ArticlePublisher preview available

Service-Channel Fit Conceptualization and Instrument Development

April 2017
Business & Information Systems Engineering 59(2)

DOI:10.1007/s12599-015-0415-z

Project: Other research

Authors:

Hartmut Hoehle

University of Arkansas

Thomas Kude

ESSEC - Ecole Supérieur des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales

Karl Popp

SAP Research

Electronically mediated self-service technologies in the banking industry have impacted the way banks service consumers. Despite a large body of research on electronic banking channels, no study has been undertaken to empirically explore the fit between electronic banking channels and banking services. To address this gap, we developed and validated a service-channel fit conceptualization and an associated survey instrument. We applied a mixed methods approach and initially investigated industry experts’ perceptions regarding the concept of ‘service-channel fit’ (SCF). The findings demonstrated that the concept was highly valued by bank managers. Next, we developed an instrument to measure the perceived service-channel fit of electronic banking channels. The instrument was developed using expert rounds and two pretests involving approximately 300 consumers in New Zealand. Drawing on IS alignment literature, we created a parallel instrument allowing us to calculate SCF across three unique fit dimensions, including service complexity-channel fit, service importance-channel fit, and service routineness-channel fit. To explore the nomological validity of the SCF construct, we linked SCF to customers’ intention to use a specific channel for a particular banking task. We tested our model with data from 340 consumers in New Zealand using Internet banking applications for two different banking tasks. The results of our study have theoretical and practical implications for how clients should be serviced through electronically mediated banking channels.

Conceptualization of service-channel fit as a formative second-order construct

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RESEARCH PAPER

Service-Channel Fit Conceptualization and Instrument

Development

A Mixed Methods Study in the Context of Electronic Banking

Hartmut Hoehle •Thomas Kude •Sid Huff •Karl Popp

Received: 26 August 2015 / Accepted: 21 September 2015 / Published online: 27 January 2016

Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2016

Abstract Electronically mediated self-service tech-

nologies in the banking industry have impacted the way

banks service consumers. Despite a large body of

research on electronic banking channels, no study has

been undertaken to empirically explore the ﬁt between

electronic banking channels and banking services. To

address this gap, we developed and validated a service-

channel ﬁt conceptualization and an associated survey

instrument. We applied a mixed methods approach and

initially investigated industry experts’ perceptions

regarding the concept of ‘service-channel ﬁt’ (SCF). The

ﬁndings demonstrated that the concept was highly valued

by bank managers. Next, we developed an instrument to

measure the perceived service-channel ﬁt of electronic

banking channels. The instrument was developed using

expert rounds and two pretests involving approximately

300 consumers in New Zealand. Drawing on IS align-

ment literature, we created a parallel instrument allowing

us to calculate SCF across three unique ﬁt dimensions,

including service complexity-channel ﬁt, service impor-

tance-channel ﬁt, and service routineness-channel ﬁt. To

explore the nomological validity of the SCF construct, we

linked SCF to customers’ intention to use a speciﬁc

channel for a particular banking task. We tested our

model with data from 340 consumers in New Zealand

using Internet banking applications for two different

banking tasks. The results of our study have theoretical

and practical implications for how clients should be

serviced through electronically mediated banking

channels.

Keywords Electronic banking Service-channel ﬁt 

Technology adoption Technology acceptance Mixed

methods

1 Introduction

Since the early 1970s, the proliferation of self-service

technologies within the ﬁnancial services industry has

signiﬁcantly inﬂuenced the way banks service clients. In

particular, ATMs, telephone banking, Internet banking, and

mobile banking have emerged as efﬁcient means for selling

products and servicing customers (Katuri and Lam 2003).

For the consumer, these electronic banking channels

eliminate the need to visit a branch, and offer convenient

access to various banking services. Banks also beneﬁt from

self-service technologies as they can reduce costs associ-

ated with the traditional branch network.

Accepted after one revision by Prof. Dr. Bichler.

Electronic supplementary material The online version of this

article (doi:10.1007/s12599-015-0415-z) contains supplementary

material, which is available to authorized users.

Dr. H. Hoehle (&)

Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas,

Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA

e-mail: hartmut@hartmuthoehle.com

Dr. T. Kude

Business School, University of Mannheim, 68131 Mannheim,

Germany

e-mail: kude@uni-mannheim.de

Dr. S. Huff

School of Information Management, Victoria University of

Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

e-mail: Sidhuff99@gmail.com

Dr. K. Popp

SAP SE, Dietmar-Hopp-Allee 16, 69190 Walldorf, Germany

e-mail: karl.michael.popp@sap.com

123

Bus Inf Syst Eng 59(2):97–110 (2017)

DOI 10.1007/s12599-015-0415-z

Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.

Supplementary material 1

Data

January 2016

Hartmut Hoehle · Thomas Kude · Dr. Sid Huff · Karl Popp

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