Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 543-550 |
| Journal | Tourism Management |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
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Journey to nowhere? E-mail customer service by travel agents in Singapore. / Murphy, Jamie; Tan, I.
In: Tourism Management, Vol. 24, No. 5, 2003, p. 543-550.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Journey to nowhere? E-mail customer service by travel agents in Singapore
AU - Murphy, Jamie
AU - Tan, I.
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - This exploratory research used Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Edition, The Free Press, New York, 1995) to examine and benchmark organisational use of the simplest and most prevalent Internet technology, e-mail. The answers, by 200 Singaporean travel agencies, to a mock customer's e-mail reflect poor e-mail customer service. This study found odds of one in four of receiving a reply and a minuscule three chances in 100 of receiving a response that followed suggested guidelines for treating e-mail as business communication.Managerial implications include benchmarks and guidelines for e-mail customer service, and shifting organisational resources from websites and towards e-mail. Academically, the results support organisational adoption of innovations in stages, organisational age as an independent variable and branded e-mail addresses as a dependent variable related to e-mail adoption, and possible bandwagon effects in adopting websites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
AB - This exploratory research used Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Edition, The Free Press, New York, 1995) to examine and benchmark organisational use of the simplest and most prevalent Internet technology, e-mail. The answers, by 200 Singaporean travel agencies, to a mock customer's e-mail reflect poor e-mail customer service. This study found odds of one in four of receiving a reply and a minuscule three chances in 100 of receiving a response that followed suggested guidelines for treating e-mail as business communication.Managerial implications include benchmarks and guidelines for e-mail customer service, and shifting organisational resources from websites and towards e-mail. Academically, the results support organisational adoption of innovations in stages, organisational age as an independent variable and branded e-mail addresses as a dependent variable related to e-mail adoption, and possible bandwagon effects in adopting websites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
U2 - 10.1016/S0261-5177(03)00005-0
DO - 10.1016/S0261-5177(03)00005-0
M3 - Article
VL - 24
SP - 543
EP - 550
JO - Tourism Management
JF - Tourism Management
SN - 0261-5177
IS - 5
ER -