Showing papers in "Journal of Service Research in 2008"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use the Customer Integration-Facilities, Transformation, Use (CI-FTU) framework of Moeller as a platform for discussing two nested challenges in the development of service-dominant service.
Abstract: This commentary uses the Customer Integration—Facilities, Transformation, Use (CI-FTU) framework of Moeller as a platform for discussing two nested challenges in the development of service-dominant...
431 citations
TL;DR: The Service Experience Blueprint (SEB) method is a multidisciplinary tool and terminology for service design that starts by studying the customer service experience to understand customer experience requirements for different service activities and how these requirements can be satisfied through alternative service interfaces.
Abstract: This article introduces the Service Experience Blueprint (SEB), a multidisciplinary method for designing multi-interface service experiences, and illustrates its application with two case examples ...
365 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a cognitive appraisal model that portrays trust and emotions as key mediators in the relationship between perceived justice and customer loyalty is proposed. But the model is limited to positive and negative emotions.
Abstract: Existing research shows that loyalty is a function of customer perceptions of trust following service recovery. The authors propose a cognitive appraisal model that portrays trust and emotions as key mediators in the relationship between perceived justice and customer loyalty. A structural equation model was used to test the conceptual model. The findings support the conjecture that emotions and trust have important mediating roles during the service recovery process. Furthermore, while existing research has focused primarily on negative emotion, the authors' model adopts a two-dimensional view of emotion (positive and negative emotions), and the results support the inclusion of both dimensions. Overall, the empirical support for the proposed model has important managerial implications for effective relationship management. By understanding the important mediating roles of trust and emotion, service employees can deliver more effective service recovery strategies and thereby enhance customer loyalty.
364 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a model that links dimensions of customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, intention, and behavioral) with a system of determinants is presented, including customer satisfaction, commitment, service fairness, service quality, trust, and a construct new to service loyalty models.
Abstract: Marketing academics and practitioners generally agree that customer loyalty is vital to business success. There is less agreement on the factors that determine customer loyalty, particularly in service contexts. Research on the determinants of service loyalty has taken three distinct paths: quality/value/satisfaction, relationship quality, and relational benefits. The authors coalesce these paths to derive a model that links dimensions of customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, intention, and behavioral) with a system of determinants. The model is tested with data from varied services (airlines, banks, beauty salons, hospitals, hotels, mobile telephone) and 3,500 customers in China. Results are consistent across contexts and support a multidimensional view of customer loyalty. Key loyalty determinants are customer satisfaction, commitment, service fairness, service quality, trust, and a construct new to service loyalty models—commercial friendship. The research contributes to the literature by providing a...
338 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual model is developed to investigate the impact of forcing consumers to use technology-based self-service (TBSS) in railway contexts. But the model is tested using an experimental design within railway (ticketing and travel information) contexts.
Abstract: Today, traditional full service is increasingly replaced with technology-based self-service (TBSS), sometimes with no other option for service delivery. This study develops a conceptual model to investigate the impact of forcing consumers to use TBSS. The model is tested using an experimental design within railway (ticketing and travel information) contexts. The results show that forced use leads to negative attitudes toward using the TBSS as well as toward the service provider, and it indirectly leads to adverse effects on behavioral intentions. The findings also show that offering interaction with an employee as a fall-back option offsets the negative consequences of forced use, and that previous experience with TBSS (in general) leads to more positive attitudes toward the offered self-service, which can offset the negative effects of forced use to some extent.
289 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed and tested a model that explains how value congruence affects the key components of consumer-brand relationship quality and outcomes, including satisfaction, trust, affective commitment, and loyalty.
Abstract: By integrating results from literature pertaining to social psychology, organizational behavior, and relationship marketing, the authors develop and test a model that explains how value congruence affects the key components of consumer-brand relationship quality and outcomes, including satisfaction, trust, affective commitment, and loyalty. Using structural equation modeling, they test the model with data from a survey of 1,037 consumers of clothing stores and banks in the Netherlands. The results show that value congruence has significant direct, positive effects on satisfaction, trust, affective commitment, and loyalty. Furthermore, value congruence indirectly influences loyalty through satisfaction, trust, and affective commitment. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for marketing theory and practice.
241 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that investments in enhancing customers' service knowledge strengthen customer trust in an organization and thus can act as an important service differentiator, and that customer education can be used as a differentiator.
Abstract: The authors show that investments in enhancing customers' service knowledge strengthen customer trust in an organization and thus can act as an important service differentiator. Customer education ...
221 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, customer integration is proposed as a key component of marketing, inspired by Vargo and Lusch's (2004a) proposal of service dominant logic, and customer integration can be seen as a paradigm shift in marketing.
Abstract: A paradigm shift in marketing seems to be underway. Inspired by Vargo and Lusch's (2004a) proposal of service dominant logic, customer integration is proposed as a key component of marketing. Three...
206 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use data from the U.S. airline industry to show that the relative influence of customer satisfaction on customer satisfaction of core and peripheral service components is moderated by customer characteristics, consistent with Vargo and Lusch's premises that the customer is always a co-creator of value.
Abstract: The “service-dominant logic” focuses on the firm and the customer cocreating value, as defined by the customer. Achieving this orientation requires firms to understand which components of the service concept are most important to different subsets of customers. However, research on the relative importance to customers of core and peripheral service components has produced mixed results. Using data from the U.S. airline industry, the fact that the relative influence on customer satisfaction of core (e.g., operational performance) and peripheral (e.g., service interactions and physical setting) service components is moderated by customer characteristics is demonstrated. Consistent with Vargo and Lusch's premises that “the customer is always a co-creator of value” and that value is “uniquely and phenomenologically determined by the beneficiary,” the conclusion that a parsimonious model of customer satisfaction demands consideration of both the service concept and customer characteristics is reached.
199 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of emotions in translating perceptions of (in)justice into subsequent postcomplaint behaviors (e.g., repurchase intention, negative word-of-mouth communication and third-party action) is investigated.
Abstract: There is widespread recognition in the literature that perceived (in)justice plays an important role in driving postcomplaint behavioral responses to service recovery experiences. However, this literature has evolved with little cross-reference to emotion research. This is problematic because much of psychology research has argued that emotion is the central mechanism through which a sense of (in)justice is translated into subsequent behavior. The current study seeks to address this issue by explicitly considering the role of perceived (in)justice in the elicitation of consumer emotions following service recovery encounters. Specifically, using survey data, the role of emotions in translating perceptions of (in)justice into subsequent postcomplaint behaviors (e.g., repurchase intention, negative word-of-mouth communication and third-party action) is investigated. Results provide empirical evidence for the contention that emotions act as mediators of the relationship between perceived justice and postcompl...
174 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study involving 303 Spanish, German, and Swedish business-to-business customers reveals that clients from cultures with a high degree of uncertainty avoidance were less satisfied than low-uncertainty avoidant clients when, as a result of a service defect, their service expectations were not met.
Abstract: The extent to which members of different cultures vary in their reactions to uncertainty can have a major impact on how perceived service quality affects customer satisfaction. This article addresses the issue of cultural differences in the context of business-to-business relationships. A study involving 303 Spanish, German, and Swedish business-to-business customers reveals that clients from cultures with a high degree of uncertainty avoidance were less satisfied than low-uncertainty avoidant clients when, as a result of a service defect, their service expectations were not met. In light of the tolerance zone concept, the finding suggests a narrower range of acceptable outcomes for high-uncertainty avoidance cultures. Important management implications of this study relate to service quality efforts, which should be explicitly designed to reflect intercultural differences in operations planning and training of service personnel.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the critical drivers reported by consumers to produce particularly satisfactory or dissatisfactory online service encounters using 616 surveys and 1,183 observations, and then compare reported drivers across outcomes (dissatisfaction vs. satisfaction) and three industry groups (hard goods, soft goods, and services).
Abstract: This research examines the factors driving consumer dis(satisfaction) in the online service environment. Using a critical incident technique and content analysis, the authors identify the critical drivers reported by consumers to produce particularly satisfactory or dissatisfactory online service encounters. Using 616 surveys and 1,183 observations, the authors first classify and then compare reported drivers across outcomes (dissatisfaction vs. satisfaction) and three industry groups (hard goods, soft goods, and services). Classifications are also compared with several important service-quality scales and other literature on the topic in order to compare the findings and to develop an overall framework. The results address how satisfiers and dissatisfiers vary both overall and across industry classifications, providing an assessment of the differences between the factors producing online success versus those preventing failure. The authors conclude with implications for online retailers and directions fo...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify specific customer orientation behaviors (COBs) of call center employees and show that these behaviors relate to customer evaluations of service quality using qualitative, indu...
Abstract: The authors identify specific customer orientation behaviors (COBs) of call center employees and show that these behaviors relate to customer evaluations of service quality. Using qualitative, indu...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the influence of intellectual capital on performance in customer service firms pursuing different strategic orientations (e.g., low-cost leader, differentiation) and found that investments in both service employees and professional employees enhance performance.
Abstract: This study examines the influence of intellectual capital on performance in customer service firms pursuing different strategic orientations (e.g., low-cost leader, differentiation). Grounding these arguments in the resource-based view and using 538 hotels in the lodging industry, this article employs an economic-based production model to empirically explore the performance effects of investing in three different types of intellectual capital: systems capital (operational knowledge), customer capital (brand and marketing knowledge), and human capital (knowledge from both service and professional employees). In addition, the authors account for key controls, including the physical asset, cost of living, customer demand, market segment, and company affiliation. Results reveal that for firms pursuing a differentiation strategy only, investments in both service employees and professional employees enhance performance. However, investments in systems capital and customer capital enhance performance for all the firms studied. The authors discuss the implications of this study for research in the services arena.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the effects of three elements of the servicescape (pleasantness, safety, and convenience) upon service workers' job stress and job satisfaction and subsequently their commitment to the organization and referral intentions.
Abstract: Although studies have provided evidence that characteristics of the physical environment (servicescape) affect employees' attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction), these studies were limited in the scope of the characteristics they examined. Furthermore, they did not delineate the processes through which (a) the servicescape affects the attitudes and (b) the attitudes generate outcomes beneficial to service firms. Specifically, this research considered the effects of three elements of the servicescape (pleasantness, safety, and convenience) upon service workers' job stress and job satisfaction and, subsequently, their commitment to the organization and referral intentions. The authors developed a model to embody these processes and tested this model by conducting a quasi-experiment with longitudinal data from nurses working in a hospital that added a new wing to its existing facility. Their analysis of responses from the nurses supports the model, and they suggest implications for service firms in managing the ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the concept of relational equity, that is, the customer perception of distributive justice within a continuous customer-provider relationship, and investigate the influences of relationship equity on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty, and test the hypothesis that relationship age moderates the impact of relational equality on loyalty, adopting a cross-sectional design and data from a sample of Italian customers of mobile phone services.
Abstract: In this article, the authors focus on the concept of relational equity, that is, the customer perception of distributive justice within a continuous customer-provider relationship. The authors investigate the influences of relational equity on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. Moreover, they test the hypothesis that relationship age moderates the impact of relational equity on loyalty, adopting a cross-sectional design and data from a sample of Italian customers of mobile phone services (N = 461). Relational equity is recognized as a significant determinant of customer loyalty over and above satisfaction and trust effects, and its influence increases along with relationship age. From a managerial point of view, results suggest that loyalty programs should be tailored according to the age of the relationship. Moreover, particular care should be devoted to monitoring perceived relational equity, especially in longer-term relationships.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduced the concept of return on community (ROC) to the services marketing domain, which represents the health outcomes to customers and financial outcomes to firms that materialize when customers receive social support from other customers in service establishments.
Abstract: This study introduces the concept of return on community (ROC) to the services marketing domain. The ROC represents the health outcomes to customers and financial outcomes to firms that materialize when customers receive social support from other customers in service establishments. By administering Barrera's Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule to teenagers who patronize a video arcade, to members of Gold's Gym, and to middle-aged women who exercise at Curves, the author shows that customers can obtain six types of social support from other customers: intimate interaction, social participation, physical assistance, feedback, guidance, and material aid. In terms of health benefits, intercustomer support provides customers with group cohesion and enhanced well-being. Service firms that host supportive customer networks benefit from customer satisfaction, positive intentional behaviors, and the ability to charge higher prices. By using the contingent valuation method, this article also reveals how cust...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the extent to which various types of customers exhibit relational links with service firms and to generate insights into the manner in which such identification is manifested by focus groups and in-depth interviews with soccer supporters.
Abstract: Researchers have argued that consumers frequently view marketing efforts as intrusive and that they fail to exhibit either trust or commitment. However, studies have found that some customers develop strong emotional relationships with firms, often independently of firm-driven relationship-building efforts. These confusing findings indicate that there is a need for additional research to explore the dynamics underlying service firm—customer relationships. The aim of this study is to elucidate customers' conception and manifestation of their relationships with service firms. Therefore, the objectives are to uncover the extent to which various types of customers exhibit relational links with service firms and to generate insights into the manner in which such identification is manifested. After a review of recent studies into relationship marketing, the authors present and explain the research design and method. Then, the authors present the findings that emerged during the focus groups and in-depth interviews with soccer supporters.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify previously found and new factors that influence whether consumers expect a service provider to form a relationship with them, and then use these factors to segment consumers based on the relationship expectations they have with three universal categories of service providers: phone companies, banks, and doctors.
Abstract: Prior research suggests that consumers may vary in the degree to which they wish to engage in a relationship with their service providers. The authors identify previously found and new factors that influence whether consumers expect a service provider to form a relationship with them. The authors then use these factors to segment consumers based on the relationship expectations they have with three universal categories of service providers: phone companies, banks, and doctors. Depending on the service type, either two or three segments emerge, ranging from consumers who are keen to have a relationship to those who are indifferent about relationships, down to those who are averse to forming relationships with service providers. Although there are always consumers who are keen to form a relationship with their service provider, there is no "hard core" group of consumers keen on relationships with all service providers.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the comparative effects of two antecedents of enduring involvement in determining whether social versus psychological effects are more important in establishing enduring involvement with an extended service encounter.
Abstract: This study explores the comparative effects of two antecedents of enduring involvement in determining whether social versus psychological effects are more important in establishing enduring involvement with an extended service encounter. Specifically, the authors look at the effects of communitas—a social effect—and flow—an individual psychological effect—to determine which has a stronger impact on one's enduring involvement in golf. Self-determination theory argues that flow should be more important than communitas in establishing enduring involvement because of higher levels of volitional control; the findings support this premise. From a practical perspective, these findings should help extended service managers determine which service environments or strategies (e.g., social atmosphere strategies vs. game improvement strategies) to emphasize when trying to establish loyal participants. The moderating effects of gender and participation frequency on the relationships between communitas and enduring inv...
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive service-profit chain (SPC) framework that links survey-based customer satisfaction (CS), service quality (SQ), and share-of-wallet (SOW) measures to longitudinal data on two outcome variables (customer retention and customer profitability) is proposed.
Abstract: This study proposes and empirically tests a comprehensive service-profit chain (SPC) framework that links survey-based customer satisfaction (CS), service quality (SQ), and share-of-wallet (SOW) measures to longitudinal data on two outcome variables—customer retention and customer profitability—gathered from a financial services company's internal records. The framework also incorporates other potential determinants of customers' actual behavior and offers several important insights. First, it demonstrates that an “interactive customer segment” (replacing current offerings with newer ones) is more profitable than are other segments. Second, it augments current knowledge about the SOW-profitability link by revealing that (a) different levels of SOW generate different levels of customer profitability (cross-sectional effect) and different profitability trajectories through time (longitudinal effect), with the high-SOW segment outperforming full- and low-SOW segments, and (b) the longitudinal relationship be...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether restaurant reservations should be locked to specific tables at the time the reservation is made or whether the reservations can be pooled and assigned to tables in real time.
Abstract: This article examines whether restaurant reservations should be locked to specific tables at the time the reservation is made or whether the reservations should be pooled and assigned to tables in real time. In two motivating studies, the authors find that there is a lack of consensus in the restaurant industry on handling reservations. Contrary to what might be expected based on research that shows the benefits of resource pooling in other contexts, a survey of 425 restaurants indicated that more than 80% lock reservations to tables. In two simulation studies, the authors determine that pooling reservations enables a 15-minute reduction in table turn times more than 15% of the time, which consequently increases service efficiency and enables a restaurant to serve more customers during peak periods. Pooling had the most consistent advantage with higher customer service levels, larger restaurants, customers who arrive late, and larger variation in customer arrival time.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed three different MBGQual (money-back guarantee quality) indexes that measure the insurance protection, costs, and attractiveness of the MBGs to consumers.
Abstract: Most e-tailers offer money-back guarantees (MBGs) on product returns, but coverage and durations of different policies vary significantly across e-tailers (taking into account restocking fees, shipping and handling fees, and coverage duration). To help consumers and e-tailers evaluate MBG policies, we developed three different “MBGQual” (money-back guarantee quality) indexes that measure the insurance protection, costs, and attractiveness of the MBGs to consumers. The usefulness of these indexes is illustrated by examining MBGs offered by electronic product e-tailers.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the effect of the halo effect on both the level of attribute and overall service satisfaction in a business-to-consumer context, and found that within-level dynamic effects dominate, whereas halo effects are weak, and that favorable satisfaction evaluations have a greater propensity to carry over to the next period than do less favorable ones.
Abstract: Despite the growing number of longitudinal investigations of customer satisfaction, the occurrence and type of dynamic effects within satisfaction formation has not been entirely clarified. This article explores these dynamic effects on both the level of attribute and overall service satisfaction and investigates whether the halo effect that has been identified in a business-to-consumer context also emerges in business relations. The results show that in our empirical example, within-level dynamic effects dominate, whereas halo effects are weak. In light of evidence regarding nonlinear effects in satisfaction formation, this study also investigates nonlinearities. The dynamic relations in our empirical example show a positive asymmetry, meaning that favorable satisfaction evaluations have a greater propensity to carry over to the next period than do less favorable ones. Therefore, customers in the long-term business relations of this study maintain a certain tolerance toward their service provider, which limits the diagnostic power of current satisfaction ratings to detect problems in the relationship.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how customers account for this externality when choosing between service providers that differ in the uncertainty surrounding their service times and show that the uncertainty around anticipated congestion at service locations suppresses risk aversion with respect to service times.
Abstract: Customers often decide between service providers on the basis of their anticipated waiting times. The duration of the wait depends on two factors: the customer processing speed at the service location and the level of congestion at the time of arrival. While processing speed is an intrinsic operating characteristic of a service provider, congestion is a contingent characteristic that depends on customers' choices between the service provider and its competitors. Consequently, a customer's waiting time at a service location is characterized by an externality because it depends on the concurrent choices made by other customers. In this article, the authors examine how customers account for this externality when choosing between service providers that differ in the uncertainty surrounding their service times. The authors show that the uncertainty surrounding anticipated congestion at service locations suppresses risk aversion with respect to service times. However, if the overall market is expected to be ove...
Journal Article•
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the literature that offers explanations for multinational enterprise (MNE) location in geographical business clusters and test some of the propositions of this literature against the findings of a study which compares MNEs and non-MNEs regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a location in the City of London financial services cluster, an agglomeration noted for its extraordinarily large MNE component.
Abstract: This paper examines the small but growing literature that offers explanations for multinational enterprise (MNE) location in geographical business clusters. It tests some of the propositions of this literature against the findings of a study which compares MNEs and non-MNEs regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a location in the City of London financial services cluster, an agglomeration noted for its extraordinarily large MNE component. The primary conclusion is that MNEs and non-MNEs have different and multiple motives for locating in the cluster. There are two business policy recommendations.
Journal Article•