Conclusion

As we expected, customers have different perceptions of various media: higher reliability from conventional media (face-to-face and telephone), and higher tangibles and assurance for electronic media (e-mail and Internet). Specifically, the hybrid group indicates higher levels of reliability and responsiveness. These perceptions may lead organizations to prepare different medium for different tasks or use mixed purpose.

The results of this study have some important theoretical implications. First, we applied the concept of media choice to the domain of the help desk service. Second, our research incorporated SERVQUAL theory into media selection mechanism.

The practical implication of our study is that by understanding the types of perceptions customers have for each medium and their behavioral patterns, organizations may be able to provide better help desk service, which is critical in the competitive business world.