EWOM in online customer support communities: Key variables in information quality and source credibility

Abstract

While an increasing body of research has examined the influence of eWOM on sales and consumer behaviour, little research has focused on the key dimensions of information quality and source credibility in online customer support communities. The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative insight into the information quality dimensions and the perceived credibility of the source of information in online customer support communities. Netnography was applied to gain insight into the phenomenon by using a rich dataset from the Dell online customer support community. Results highlight widespread distrust held by posters on Dell’s community forums of the intentions of other members, despite the information itself generally being regarded as relevant and comprehensive. Moreover, relevance and comprehensiveness are the most important dimensions of information quality in online customer support settings as they favour consumers’ motivation to share information, be it positive or negative.