Abstract

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. Therefore, we developed and validated a service-channel fit conceptualization and an associated survey instrument. We initially investigated industry experts' perceptions towards the concept of 'service-channel fit' (SCF). The findings demonstrated that the concept was highly valued by bank managers. Next, we developed a parallel survey instrument to measure the perceived service-channel fit of electronic banking channels. The instrument was developed using expert rounds and two pretest evaluations. Central to the scale development was the measurement of the SCF construct. Drawing on IS strategy and alignment literature, we created a parallel instrument allowing us to calculate the SCF across three unique service-channel fit dimensions, including service complexity, service importance and service routine. To test the research model, data were collected from 340 consumers in New Zealand using Internet banking applications for two different banking tasks. The results have important theoretical and practical implications for how clients should be serviced through electronically mediated electronic banking channels.

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