Exploring the moderating role of construal levels on the impact of process vs outcome attributes on service evaluations
Journal of Service Theory and Practice
ISSN: 2055-6225
Article publication date: 20 September 2019
Issue publication date: 20 September 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrated conceptual framework using construal level theory (CLT) to explain the differences in the effects of process and outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction based on consumption context (social), evaluation context (temporal) and individual characteristics (expertise).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use two lab experiments (hotel and restaurant settings) and a field study of online reviews posted by actual hotel customers to test all the hypotheses.
Findings
Process (outcome) attributes have a stronger influence on service evaluations under low-level (high-level) construal. Specifically, process attributes have a stronger influence when customers are accompanied by proximal (vs distal) social group, evaluate a service under near (vs distant) temporal frame or have high (vs low) level of customer expertise.
Practical implications
Service managers can use the findings about the differences in the influence of social, temporal and individual variables on customer evaluations under process and outcome attributes to improve customers’ service experiences and satisfaction.
Originality/value
This paper extends past research on the influence of construal levels on customer decision making by exploring the differences in the effects of process vs outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction, under the influence of low (vs high) construal levels triggered by social, temporal and individual variables.
Keywords
Citation
Tatavarthy, A.D., Chatterjee, S. and Sharma, P. (2019), "Exploring the moderating role of construal levels on the impact of process vs outcome attributes on service evaluations", Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 375-398. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-10-2018-0229
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited