Joel E. Collier

Measuring Service Quality in E-Retailing

To managers of companies with a Web presence, an awareness of how customers perceive service quality is essential to understanding what customers value in an online service transaction. Previous research in e-service quality has primarily focused on the interaction of the consumer and the Web site while missing the big picture that e-service quality is composed of more than Web site interactivity. The goal of this article is to extend the work on e-service quality to encompass not only Web site interactivity or process quality but also outcome quality and recovery quality. A conceptual framework of e-service quality is proposed and empirically tested that combines process, outcome, and recovery dimensions. Contrary to previous service quality studies, formative instead of reflective indicators are used to conceptualize e-service quality. This study found empirical support for the use of formative indicators and the three-dimensional approach to conceptualizing e-service quality.

Only if it is Convenient: Understanding How Convenience Influences Self-Service Technology Evaluation

Self-service technologies (SSTs) can help firms reduce labor costs while providing more channel options, but customers must be convinced of their value before foregoing a full service alternative. To understand how customers evaluate an SST, the authors conducted three studies to analyze the importance of convenience in the evaluation process along with exploring what constructs ultimately influence customers’ need for human interaction with an SST. Surveying both users’ experiences with an SST and also nonusers’ perceptions of an SST, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to assess the perceived benefits of using an SST. In Study 1, the authors found that convenience had a strong positive effect on the perceived accuracy, speed, and exploration intentions of an SST. Building on these results, Studies 2 and 3 reveal that SST users have a lower need for interaction when they are satisfied with an SST, while nonusers’ trust perceptions had the greatest influence on the need for human interaction during an SST transaction. The authors discovered that user satisfaction can be enhanced by focusing on the speed and accuracy of an SST, whereas nonusers’ perceptions of accuracy and exploration increased the trust placed in an SST.

Model Misspecification: Contrasting Formative and Reflective Indicators for a Model of E-Service Quality

This paper discusses the managerial and theoretical implications of model misspecification-specifically, formative versus reflective construct conceptualization, measurement, and modeling of e-service quality. Service quality has a long history of using reflective indicators in its conceptualization. Recently, researchers have started to question the traditional conceptualization by noting that service quality may be better represented by formative rather than reflective indicators. We undertook a study of e-service quality and analyzed the data using a formative conceptualization, as well as a traditional reflective conceptualization. The results of our comparison demonstrated very different managerial conclusions for the two specifications. Thus, we conclude that the issue of model specification is a topic that needs more attention in the academic community due to the potentially flawed managerial conclusions that can result from model misspecification.

An analysis of how nonresponse error is assessed in academic marketing research

Nonresponse error is a topic that draws little attention but can dramatically affect the ability to generalize results of a research study. The authors carried out an empirical investigation that took a critical look at the marketing discipline to see how nonresponse error was being addressed in three of the top five marketing journals. The data for this study consisted of a content analysis of all articles from the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science from 1999 through 2003 to determine if and how nonresponse error was being addressed in academic marketing research. This article details the findings of this content analysis, i.e., what measures are being used to assess nonresponse error along with the literature cited in support of these measures. The article concludes with an overall analysis of how well this topic is being addressed along with further suggestions for assessing nonresponse in the field of marketing research.

Investigating work engagement in the service environment

Purpose – Frontline employees (FLEs) represent a major source of value creation for the modern firm. As such, firms are constantly evaluating different attributes of potential and current employees in the hopes of attracting, retaining, and rewarding key employees. Recently, the construct of work engagement has garnered interest as an important indicator of employee performance. However, much is unknown about this construct with regards to antecedents, outcomes and measurement. Thus, the purpose of the current research is to contribute to the developing literature on work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from FLEs across high and low customer contact service contexts. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – This research provides empirical evidence that service climate, job satisfaction and affective commitment influence work engagement. Employees work engagement subsequently impacts constructs such as caree...

Tailoring to Customers’ Needs Understanding How to Promote an Adaptive Service Experience With Frontline Employees

For most organizations, the ability to adapt a service experience is the responsibility of frontline employees (FLEs). Previous research on adapting or customizing a service has focused much of its attention on the internal motivations or predispositions of FLEs to adapt a service. However, the ability to adapt a service experience is often a function of management setting expectations and allocating appropriate resources. Regardless of the FLE’s internal motivation, service providers need to educate employees on how and when to adapt a customer’s service experience. Drawing on role theory, our study focuses on how mangers can promote adaptive behaviors with FLEs. Our findings identify two major processes in adapting a service experience: (1) recognition of customer needs through employee empathy and anticipation and (2) creation of alternatives to meet those needs through employee creativity. To further examine the managerial influence on adapting a service, we explore how the perceived service climate of the organization and employee empowerment influences FLEs’ ability to adapt a service. Results of our study indicate that perceived service climate has a larger impact on recognition of customer needs, while empowerment has a stronger influence on the creation of alternatives. From a managerial perspective, this research highlights that adaptive behavior can be fostered in FLEs and is not solely dependent on hiring the “right” people who are predisposed to adapt. The findings of our study have implications for business practice in managing service encounters, employee empowerment, and training.

Investigating the Employee’s Perspective of Customer Delight

With ever-increasing expectations from customers, sales managers need to assess if trying to delight customers is a worthy pursuit. While the concept of delight has been studied from both customer and management perspectives, the employee’s perspective has not been evaluated with the same intensity. To explore this underresearched area, the authors performed critical incident studies of frontline employees (FLEs) to understand their perceptions of what it means to delight customers, and how in turn these perceptions affect psychological and behavioral states of employees. The results of this analysis revealed that employees who delighted customers experienced improved customer orientation and increased job skills. In addition, many FLEs experienced an emotional contagion of positive emotions from a customer during a delightful experience. The authors also investigated the difference between employees’ perceptions of delight and satisfaction, thereby providing a comparison of how the two levels impact employee performance.

A Conceptual Framework for Measuring E-Service Quality

The idea of service quality is increasingly important to managers of companies with a web presence. Measuring e-service quality is becoming an important topic to understanding what customers’ value in an online service transaction. The goal of this paper is to conceptualize e-service quality by exploring the process, outcome, and recovery dimensions of service quality.

Customer delight and work engagement

Purpose – The purpose of the current research is to evaluate how customer contact level and customer service-based role conflict influence the relationship between customer emotions and work engagement, while simultaneously evaluating psychological capital as an outcome of work engagement. Customer service research highlights the impact of employee attitudes and behaviors on customer satisfaction. More recently, this relationship has been examined in reverse, evaluating how customer emotions influence the employee. Unfortunately, previous research has not evaluated variables that inhibit the impact of customer emotions on the employee. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from frontline employees across high and low customer contact service contexts. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – This research provides empirical evidence that employee-perceived customer delight impacts employee work engagement. However, through a process of feedback,...

Multiple paths to customer delight: the impact of effort, expertise and tangibles on joy and surprise

Historically, firms have dedicated an abundance of resources in the pursuit of customer satisfaction and its corresponding favorable consequences. However, research indicates that customer satisfaction may not necessarily result in the outcomes pursued. This paper aims to focus on the concept of customer delight and explore antecedents and consequences of interest to the service firm. More specifically, the proposed model explores the linkages of employee effort, employee expertise and the firm’s tangibles to customer surprise and joy which in turn lead to customer delight and per cent of budget spent.,Data were collected from a grocery store. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling.,Results from this study yield new insights into the dual pathways leading to customer delight through joy and surprise. That is, joy and tangibles lead to both joy and surprise, whereas expertise leads to joy alone. Both joy and surprise are completely mediated through delight to per cent of budget spent. Interestingly, higher frequency customers experience a stronger relationship from joy to delight.,The findings have implications for the ongoing debate on the viability of customer delight and extending the theoretical understanding of why customer delight represents such a powerful force in the service environment.,By providing specific variables that impact both joy and surprise, management can develop tactics to develop delight initiatives.,This is the first study proposing multiple paths to customer delight. Further, this is the first study to link needs based and disconfirmation into a single model.