Jgam Lemmink

The dynamics of the service delivery process : a value-based approach

Recent research linking service quality and service satisfaction has raised issues which require conceptual and empirical elaboration. Among these are the formation of satisfaction during the service delivery process and the role of customer value. In this article, the focus is on how different stages in the service delivery process can be profiled in terms of three axiological value dimensions and how each stage relates to an overall satisfaction judgement. The results of a cross-cultural study are reported in which the museum visit was chosen as the service delivery process. Our findings suggest that the museum visit can be broken down into a number of distinct stages and that the influence of the individual stages on overall satisfaction depends on the combinations of stages that are encountered by museum visitors.

Antecedents and consequences of the service climate in boundary-spanning self-managing service teams

In this article, the authors examine antecedents and consequences of the service climate in boundary-spanning self-managing teams (SMTs) that deliver financial services. Using data from members of 61 SMTs and their customers, the authors show a differential impact of the SMT service climate on various marketing performance measures. Furthermore, they obtain support for independent group-level effects of intrateam support and team member flexibility on employee perceptions of the SMT service climate. Both effects are persistent over time and demonstrate that collective perceptions in the SMT have incremental value in the explanation of the service climate.

Customer-Sales Employee Encounters: A Dyadic Perspective

Although researchers have suggested that the performance of the salesperson during sales encounters is critical, many of the underlying mechanisms that govern the interaction between salespersons and customers are still unclear. In this research, we investigate sales encounters from a new approach based on the field of research of interpersonal perception. Results demonstrate that drivers of customer satisfaction may also be satisfying for the contact employee. Additionally, we find that customer satisfaction is not only determined by the customer’s own perceptions, but also by the perceptions of the employee. Similarly, employee satisfaction is driven by the customer’s perceptions. Finally, our study identifies that perceptions of employee performance and satisfaction do not only reflect the unique interaction between the customer and the employee, but also relatively stable characteristics of the employee.

The role of value in the delivery process of hospitality services

In the services marketing literature only scant attention has been paid to the concept of customer value as a basis for evaluative judgment. So far, value has been defined primarily in monetary terms (‘‘value for money’’). In this paper the role of customer value in the service delivery process is examined. On the basis of axiology, value is positioned as a three-dimensional concept: (a) emotional, (b) practical and (c) logical. In a restaurant setting it is examined how value evolves during the course of the service delivery process. This service delivery process was broken down into four distinct stages: (a) reception, (b) ordering, (c) meal and (d) check-out. Each of these stages was profiled in terms of the aforementioned value dimensions. In addition, stage satisfaction scores were gathered. It was examined whether and to what extent carry-over eAects occurred with respect to the diAerent stages of the restaurant visit. A considerable number of carry-over eAects were found. Furthermore, the results of a subgroup analysis of the total sample of restaurant customers on the basis of the purpose of their visit yielded a number of diAerences concerning the three value dimensions which in turn might provide a basis for segmentation of restaurant customers. ” 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Moments of sorrow and joy : an empirical assessment of the complementary value of critical incidents in understanding customer service evaluations

It is commonly acknowledged that service quality can be measured by using attribute‐based and incident‐based measurements. Both methods are distinct in nature, but can be used complementarily. However, in the literature a simultaneous empirical investigation of the power of critical incidents in relation to attribute scores is lacking. In this paper we merge both methods for assessing service quality in a professional services context. Subsequently, both measurements have been used to investigate the effect of service quality on short‐term customer satisfaction and long‐term trust in the service provider. Results indicate that the combined approach adds value to single‐method measurement for explaining customer satisfaction. Furthermore, negative incidents are more influential on satisfaction than positive experiences. However, the negative effect of a negative incident on satisfaction can be compensated for by paying attention to particular dimensions of service quality. Critical incidents do not seem to have an impact on the apparently stable construct of trust.

The Adoption of Information Technology by Self-Managing Service Teams:

This article examines antecedents and consequences of the adoption level of standardized information technology (IT) versus customized IT in self-managing teams (SMTs) in a financial services institution. Linkages between specified antecedents and the adoption levels of standardized and customized IT were investigated using data collected from bank employees and in-company databases. The authors find positive individual-level effects of tolerance of self-management, ease of use, and innovativeness on the adoption level of standardized IT and positive individual-level effects of tolerance of self-management and perceived usefulness on the adoption level of customized IT. These findings suggest that discriminating between different types of IT creates a better understanding of IT adoption in SMTs. A similar investigation of the IT adoption-service performance relationships shows that the adoption level of customized IT rather than of standardized IT has a crucial impact on service performance both in terms of customer satisfaction and productivity.

Measuring customer service quality in international marketing channels: a multimethod approach

The measurement of perceived service quality using the SERVQUAL approach has been criticized by a number of authors recently. This criticism concerns the conceptual basis of this methodology as well as its empirical operationalization. Presents a complementary approach to measuring service quality based on conjoint analysis. Discusses the application of both SERVQUAL and conjoint analysis in the context of measuring customer service quality in international marketing channels and evaluates how the results may lead to a more comprehensive insight into the quality of customer service and provide a basis for segmentation and optimization of customer service.

Role stress in after-sales service management

The implementation of a superior service strategy strongly depends on the attitude and behavior of customer contact personnel in service organizations. However, conflicting demands of organizational constraints, service managers, service teams, and customers frequently lead to role stress of service employees. In this article, the authors investigate antecedents and consequences of role stress experienced in after-sales service management of an international office equipment manufacturer from a longitudinal perspective. Empowering service employees by giving them authority and responsibility decreases their sense of role stress and, at the same time, enhances job satisfaction. Moreover, the authors notice a negative short-term and a positive long-term effect of the presence of rules and regulations. In the short term, this leads to higher role conflict. Finally, on the basis of the positive lagged effect of perceived group cohesiveness on role ambiguity, the authors conclude that creating “tight-knit” workgroups can actually prove detrimental because the norms they develop might be hard to change.

The power of perceived service quality in international marketing channels

States that providing quality customer service is increasingly regarded as an important basis for establishing and maintaining solid and long‐term relationships between manufacturers and distributors in marketing channels. Discusses the results of a research project which was undertaken to study the relationship between perceived service quality, supplier power bases and perceived relationship strength in international marketing channels. Finds that two dimensions can be used for characterizing perceived service quality in international marketing channels: service elements controlled by intermediary personnel; and service elements controlled by management. Moreover reveals that perceived service quality is an important determinant of perceived relationship strength, in contrast to coercive power bases such as offering rewards or undertaking punitive action. Concludes that, particularly in long channel structures, perceived service quality forms an important marketing channel instrument for relationship marketing.

Manufacturer-distributor relationships and channel service quality

In todays marketplace for fast‐moving consumer goods, many brands exist with similar characteristics. Development and maintenance of product differentiation becomes increasingly difficult to realize for manufacturers. Consequently, non‐price competition particularly by offering high quality customer services, becomes increasingly important as a marketing instrument by producers towards distributors. In this article, an empirical investigation has been conducted into the interrelationships between customer services offered by an international beverage manufacturer and customer sentiments towards partnership and dependence. It appears that despite the well‐established premium brand offered by the manufacturer and the context of a long‐term relationship, customer service significantly affects customer dependence and closeness of the relationship. Furthermore, a high degree of partnership increases customer perceptions of dependence and quality of services. In the long run, manufacturer‐distributor relationships striving for service quality and partnership will benefit from mutual reinforcement.