New perspective on informal knowledge sharing in the self-service environment

ABSTRACT

Customers informally sharing knowledge with other potential users about self-services may contribute to greater service adoption. However, amid the multitude of contributing factors previously identified, little is known about the extent to which informal knowledge from a fellow customer may inspire the receiving customer to engage in further informal knowledge sharing behaviour regarding self-services and the degree to which consumers’ emotional attachment towards the source could impact on argument success. This study broadens understanding of the matter and offers a new perspective on informal knowledge sharing behaviour in the self-service environment. Data was collected from electronic banking self-service users in South Africa and Germany, and involved a self-administered survey. The research findings explained the underlying process of continuous informal knowledge sharing behaviour concerning self-service technologies from a source credibility and social exchange theory perspective. Furthermore, novel insight is provided on the importance of customers’ emotional attachment to the source in impacting the persuasion process and the extent to which online beliefs of trust and usefulness may affect helping intention as a form of informal knowledge sharing behaviour.

摘要

客户与其他潜在用户就自助服务非正式地分享知识可能有助于提高服务采用率。然而，在先前确定的众多促成因素中，关于来自同伴客户的非正式知识在多大程度上可以激励接收客户进一步参与有关自助服务的非正式知识共享行为，以及消费者对源头的情感依恋对论证成功的影响程度, 我们知之甚少。该研究拓宽了对此问题的理解，并为自助服务环境中的非正式知识共享行为提供了一个新的视角。数据来自南非和德国的电子银行自助服务用户，并采用了自填式问卷调查。研究结果从来源的可信度和社会交换理论的角度解释了自助技术持续非正式知识分享行为的基本过程。此外，还提供了新的见解，即客户在影响说服过程中对源头的情感依恋的重要性，以及作为非正式知识共享行为的一种形式，在线信任和有用信念可能影响帮助意图的程度。

KEYWORDS:

• Customers
• elaboration likelihood model
• emotional attachment
• informal knowledge sharing
• source credibility

关键词:

• 客户;阐述可能性模型;情感依恋;非正式知识共享;来源的可信度

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.