The adoption of online mobile phone customer care services by university of Nairobi students

Abstract

The usage of mobile phones has been a 21st century phenomenon that spreads for different purposes and functions. So far, the term customer care has been primarily associated with sorting customer problems using face – to – face method. However, the next vista for service companies with huge customer bases and operating in the virtual marketplace seems to be e-customer care in order to satisfy diverse customer demands. This online customer care service concept has been left virtually unexplored in the services research literature. In this study, an attempt is made to investigate the adoption of online customer care services in Kenya, drivers of this e-service, benefits and challenges of this e-service in the context of mobile phone industry. The relationship between adoption of this e-service and variables: gender, age and type of mobile service provider, moderated by: type of phone, knowledge of Internet and level of Education, are investigated by means of a descriptive survey design study. The results suggest that the three moderators have a more significant main effect on the customers' adoption of the online service than the drivers. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) are employed to provide the theoretical foundation for this study. Based on the empirical data collected from a survey, the findings demonstrate the importance of functionality (usefulness), an easy-to-use interface, social networks, fun to use e-service, cheaper options and advertisements as critical influences on both intention to use and adoption of online customer care services offered by mobile phone companies in Kenya.