The impact of self-service technologies – towards an economic decision model and its application at the German Federal Employment Agency

Self-service technologies have been gaining increasing economic importance given their proliferation in the customer service industry. By using customers as resources, organisations aim at achieving not only more efficient business processes but also positive effects on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, the specific economic effects resulting from customer integration via self-service technologies still remain unclear for many companies. Thus, the aim of this paper is to develop a quantitative economic decision model that supports decisions about integrating customers into business processes by using self-service technologies. The application of the model and its practical utility are demonstrated using the example of the German Federal Employment Agency.