The contemporary economy has shifted from industry-based to economy-based. This shift has rendered the consumer at the core of any business transaction. As service industries continue to grow in importance, customer satisfaction has become a key objective for every industry player. The consumption of service often entails the personal interaction of customers and service employees (Lovelock, Wirtz, & Patterson, 2010). This interaction is referred to as service encounter. The customer’s experience within the service process is a crucial determinant of his or her satisfaction with the service (Bitner, Booms & Tetreault, 1990b). The service encounter thus facilitates the consumer’s evaluation of service quality. Therefore, the service encounter is the ultimate moment of truth in the service industry. How well a customer is served will determine not only his or her satisfaction, but also their loyalty and future consumption trends (Hoffman & Bateson, 2010).
It is against the background of the growing importance of service encounters that much research has been done in order to determine different situations and factors that contribute to consumer satisfaction (Czepiel et al, 1985). This report adds to this research by examining four different service encounters. Each of these encounters depict a different perceptive of service delivery and is experienced in different set ups. Through examining the service encounters, a number of recommendations are drawn in order to improve service delivery. Further, the report also links service marketing theory and practice. Each service encounter is examined through the lens of a theory or model. The models to be examined include culture analysis, three stage model analysis, expectation disconfirm...
... middle of paper ...
... Research Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.
Hoffman, D. K., & Bateson, J. (2010). Services marketing: concepts, strategies and cases. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Lovelock, C., Wirtz, J., & Patterson, P. (2010). Services marketing: an Asian-pacific and Australian perspective (5th ed). Auckland: Pearson Australia.
Segler, P. (2010). Intercultural differences of customer emotions in service encounters: investigation and managerial implications. Gerhardt: Grin Verlag.
Surprenant, C. F., & Solomon, M. R. (1987). Predictability and personalization in the service encounter. Journal of Marketing, 51: 86-96.
Wells, V., & Foxall, G. R. (2012). Handbook of developments in consumer behavior. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Zeithaml,V., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). Problems and strategies in services marketing. Journal of Marketing, 49: 33-46.
High levels of customer satisfaction will not guarantee future sales, but are more likely to result in repeat future sales than indifferent or poor customer service. Moreover, satisfied customers are more likely to try out other products/services in the firm’s range, or recommend it to friends and family. Build on customer loyalty Customer loyalty is valued highly by most businesses and can be
According to Business Studies ‘’Customer service is one of the most important ingredients of the marketing mix for products and services. High quality customer service helps to create customer loyalty. Customers today are not only interested in the product they are being offered but all the additional elements of service that they receive from the greeting they receive when they enter a retail outlet, to the refund and help that they receive when they have a complaint about a faulty product that they have paid for’’ (Business Studies, n.d).
Satisfying and pleasing customers have become something of a corporate obsession. Customer is served in the best, effective and most efficient manner and this practice has become critical.
Customer Service Within Sainsbury's Supermarkets Introduction The aim of this report is to look at the different methods used by research companies to measure customer service and show how they work and how affective they are. The report will then use a questionnaire along with the support of Sainsbury' s Bridgmead store to see how their customer service is rated by their regular customers. The different methods of measuring customer service Customer satisfaction is the extent to which the requirements of the customer are met by the supermarkets and shops. A service is considered satisfactory if it fulfils the needs and expectations of the customer(s), whether the customer is the general public or another business.
In other words, the company cannot be good at everything. Moreover, to achieve Service Excellence it is needed to compromise some of the service attributes, mainly by reducing the ones that the targeted group of customers values less, in order to focus on the improvement of the service’s qualities that the customers want most.
Solomon, M. R. (2012). Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
Zeithaml, V., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. (1990). Delivering quality service: balancing customer perceptions and expectations. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster.
Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., McDaniel, C. D., & Wardlow, D. L. (2009). Essentials of marketing (6th ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Pub..
Mooij, M.de. (2004). Consumer Behavior and Culture, Sage Publications, Page 102, Page 119, Page 274, Page 275
Many scholars believe that customer satisfaction has a crucial role in the success of a business, and is pivotal in increasing the overall profitability of the business (Kotier, 1991). Customer value is gained through the experience they receive from the goods or purchases they have obtained from a certain business. Customer value has various definitions and concepts, Holbrook (1999) stated that it is a kind of “interactive, mutual, and preferred experience”; but simply said, “the term customer value has many meanings.”
Shiffman, L.G. & Kanuk, L.L. 2010. Consumer behaviour. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Customer service is constantly evolving. A few decades ago, businesses considered customer service an unnecessary expense. Now, companies view it as a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Research reveals that “80% of CEOs believe they deliver a superior customer experience, but only 8% of their customers agree”.
Grover, R & Vriens, M 2006, The handbook of marketing research: Uses, misuses, and future
A service encounter is defined as a moment when a customer interacts with a service or product for the first time. It is the customer’s actual interaction with a service company. It is identified as a key component of the current agenda for service marketers. More than half of the world’s multinational corporations employ in providing services, thus the scrutiny of service encounters is becoming increasingly significant. Research evidence indicates that customers generally compare their expectations with the performance of service industries and they are influenced by the quality of service they receive. The scope of this essay is to discuss about the view that customers don’t buy products they focus on solutions and also about the consumer’s behaviour pattern regarding services provided. Further, it will be noted how businesses are trying to improve the service quality to attract customers leading to an increase in the economic competitiveness.
Solomon, Michael R; Bamossy, Gary; Askegaard, Søren; Hogg, Margaret K (2010): “Consumer Behaviour A European perspective” 4th edition.