Matthew L. Meuter, Amy L. Ostrom, Robert I. Roundtree, & Mary Jo Bitner Self-Service Technologies: Understanding Customer Satisfaction with Technoiogy-Based Service Encounters Self-service technologies (SSTs) are increasingly changing the way customers interact with firms to create service outcomes. Given that the emphasis in the academic literature has focused almost exclusively on the interpersonal dynamics of service encounters, there is much to be learned about customer interactions with technology-based self-service delivery options. In this research, the authors describe the results of a critical incident study based on more than 800 incidents involving SSTs solicited from customers through a Web-based survey. The authors cate- gorize these incidents to discern the sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with SSTs. The authors present a discussion of the resulting critical incident categories and their relationship to customer attributions, complaining behavior, word of mouth, and repeat purchase intentions, which is followed by implications for managers and researchers. T oday's fast-paced world is becoming increasingly characterized by technology-facilitated transactions. Growing numbers of customers interact with technol- ogy to create service outcomes instead of interacting with a service firm employee. Self-service technologies (SSTs) are technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service independent of direct service employee involve- ment. Examples of SSTs include automated teller machines (ATMs), automated hotel checkout, banking by telephone, and services over the Internet, such as Federal Express pack- age tracking and online brokerage services. Although extensive academic research has explored the characteristics and dynamics of interpersonal interactions between service providers and customers (Bettencourt and Gwinner 1996; Bitner, Booms, and Tetreault 1990; Clem- mer and Schneider 1996; Fischer, Gainer, and Bristor 1997; Goodwin 1996; Goodwin and Gremler 1996; Hartline and Ferrell 1996; Rafaeli 1993), much less research has investi- gated customer interactions with technological interfaces (Bitner, Brown, and Meuter 2000; Dabholkar 1996). The continuing proliferation of SSTs conveys the need for research that extends beyond the interpersonal dynamics of Matthew L. Meuter is Assistant Professor of Marketing, Villanova Univer- sity. Amy L. Ostrom and Robert I. Roundtree are Assistant Professors of Marketing, and Mary Jo Bitner is AT&T Professor of Services Marketing and Management, Arizona State University. Each author contributed equally to the manuscript. The authors thank the three anonymous JM reviewers for their insightful commenfs on previous drafts of the article. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Center for Services Market- ing and Management af Arizona Stafe University for its support, as well as Greenfield Online, a division of the Greenfield Consulting Group, Wesf- port, CT, for assistance in data collection. service encounters into this technology-oriented context. This need is illustrated in many ways: For example, almost half of all retail banking transactions are now conducted without the assistance of a bank teller (Lawrence and Karr 1996). In addition, although some SSTs have become com- monplace (e.g., ATMs, pay-at-the-pump terminals), more innovative SSTs continue to be introduced. For example, the Internet enables shoppers to purchase a wide variety of products without having to visit a retail outlet or converse with a service employee. In some states, users can file for divorce or evict a tenant using an automated kiosk rather than go through the traditional court system. Electronic self- ordering is currently being developed by fast-food restau- rants, and self-scanning at retail stores has been tested and is projected to become widely available in the future (Dab- holkar 1996; Gibson 1999; Merrill 1999). It is increasingly evident that these technological inno- vations and advances will continue to be a critical compo- nent of customer-firm interactions. These technology- based interactions are expected to become a key criterion for long-term business success. Parasuraman (1996) lists the growing importance of self-service as a fundamental shift in the nature of services. Although many academic researchers have acknowledged a need for greater under- standing in this area (Dabholkar 1994, 1996; Fisk, Brown, and Bitner 1993; Meuter and Bitner 1998; Schneider and Bowen 1995), little is known about how interactions with these technological options affect customer evaluations and behavior. To further our understanding, we explored service encounters involving SSTs to identify sources of satisfac- tion and dissatisfaction. The research questions driving this study are as follows: • Wha t are the sources of customer satisfaction and dissatisfac- tion in encounters involving SSTs? 50 / Journal of Marketing, July 2000 Journal of t\^ari(eting Vol. 64 (July 2000), 50-64