Edwin N. Torres

Deconstructing Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: Challenges and Directions for Future Research

Scholars and practitioners constantly seek to improve the quality of service through the study and practice of concepts such as service quality and customer satisfaction. The present research examines the various perspectives on quality and satisfaction, explains some of the challenges, and proposes a quality framework and directions for future research. Throughout this article, the author argues in favor of a more comprehensive view on quality that considers consumer-driven, internally driven, and intrinsic or expert-driven sources. According to the proposed framework customer-driven service quality is guided by ideal expectations, performance, detailed criteria, and value perceptions. Expert-driven quality is driven by service standards, ratings, and awards. Internally driven quality is driven by benchmarking, quality circles and empowerment, and brand standards. The present study is a call to reexamine the ways of defining and measuring service quality. The ideas presented can help advance a research agenda on service quality and present a clearer distinction between the two concepts.

One experience and multiple reviews: the case of upscale US hotels

Purpose – The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal sources are often received, valued, and processed in various ways. The researchers sought to further explore the usage of such feedback and implications for theory and practice.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was sent to hotel general managers of four‐ and five‐diamond properties around the USA using the listing of the American Automobile Association (AAA). A total of 140 responses were received. The researchers utilized correlations and canonical correlation analysis to help understand the relationships among the variables.Findings – The results of the study revealed moderate to strong correlations between improvement in consumer‐generated feedback and customer satisfaction; between improvement in AAA ratings and customer satisfaction and mystery shopping scores. There were also moderate to high correlations among ...

The influence of others on the vacation experience: an ethnographic study of psychographics, decision making, and group dynamics among young travelers.

The vacation experience is often enjoyed in the company of others. Whereas scholars have focused on the consumer behaviors of mature travelers, young travelers have received less attention. The present study explores customer-to-customer interactions among young travelers (in their 20s and 30s) within a European tour-group setting. Furthermore, it attempts to understand the influence such travelers have on one another. The decision-making patterns, role of the tour guide, group dynamics, and psychographic preferences are studied from an ethnographic approach. Results indicate that the young travel segment is not as homogeneous as previously conceived. Notable differences in activities, interests, and opinions were observed. Additionally, several cases of en-route group purchase decisions were observed. This article draws upon the concept of compatibility management to advocate for a more targeted approach in appealing to this particular market segment. Conclusions are made regarding the differences among trip participants and potential segmentation strategies are proposed.

Customer and Employee Incivility and Its Causal Effects in the Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACT The present research sought to understand customer and employee incivility in the hospitality industry. The study identified customer actions that are perceived as uncivil by employees and coping strategies used by employees after experiencing uncivil behavior. Finally, service-recovery situations are differentiated from security-related incidents and guidance is offered to hospitality managers regarding the minimization of customer incivility. An empirical survey was distributed to 297 hotel employees. Regression analysis indicated that the effects of customer incivility were an increase in: customer aggression, employee negative emotions, employee-to-customer incivility, employee-to-employee incivility, and employee sensitivity to uncivil acts. The effects of employee-to-employee incivility were increased customer aggression and negative emotions, but decreased sensitivity to uncivil acts. Uncivil behaviors by customers included insulting comments, anger, frustration, verbal attacks, and condescending behavior. The identification of uncivil behaviors and their effects can assist in training staff in identifying and managing such actions and in devising mitigation strategies.

Guest interactions and the formation of memorable experiences: an ethnography

Purpose For most customers, the vacation experience is enjoyed in the company of others; thus, studying customer-to-customer interactions becomes critical. This research aims to explore customer-to-customer interactions and their impact on the guest experience. Design/methodology/approach An ethnographic approach was taken to study a tour group over the course of two weeks. The author was a covert researcher and a member of the touring group. Findings Individuals gained social status both among fellow travelers and also among friends and family by virtue of their travels, the stories told, pictures shared and social media postings. The group became highly cohesive in a short time span, which led to an “in” and “out” group dynamic. Informants were more prone to take risks, owing to both their status as travelers and the group dynamics. The consumption of alcohol was observed along with its positive and negative effects. It was also noted that group members influenced one another during the process of assigning gratuities to the tour guide. Practical implications The marketing of hospitality and tourism services can stress benefits that go beyond one single vacation. Companies can engage in more vigorous efforts to facilitate positive customer-to-customer interactions to enhance the guest experience. Finally, given the speed of group processes and formation of a cohesive environment, organizations should be vigilant of how both employees and customers interact in the early stages of group development. Originality/value Even though mature travelers have been the subject of much research attention, the interactions, habits and influence of young travelers in the literature is underrepresented. Furthermore, the present research challenges the previously held assumption that services are simultaneously produced and consumed. Using pictures, social media posting and stories, informants recall and continue to experience benefits from their vacation.

The use of consumer-generated feedback in the hotel industry: current practices and their effects on quality.

Consumer-generated feedback is hard to ignore these days. Word-of-mouth has expanded beyond a customer’s immediate friends and family; with the help of technology it reaches thousands of current and prospective guests. In light of this, scholars and practitioners are exploring the subject of consumer-generated feedback. Today, most of the research regarding this subject focuses on the use of consumer-generated feedback to make purchase decisions. In contrast, the present study explores the use of such information for the purposes of improving hotel operations. This article examines the amount of value placed on consumer-generated feedback, the relative importance placed on positive and negative feedback, and its effects on perceived quality. Furthermore, this study inquires as to the specific uses given to consumer-generated feedback in the hotel industry. It is the researchers’ contention that valuing feedback has positive effects on perceived quality. The findings conclude that hotels can use consumer-generated feedback to take actions such as modifying training programs and operating procedures, as well as identifying patterns of complaint and praise.

Engaging customers in value co-creation or co-destruction online

This paper aims to develop a theoretical model to understand co-creation/co-destruction of value through customer engagement in online channels. It also investigates the contributing factors.,The qualitative approach uses the critical incidents technique to answer the research questions. The authors identify 350 critical incidents in which customers expressed online customer engagement-induced value co-creation or co-destruction experiences. The factors and resulting propositions are identified through data analysis. Data coding and analysis are facilitated by using MAXQDA 12.,Co-creation through positively valenced engagement behaviors may occur when customers are delighted, feel valued, experience reciprocity, receive organizational incentives, are solicited for feedback, can count on service recovery efforts and interact with helpful, empathetic, polite and responsive employees. Co-destruction through negatively valenced engagement behaviors emerges from rude employee behaviors, indifference, confrontation with company representatives, technological failure, the lack of complaint outlets and customers’ desire for revenge.,Selecting and training employees to be helpful, polite, responsive and empathetic toward online visitors can trigger co-creation. Communication between firms and customers should boost customer approval and delight. Organizations can offer incentives, reliable service delivery and a recovery design to stimulate visitor participation. Soliciting feedback requires sound technological support and direct communication links with visitors.,This study presents the conditions and framework contributing to the duality of customer engagement-induced co-creation and co-destruction values in online channels from the customer, organizational, employee, service design and technological perspectives. It also addresses how value is co-created or co-destructed through examples.

Are there gender differences in what drives customer delight

Purpose – This paper aims to understand how male and female hotel guests become delighted customers. It aims to present the similarities and differences along with respective implications for theory and application. Design/methodology/approach – During a period of three months, tourists were interviewed at an upscale Florida hotel. A total of 208 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The script for the interviews was based on an interview protocol used by Crotts et al. Adapted from a previous customer delight study (Torres and Kline), a codebook was developed to determine the salient themes that emerged during the interview process. Interviews were coded independently by three experienced reviewers using the process of content analysis. Findings – The results demonstrated that while men and women agreed on most aspects of the service experience that led them to feel delighted, there were other aspects of the delight experience that seemed to vary by gender. More specifically, female guests were more ...

Let’s ‘Meetup’ at the theme park

Many people enjoy theme park and other leisure experiences with their families; however, today a great number of single, geographically mobile individuals desire to partake in such experiences. ‘Meetup’ is the world’s largest social network of local groups and thus allows for both online and off-line (in person) interactions. Using an ethnographic approach, this study examines how individuals can enjoy activities centered on common activities, interests, and opinions (AIO) via immersion in a Meetup group over the course of a year. Notably, members visited with greater frequency, had less tolerance for long lines, and were more likely to attend special events, eat at specialty restaurants, and consume alcohol. Group members also exchanged travel advice and both contributed and detracted from the enjoyment of the theme park experience. Membership in this Meetup group increased the frequency of visits and deeper exploration of the theme park resort, thus improving behavioral loyalty among annual pass holders. Managers can learn from these online communities to foster interactions among their guests and better target this new market.

Consumer-led experience customization: A socio-spatial approach

Adopting a socio-spatial approach, this study develops a consumer-centric conception of service experience customization. In contrast to existing service customization research, which has focused on company-centric approaches, the purpose of this paper is to examine the practices through which consumers use, abuse, subvert, transform, or complement organizational resources to construct their consumption experiences.,The empirical context for this study is a Meetup group: a consumer network organized around members’ shared interests and activities in theme parks. The research utilized participant observation of members’ face-to-face activities during two years and over 80 events, interviews with key informants, and content analysis of online interactions.,The findings outline how consumers interact across physical and virtual spaces utilizing technologies and material objects. The data are used to propose a new consumer-centric conceptualization of experience customization, distinguishing between three modes: collaborative co-production, cooperative co-creation, and subversive co-creation.,It is argued that the three modes of customization provide a way to understand how consumers mobilize and (re)deploy organizational resources to create experiences that may complement existing service propositions, but may also transform them in ways that challenge the service provider’s original goals and expectations. Furthermore, this study identifies the factors that shape which modes of customization are possible and how they are enacted. Specifically, the discussion examines how experiential complexity, governability, the compatibility of consumer and organizational practices, and the collective mobilization of resources may determine the scope and form of customization.