The Impact of Cognitive versus Affective Aspects on Consumer Usage of Financial Service Delivery Channels



procedures and reducing the complexity of using the channel through clear instructions and
examples of how to perform banking transactions. Providing a global high quality service
across channels will also impact usage frequency. Perceived risk is an important issue for
Internet shopping, especially in the banking industry with all the current concerns about
phishing, lack of security and confidentiality. Developing strong efforts to assure customers
of the absence of risk in channel usage is a necessary condition for users to increase their
usage of the Internet-based channel. Managers should address these users with specific
communications targeted to allay customers’ fears.

Branch managers will also benefit from knowing what their users react to, in order to
achieve the objective of transferring low value added operations to remote channels. The
positive outcomes (financial and time benefits) of the remote channels must be stressed
together with customer education on how to use the remote channels and assurance that the
bank will cover the risks involved. From the interviews carried out, it was found that too
often the lower prices of banking operations through remote channels or the instructions on
how to use them are not common knowledge among branch users, who consider remote
channels and technological interfaces as a distant reality.

Moreover, the research results show that for firms with a multiple channel strategy,
users of different channels have different attitudinal and perception profiles. Therefore, the
communications strategy has to address these differences, instead of being a single strategy,
designed for all target customers. Users behave and evaluate differently technology-based
and human-based distribution channels. These differences have to be incorporated in
companies’ marketing strategies. Bank strategies can benefit from knowing which variables
affect usage decisions of a specific delivery channel, and in which direction.

In terms of human resource management, one important implication concerns the
training that contact employees need in terms of providing the desired experience to
customers. In the branch and telephone-based channels, contact employees have a major role
in transferring routine transactions to the debit-card and the Internet-based channels.
Consequently, it is essential they know which aspects to stress according to the channel. This
research can provide the answer to optimizing employees’ effort in such a challenge.

Overall, it can be said that the aspects found, by channel, to influence the frequency
with which customers of those channels use them should be emphasized by managers in order
to better achieve their objectives. This way, the research conclusions set a direction for
improving the effectiveness and the efficiency of company actions to reach their customers.

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