Abstract
The continuous development of the service economy and an aging society with fewer children is expected to lead to a shortage of workers in the near future. In addition, the growth of the service economy would require service providers to meet various service requirements. In this regard, self-service technology (SST) is a promising alternative to securing labor in both developed and emerging countries. SST is expected to coordinate the controllable productive properties in order to optimize resources and minimize consumer stress. As services are characterized by simultaneity and inseparability, a smoother operation in cooperation with the consumer is required to provide a certain level of service. This study focuses on passenger handling in an airport departure lobby with the objective of optimizing multiple service resources comprising interpersonal service staff and self-service kiosks. Our aim is to elucidate the passenger decision- making mechanism of choosing either interpersonal service or self-service as the check-in option, and to apply it to analyze several scenarios to determine the best practice. The experimental space is studied and an agent-based model is proposed to analyze the operational efficiency via a simulation. We expand on a previous SST adoption model, which is enhanced by introducing the concept of individual traits. We focus on the decision-making of individuals who are neutral toward the service option, by tracking the actual activity of passengers and mapping their behavior into the model. A new method of validation that follows a different approach is proposed to ensure that this model approximates real-world situations. A scenario analysis is then carried out with the aim of exploring the best operational practice to minimize the stress experienced by the air travelers and to meet the business needs of the airline managers at the airport. We collected actual data from the Departure Control System of an airline to map the real-world data to the proposed model. Passenger behavior was extracted by front-line service experts and clarified through consecutive on-site observations.
Highlights
IntroductionThe service economy continues to grow globally
This study focuses on self-service kiosks at the airport, as these are a familiar alternative for air travelers
Constructing the agent-based modeling (ABM) In this study, we reviewed and enhanced the Self-service technology (SST) adoption model and propose a new validation methodology for the agent-based model
Summary
The service economy continues to grow globally. Both developed and emerging countries are expected to face difficulties in securing workers in the future. Developed countries need to address this progressive and imminent issue in their aging societies. In these countries, the working population enjoys improved health care and has fewer children; industries are required to ABM SST Adoption Model for Air-Travelers secure their workforces in new ways. We need some mechanism to offer enhanced service and improved interactions with consumers. Self-service technology (SST) is a promising alternative for fulfilling future customer service requirements. Unless SST is recognized and accepted by the customers, the implementation of SST is unlikely to be successful, resulting in neither customers nor firms enjoying the benefits of service investment
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