BEHAVIOURAL DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE EFFICIENCY IN DIGITALLY ENABLED HOSPITALITY SYSTEMS

Abstract

The swift digitalisation of the hospitality industry has changed the way services are delivered and interacted with customers, so behavioural aspects are now vital in the service efficiency and general customer experience. This paper investigates the relationship between the major behavioural determinants of customer engagement, trust in digital platforms, and perceived ease of use and two key outcomes, customer experience and efficiency of service. The research design used was quantitative, cross-sectional, and data were gathered through the use of 300 hospitality service users using a structured questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that customer experience is greatly improved with customer engagement and trust, whereas the perceived ease of use has a great positive impact on service efficiency. These results indicate that experiential outcomes are driven by emotional and relational considerations, and operational efficiency is driven by functional and usability considerations. The research points out that incorporating user-focused behavioural understanding with the application of technology design is crucial in maximising the effectiveness of digital services. Practically, the findings inform hospitality managers in the creation of interactive, reliable and user-friendly digital systems, which promote good customer engagement and effective service delivery.