Exploring Factors Influencing Usage Intention of Chatbot – Chatbot in Financial Service

Purpose: Chatbots are widely diffusing across various industries to substitute human manpower in the industry. However as researchers only develop technology that is applied to chatbot, the diffusion is slow in progress. The purpose of this study is to propose useful implications to accelerate diffusion of chatbots across industries by analyzing the perception of customers. To achieve the research purpose this study analyzes causal effect relationship between characteristics of chatbot character, service quality, individual difference, and intention to use chatbot.Methods: This study developed a survey that contains various questionnaires for each construct based on literature review. Data collected through survey was tested for convergent validity and discriminant validity and further analyzed the relationship using PLS-SEM method to verify hypotheses.Results: Trustworthiness of the chatbot character, ease of use, application design, responsiveness, customization, assurance, inertia, and previous experience have significant influence on forming user satisfaction, consumer trust, and intention to use. The others, likability, appropriateness, technology anxiety, and need for interaction were not significant in this research.Conclusion: Although the constructs of the research model was significant in previous literatures, some do not have significant effect on intention to use chatbots. Based on the results, chatbot managers will be able to develop chatbot systems which are more appealing to users and more academic researchers will focus on analyzing user perception and intention.