outcomes and overall SST experience

for customers. There are 4 sub-categories of the overall SST experience: “Overall

Satisfaction”, “Word of Mouth Intentions”, “Repeat Usage Intentions” and

“Attributions”. Although the focus of these sub-categories is customer

satisfaction, it is important to understand the implications and resulting

customer experience in order to identify the customer typology accurately.

Figure 4: Technology Anxiety Model by Meuter, Ostrom, Bitner, Roundtree

(2003)
Synthesis of the Findings from the Previous Chapters

These studies present a foundation for identifying customer typology in relation

to SST terminal kiosks at airports. Oh et. al. (2013) laid out the main two

categories in their research: extrinsically motivated and intrinsically motivated

customers. Elaborating on these two main categories, Lu et. al. (2009) is focusing

their research into extrinsically motivating factors. The technology acceptance

model presented in Figure 1 is basing this extrinsic deciding factor on “Perceived

Usefulness” and “Perceived Ease of Use”. Oh et. al. (2013) provided the main

motivation for the intrinsic category of customers: desire for interaction. Their

research has also supported Lu et. al. (2009) in the motivation of “Perceived

Usefulness.” Oh et. al. (2013) linked “Effectiveness” with the intrinsic “Desire for

Interaction.” Although ‘effectiveness’ could be considered as an extrinsic quality,

in this case it can be linked to and explained by the theory of “Technology

Anxiety” (Meuter, Ostrom, Bitner, Roundtree, 2003). Some customers either

choose to have a “technological break” or simply avoid technological interactions

due to anxiety. In that case, it is more effective for the customers to choose the

human-operated counter.
Conclusion

The rising popularity of air-travel and a higher competitiveness between various

airlines implies that budget cuts have to be made for the companies to remain on

the market. This is partly done by introducing SST kiosks on airports, and with

the rise of SST implementation, it is important to understand the customer

typologies in relation to the self-service technology. The study of these theories

and their application in real-life is crucial for achieving the highest possible

customer satisfaction and therefore increasing the company’s revenue and

customer rate of return. In this study, the author has taken to assess the types of

customer typologies in relation to the SST kiosks on airports by combining the

theories and studies done previously in other research papers.

Although the author was not able to conduct any primary research due to the

nature of this paper, the secondary research done in this study outlines the

possible customer typologies based on the primary research studied. However,

the extent to which these findings are applicable needs to be investigated

through primary researches conducted at airports.

Recommendations

The study can serve as a tool for assessing and analyzing the customer typologies
in relation to the SST kiosks on airports which, later on, can be used to achieve
the highest customer satisfaction.

Researchers who are going to carry out studies about similar subjects can take
their chance to assess the real-world implications of the theories presented in
this paper. First of all, performing studies and surveys on airports of the
customers, seeing which are the main factors determining the relationship to
either human-operated kiosks or SST kiosks, such as age, gender or nationality.
Moreover, future research can extend the findings of customer typology into
customer satisfaction.
References

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