Search results

The objective of this paper is to describe a conceptual framework that addresses the interactive interface of service quality in service encounters.

A conceptual framework is described and discussed in relation to previous research efforts in the field.

Service encounters have been largely researched as a non‐interactive phenomenon. This means that the complexity and dynamics of the construct have not been sufficiently explored. Researchers have described the construct of service quality in different empirical contexts and have developed different models and dimensions – all of which tend to be derived from the service receiver's perspective.

In making the description, the framework acknowledges that service encounters and service quality pertain not only to human interactions, but also involve interaction between individuals and self‐service technology. It may also to some extent serve as a fundamental to scholars in their quest for generic structures across contexts, and over time to explore the interactive interface of service quality in service encounters. In addition, the framework may be used to position previous, ongoing and forthcoming research efforts of service quality.

The conceptual framework may contribute to describe and enhance operative service performances in service encounters.

The framework may contribute to describe and conceptualize the interactive interface of service quality in service encounters. The idea has been to convert some of the theory‐oriented knowledge of service performance in literature into a framework applicable to both scholars and practitioners.

The objective of the present research is to explore the construct of perceived sequential service quality in service‐encounter chains.

The study is based on a qualitative approach. Based on two case studies in the Swedish automotive and retail industries, the research applies a six‐dimensional, dual‐perspective construct of sequential service quality. The theoretical framework is derived from the constructs of service quality and service encounter.

The case studies do not indicate any dramatic differences in perceptions of the sequential service‐quality construct – despite the differences that exist between the industries. Although these industries are thus generically different, sequential service quality in service‐encounter chains is recognized as being important in both industries. It is contended that the six‐dimensional construct employed in the present study contributes to the exploration and conceptualization of sequential service quality in service‐encounter chains both from an upstream‐downstream and from a downstream‐upstream perspective. Although some minor differences exist, the overall conclusion is that the construct is valid and useful in understanding and exploring these important issues.

Research and practice needs to extend well beyond single interactive constructs of service quality. The research approach introduced here – of sequential service quality in service‐encounter chains – contributes to an extended research agenda.

The approach might be fruitful in a number of areas for both researchers and practitioners that go beyond the boundaries of the currently accepted constructs and applications of service quality.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a theoretical framework, the holistic mental model process, with major contextual factors (cultural, situation, cognitive and affective contexts) to help better understand tourists’ perception and evaluation of intercultural tourists–tour guide service encounters.

Summary tables of an extensive literature review of previous empirical studies relating to intercultural service encounters, service encounter and service quality to help derive the holistic mental model process framework are included.

Gaps from the previous literature were identified along with in-depth explanations as to how a holistic mental model process can be applied to tourists evaluating intercultural tourist–tour guide service encounters and the service quality of their overall travel experience.

The current conceptual framework of the holistic mental model process targets specifically on the intercultural tourists–tour guide service encounters. More in-depth empirical studies can be conducted focusing on specific variables of the intercultural tourist–tour guide service encounters and on the factor differences between specific cultures.

This research has practical implications for travel agencies and tourism companies. Travel agencies and tour companies can apply the holistic mental model process framework to examine and analyze the influential variables between tourists and tour guide (i.e. cultural differences, etiquette, norms and behaviors), thus design better tour guide training programs accordingly.

Service encounter is a social activity that is influenced by the social environment. To achieve the best service quality, all parties, including tourists, tour guide, tour companies, host community, must understand cultural differences; work together in coordination and cooperation.

This is the first study that provides an in-depth holistic mental model process by integrating major contextual factors to examine tourists’ evaluation of intercultural service encounters between themselves and tour guides.

Although the performance of services is done at an operative level, service is an important issue for the strategic, tactical, and operative business activities of companies. This paper examines the construct of interactive service quality in service encounters. This is a complex approach that goes beyond the current exploration of the service‐quality construct. Interactive service quality requires the simultaneous consideration of the service provider's perspective and the service receiver's perspective. The study was conducted in the Swedish automotive industry and focused on the issues of interactive service quality between a vehicle manufacturer and a selection of its most important suppliers. The major contributions of the research provide an on‐the‐spot account of interactive service quality. The paper provides theoretical and managerial implications of the construct of interactive service quality in service encounters.

This paper aims to examine the impact of service encounter quality within a service evaluation model. The conceptual model seeks to incorporate the following constructs: service encounter quality, service quality, customer satisfaction, perceived value, loyalty to the firm and loyalty to the employees.

A conceptual model was developed based on a comprehensive literature review. A questionnaire was developed with item measures that captures the constructs in the conceptual model. A survey of business customers was undertaken, and a response rate of 18.6 per cent was obtained. The data are analysed via confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.

Service encounter quality is directly related to customer satisfaction and service quality perceptions, and indirectly to perceived value and loyalty. The paper offers insights into the specifics of business‐to‐business service dynamics by examining the role of service quality, satisfaction, value on loyalty to both employees of the firm and the firm itself. It demonstrates how firms may be able to contribute to the achievement of organisational objectives through careful and creative management of the service encounter.

Research examining the role that service encounter quality plays within service evaluation models is scarce. Moreover, most service evaluation models are operationalised within a retail customer context. The paper addresses both these shortcomings, by examining a comprehensive service evaluation model which incorporates service encounter quality within a business‐to‐business context.

Service customers perceive quality in the moment of interaction with the service provider. In times of globalization, it is important for a growing number of service companies to ask if the perceived service encounter quality differs among customers from different cultures. Particularly needed is information about whether problematic “culture shocks” occur in service encounters due to culture‐bound expectations and perceptions. To answer this question, a model of inter‐cultural service encounter quality is presented. In order to test the assumption of “culture shocks” in inter‐cultural service encounters, an empirical study applying the critical incident technique (CIT) was conducted. The unexpected results of this study lead to a further development of the model presented. This gives insights into why, and under which circumstances, inter‐cultural encounters are perceived as less problematic than intra‐cultural encounters. Finally, managerial implications and open research questions are discussed.

Selling services supposes that customers and personnel meet. This service encounter is not haphazard. Behind each ordinary exchange, there are rules that everybody is supposed to follow. This paper looks at the different components of service encounter that are relevant for assessing service quality. A dyadic face‐to‐face survey undertaken in local branches of the ANPE Agency (the French National Agency for Employment) studies the perceptions of both personnel and customers. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, proposes a scale measuring the dimensions of service encounter.

This study seeks to investigate the service interaction behaviors that elicit a sense of comfort for the customer in the service encounter, and to investigate the mediating role of comfort on assessments of quality, customer satisfaction and positive word‐of‐mouth in two industries.

In‐depth interviews were used to create an initial list of interaction behaviors displayed by service employees in an encounter. A quantitative study was then used to collect data to empirically examine the relationship between the constructs of interest.

Two key groups of interaction behavior are identified and contain specific behaviors that create a sense of overall comfort for the customer. Overall comfort positively impacts both overall quality and customer satisfaction, and this ultimately leads to positive word‐of‐mouth.

The research focuses on two industries only: fashion apparel retailing and casual dining restaurants. Future research needs to examine other industries, experiential or credence services, level of involvement or the impact of culture.

Managers are recommended to incorporate interaction behaviors into front‐line employee training and design of comfort‐enhancing strategies.

Research on employee behaviors and emotional aspects of the encounter is relatively scant, and this study investigates the specific behavioral repertoire that gives rise to an overall feeling of comfort in the service encounter. Although employee behavior is widely acknowledged to have an immense impact on the customer's evaluation of the encounter, there still exists much room to explore specific behaviors that are important for successful service delivery.

This study aimed to examine young, middle-aged and mature air-travelers’ perceptions of the quality levels of in-flight physical surroundings and service encounters, and investigated the drivers of their repurchase intentions in the low-cost airline industry.

A sample of 402 passengers on international flights was used. An ANOVA and a series of multiple-regression analyses based on Baron and Kenny’s (1986) suggestion were used.

In general, significant differences in quality attributes were identified across age groups. Additionally, the role of these quality components, perceived level of the airfare and trust in the airline were found to be decisive in low-cost airline passengers’ decision formation. Further, the mediating impact of perceived level of the airfare and trust was identified.

Research about air-travelers’ decision formation by considering their age is rare in a low-cost airline context. Results of the present study provided meaningful insights for researchers and practitioners in the airline industry.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the critical role that context plays in measuring service quality.

This study replicated an experiment methodology to show that customers perceive an airline service drama as a sequence of scenes. A series of focus groups were then conducted to identify the context-specific set of service quality expectations that customers hold for each of these scenes. Finally, Formal Concept Analysis (FCA), a mathematical modeling technique, was applied to these findings to graphically illustrate how customer expectations for airline service quality vary by service scene.

Results from this study indicate that static measures of service quality are apparently inadequate in explaining customer expectations during more enduring service encounters. The FCA hierarchical model developed in this study revealed profound differences in customer service expectations across the six airline service scenes. These results suggest that more advanced methods for measuring service quality are necessary for service encounters that are longer in duration.

This research brings into question a broad spectrum of research which fails to recognize that customers use different reference points in time to evaluate service quality.

Researchers and practitioners need accurate and reliable measures of service quality but the findings suggests that measurement specificity and diagnostic capability should not be sacrificed in the pursuit of more robust instruments.

This is the first study to empirically demonstrate that customers perceive the airline service encounter as a sequence of scenes. It is also the first study to mathematically model service quality dimensions using FCA.