| Author | Tanyamai Chiarakul |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.SM-07-10 |
| Subject(s) | Banks and banking--Customer services--Thailand
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| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Business |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | This research explores bank and corporate customer views on customer satisfaction with interpersonal and Internet channels within the banking sector in Thailand, and examines the concept of integration to blend the two channels rather than operating them as separate alternatives. Banks in most countries tend to implement Internet banking as a separate service channel – customers can either use it or they can deal with people in the branch. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with top management of leading commercial banks which have implemented Internet banking, and with financial officers of large corporate customers of these banks. Corporate customers still prefer personal contact most of the time, although they find the Internet channel useful for some things. Questionnaires were developed and distributed among major corporate customers of banks to explore how Internet banking services could be better integrated with interpersonal service channels. The results indicate that an integrated Internet service channel would be an attractive new option for banks and their corporate customers. Thai banks, however, are following worldwide trends by offering Internet banking as a separate service channel. The results suggest that even though Integration can enhance customer satisfaction with both Internet banking and interpersonal service encounters, it rather decrease both dissatisfaction. This study concludes that the corporate customers, who are more likely to use Internet banking services, would still prefer to switch freely back and forth between channels without the need for personal contact. However, the corporate customers who are more likely to use face-to-face services still prefer personal contact. Therefore, the integration of interpersonal service channel with Internet banking service channel is an important consideration in terms of enhancing customer satisfaction. The overall interpersonal satisfaction can enhance customer loyalty. However, the moderating effect of Integration weakens the relationship between overall interpersonal satisfaction and customer loyalty. It might be because if customers widely adopt Internet banking services, when they face the problems with bank staff, they may switch to use Internet banking services. Therefore, the strong relationship with the customers can be reduced, which may lead to lower customer loyalty. On the other hand, the overall Internet banking satisfaction weakens customer loyalty since Internet banking services are also seen as commodity services. Every bank can launch similar Internet banking services. However, the moderating effect of Integration can strengthen the relationship between overall Internet banking satisfaction and customer loyalty. Customers are likely to contact with a person at least sometimes, and if they face Internet problems, they can switch to use face-to-face services instead. Therefore, bank staff can build relationships with customers, which may lead to higher customer loyalty. Thailand is representative of middle-income developing countries where Internet banking is in early stages of development, as well as of East and Southeast Asian cultures generally. The results seem clear that Thai corporate customers would like integrated channels. Thus many Banks’ way of thinking toward separated channels needs to be reconsidered. Developing practical applications to integrate Internet and interpersonal channels seems critical to widespread customer acceptance in East and Southeast Asian cultures. |
| Year | 2007 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Management (SOM) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Master of Business Administration (MBA) (Publication code=SM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Igel, Barbara;Beise-Zee, Rian |
| Examination Committee(s) | Donyaprueth Krairit;Dimmitt, Nicholas J.;Haddawy, Peter;Cheong, Ki Ju; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ubonratchathani University, Thailand ;Royal Thai Government Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2007 |