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CUSTOMER PERCEPTION OF SERVICE

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Customer Perceptions of Service

Customer Perceptions Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality
Service Encounters: The Building Blocks for Customer Perceptions

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Perceptions
"process by which individuals select, organize, and interpret the input from their senses to give meaning and order to the world around them

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Satisfaction
Its the consumers fulfillment response. A judgment that a product or service provides a pleasurable level of consumption related fulfillment.

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Factors of satisfaction
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Product and service features Consumer emotions Attributions for service success or failures Perceptions of equity or fairness Other consumers, family members and cowerkers

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1. Product & service features

Co. identify important features. Type of service Criticality of service Price levels/ quality/ friendliness/ customization.

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Customer emotions
Stable/ Preexisting emotions - Mood state or life satisfaction +ve: happiness, pleasure, elation, warm-heartedness -ve: sadness, sorrow, regret, anger. Influence how cm feel about service experience

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Attributions to service success or failure

Perceived causes of events. Surprised outcomes make customers look for reasons Assessment of these reasons can influence satisfaction. E.g., Weight-loss programme. Customers may take partial responsibility.

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Perceptions of Equity or fairness

Have I been treated fairly compared with other customers? Equity in treatment/ quality/ fair price.

Other customers, family members, and Coworkers

Experience, behaviors and views. What others say, use and feel about the service.

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Service Quality
An assessment of how well a delivered service conforms to the clients expectations. A critical element of customer perceptions. A dominant element in customer evaluation.

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Dimensions
1. Reliability: ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately 2. Responsiveness: willingness to help customers 3. Assurance: employees knowledge and courtesy that inspires trust 4. Empathy: caring attention to customers 5. Tangibles: appearance of physical facilities, personnel, materials, etc.

Customer Perceptions of Quality and Customer Satisfaction

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Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction

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Product quality Service quality Price Specific product or service features Consumer emotions Attributions for service success or failure Perceptions of equity or fairness Other consumers, family members, and coworkers Personal factors Situational factors

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ASQI and Market Value Added

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Geek Squads Focus on Responsiveness

How Customers Judge the Five Dimensions of Service Quality

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Outcomes of Customer Satisfaction

Increased customer retention Positive word-of-mouth communications Increased revenues

ASCI and Annual Percentage Growth in S&P 500 Earnings

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Source: C. Fornell Customer Satisfaction and Corporate Earnings, commentary appearing on ACSI website, May 1, 2006, http://www.bus.umich.edu/research/nqre/Q1-01c.html.

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Top Box Scores A Higher Standard

Overall Satisfaction with XYZ (% of customers) Definitely Will Repurchase from XYZ Definitely Would Recommend XYZ

TOP BOX
Very Satisfied

(64%)

= 96%
44-point drop

= 91%
55-point drop

All Customers

SECOND BOX
Somewhat Satisfied

= 52%

= 36%

(29%)

BOTTOM 3 BOXES
Neutral to Very Dissatisfied

(7%)

7%

4%

Source: Technical Assistance Research Bureau (TARP), 2007.

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Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Competitive Industries

What is Service Quality? The Customer Gap

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Customer Gap

Service quality is the customers judgment of overall excellence of the service provided in relation to the quality that was expected.

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Service Quality
The customers judgment of overall excellence of the service provided in relation to the quality that was expected. Service quality assessments are formed on judgments of:
outcome quality interaction quality physical environment quality

The Five Dimensions of Service Quality

Reliability Assurance
Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.

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Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel. Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.

Tangibles
Empathy Responsiveness

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Exercise to Identify Service Attributes

In groups of five, choose a services industry and spend 10 minutes brainstorming specific requirements of customers in each of the five service quality dimensions. Be certain the requirements reflect the customers point of view.

Reliability: Assurance: Tangibles:

Empathy:
Responsiveness:

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SERVQUAL Attributes
RELIABILITY

EMPATHY

Providing service as promised Dependability in handling customers service problems Performing services right the first time Providing services at the promised time Maintaining error-free records

Giving customers individual attention Employees who deal with customers in a caring fashion Having the customers best interest at heart Employees who understand the needs of their customers Convenient business hours

RESPONSIVENESS

Keeping customers informed as to when services will be performed Prompt service to customers Willingness to help customers Readiness to respond to customers requests

TANGIBLES

Modern equipment Visually appealing facilities Employees who have a neat, professional appearance Visually appealing materials associated with the service

ASSURANCE

Employees who instill confidence in customers Making customers feel safe in their transactions Employees who are consistently courteous Employees who have the knowledge to answer customer questions

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The Service Encounter

is the moment of truth occurs any time the customer interacts with the firm can potentially be critical in determining customer satisfaction and loyalty types of encounters:
remote encounters, phone encounters, face-to-face encounters

is an opportunity to:
build trust reinforce quality build brand identity increase loyalty

A Service Encounter Cascade for a Hotel Visit

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A Service Encounter Cascade for an Industrial Purchase

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Sales Call

Delivery and Installation

Servicing

Ordering Supplies Billing

Service Encounters: An Opportunity to Build Satisfaction and Quality

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Common Themes in Critical Service Encounters Research

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Recovery:
employee response to service delivery system failure

Adaptability:
employee response to customer needs and requests

Coping:
employee response to problem customers

Spontaneity:
unprompted and unsolicited employee actions and attitudes

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Recovery

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Adaptability

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Spontaneity

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Coping

Evidence of Service from the Customers Point of View

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