ASP system utilization: customer satisfaction and user performance

Purpose – This paper seeks to understand effects of ASP utilization on organization performance measured in terms of satisfaction and educational effectiveness on the part of the customer firm. Design/methodology/approach – This study follows the positivist approach. After a research framework was developed and hypotheses defined, based on a thorough ASP literature review, data were collected from small firms which use ASP services. Results were discussed to suggest strategic directions of ASPs. Findings – The results show that when customer firms perceive good service at a reasonable fee, they exhibit a high level of satisfaction with the service provider. Customer satisfaction is found to be significantly related to organizational performance. Also, the education content of training programs significantly influences educational effectiveness, which in turn contributes to organizational performance by impacting customer service. Research limitations/implications – The results of the study would help practitioners and researchers better understand ASP customers. The scope of this study is limited to leading IT adoption countries. Originality/value – Based on the customer perspective, this paper delineates factors of ASP services that support small firms to be more successful.