Technology integration Perceptions of sales force automation in Thailand’s life assurance industry Ravira Larpsiri Department of Marketing, Sripatum University, Bangkok, Thailand School of Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani, Thailand, and Mark Speece School of Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Graduate School, Bangkok University, Bangkok, Thailand Keywords Insurance, Sales force, Perception, Technology-led strategy, Thailand Abstract Sales force automation (SFA) is increasingly used to support customer relationships, and provides a good example of technology application on the supplier-customer interface. While research has begun to examine SFA, understanding it from the customer viewpoint is still vague. This paper reports results of exploratory qualitative research to investigate perceptions of SFA among both salespeople and their customers in the insurance industry in Thailand. Results suggest that customers want technology to be integrated into interpersonal relationships, not to replace them. Most customers, even those with extensive IT background, are not willing to interact with technology-based self service only. Much of the relationship with the company comes from trust in the salesperson, which is built up through the development of the relationship. This is probably more important in the relationship-based cultures of Asia, which are strongly familiar with interpersonal service. Introduction In the increasingly competitive marketplace, information technology (IT) is now frequently being employed as a distribution channel and medium of interaction (Gilbert et al., 1999; Glynn, 1997). Organizations that do not learn and adapt to changing technology can face painful competition, but integrating technology can require substantial re-thinking of the exact nature of customer relationships (Zineldin, 2000). For high-level financial services, it is frequently difficult to separate technology from the relationship between firms and their customers. Some technology implementations may reduce interaction across the employee – customer interface (Quinn, 1996). However, customer satisfaction in many services depends strongly on the service encounter (e.g. Jones and Suh, 2000). For technology to enhance competitiveness, it must deliver real value to customers in the service interaction, and customers must like it. Thus, the impact of technology on customer satisfaction in the service interaction is a critical area of research. Globalization complicates things because culture may well influence responses to technology. Even in the West, some observers question whether technology can fully replace interpersonal relationships in financial services, (e.g. Howcroft and Durkin, 2000). In Asian countries, the strength of human relationships is much greater than in the West, and Asian cultures place even more value on strong relationships in business. For example, key account managers of banks operating in Hong Kong view a whole set of social interactions as quite important in facilitating information exchange The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-4503.htm MIP 22,4 392 Marketing Intelligence & Planning Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004 pp. 392-406 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0263-4503 DOI 10.1108/02634500410542752