Christina S. Simmers

What's your preference?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of human interaction versus interactions with technology in overall customer satisfaction with banking services, specifically, tellers versus Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) vs online transactions. All types of interactions are important in services, yet their level of importance is changing as the environment change.Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted through surveys with students who had a bank checking account; six item measures were used to examine human interaction, interaction with an ATM, interaction with an online banking service and overall satisfaction with the specific bank. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of the interactions on overall satisfaction.Findings – The findings from the two studies show that while the human encounter was more important before online banking became so prevalent, the convenience of online banking has displaced the importance of human interaction. Ho...

Exergaming: virtual inspiration, real perspiration

Purpose – The USA is facing an obesity crisis so large that for the first time in history, this generation of children may have a life span that does not exceed that of its parents. Simultaneously, the gaming industry has introduced a form of video gaming (e.g. Nintendo Wii) that requires the participant to be physically involved in the game. For example, a live player will have a tennis racquet that he/she swings to compete with a virtual opponent on screen. This form of entertainment has been termed “exergaming.” People are buying these games for the purpose of entertainment. However, this paper aims to propose that there are possible unanticipated physical benefits of this new gaming technology.Design/methodology/approach – A survey method is used to examine attitudes about exercise, video gaming and exergaming.Findings – Results indicate a positive attitude toward exergaming, particularly with the more self‐identified sedentary respondents.Research limitations/implications – This topic would benefit f...

Measuring Service Quality Perceptions of Restaurant Experiences: The Disparity Between Comment Cards and DINESERV

Service quality is an important measure for the success of a restaurant. Comment cards are an attempt by restaurateurs to measure the gap between actual customer perceptions and the service quality restaurateurs believe they are providing. A content analysis of restaurant comment cards was conducted to determine if there is disparity between restaurant comment cards and the DINESERV model developed for measuring perceived restaurant quality. Findings indicate that the restaurant comment cards include all five DINESERV dimensions, but they also include the tangible attributes of the food and overall experience measures that are not included in DINESERV. Comment cards omit questions regarding negative experiences, problem resolution, and individualized attention, which DINESERV includes.