Too Busy to Help: Antecedents and Outcomes of Interactional Justice in Web-Based Service Encounters

Web-based live-chat support services are one promising means toward improving customer service. However, such services and their success factors have been rarely studied. This study bridges this gap. It builds on justice and service marketing theories, and examines key factors that drive intentions to continue using web-based live-chat support services and to provide positive word-of-mouth. The study suggests that these outcomes are increased through interactional justice perceptions, which are diminished by the perceived busyness of the service provider. It is also suggested that the latter effect is moderated by the duration of live-chat session; when the session is long the effect is stronger. Data collected from 86 users of a library web-based live-chat service were analyzed with SEM techniques and support this view. Implications for research and practice are discussed.