Does Live Help Service Matter? An Empirical Test of the DeLone and McLean's Extended Model in the E-Service Context

With the increasing prevalence of online shopping, many companies have begun to provide "live help" functions on their Web sites to facilitate interactions between online consumers and customer service representatives. However, little is understood as to the effect of live help service contributing to online consumers' perceptions. We investigate the effect of live help service on system quality, information quality, and service quality. Based on the Herzberg's hygiene-motivator theory, we empirically test the DeLone and McLean extended IS success model within the e-service context. Results suggest that 1) live help service has a positive effect on consumers' perceived system, information, and service quality, 2) service quality has a positive effect on both satisfaction and intention, 3) information quality has a positive effect on satisfaction, but not intention, and 4) system quality does not have a significant effect on either satisfaction or intention. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.