Jos Lemmink

Antecedents of Commitment and Trust in Customer-Supplier Relationships in High-Technology Markets

Abstract The level of complexity and inherent perceived risk involved in customer relationships in high-technology markets leads to an intricate interplay of factors determining commitment and trust that in turn affect customer intentions to remain in the relationship. In this article, we develop a model in which aspects of the product, relationship management activities, and market variables are discerned and taken into account simultaneously as antecedents of trust, commitment, and intention to stay. The results from a qualitative and a quantitative study provide evidence for the influence of types of antecedents of trust, commitment, and intention to stay in supplier–customer relationships in high-technology markets relationships. It is shown that particularly affective commitment plays an important role in these relationships

The effect of service employees' technology readiness on technology acceptance

As much of the work of service employees is supported by IT, the quality of the service often depends on how the technology is used. Most employees only use a fraction of the functionality available on their desk-top. This may also depend on their personality. We performed research on the relationship of personality and technology acceptance. In our study we combined the technology readiness index (TRI) and TAM into one model. Specifically, we measured the relation between TRIs personality trait dimensions - optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity - and the cognitive dimensions of TAM. Data was collected from 810 employees of a multi-site financial service provider. Analysis revealed that personality traits had the expected impact on user perceptions. Surprisingly, Innovativeness was negatively related to usefulness.

An empirical assessment of the influence of customer emotions and contact employee performance on encounter and relationship satisfaction

Our study examines the effect of customer emotions and contact employee performance in creating encounter and relationship satisfaction. It investigates the performance of the contact employee from an interactive perspective by specifying the employee performance into employee-specific and interaction-induced behaviors, using a multilevel approach. Our results reveal a significant influence of positive emotions on both types of satisfaction and no significant impact of negative emotions. Furthermore, our study identifies that not all of the employee behaviors that influence encounter satisfaction also influence relationship satisfaction. Additionally, results of the study demonstrate that specifying employee performance into employee-specific and interaction-induced behaviors allows a better understanding of customer encounter and relationship satisfaction.

The role of corporate image and company employment image in explaining application intentions

Due to a tight labour market, some Western organisations are now looking for new ways to attract highly qualified applicants. This paper examines the influence of the corporate image and the company employment image on the application intentions of graduate business students. We begin by investigating the dimensional composition of these images, both by literature search and empirically. Second, we determine their influence on the application intentions. The intermediary role of information use will also receive attention. Our results show that both types of images have independent significant positive effects on the intentions to apply and are thus important and valuable tools on the labour market, although strongly different.

Consumer Evaluations of Service Brand Extensions

Branding decisions are becoming increasingly important in services, but little service-specific research has focused on this domain so far. This is surprising, as the service industry accounts for an ever-growing share of the global economy, whereas service aspects have become increasingly important for all goods. Marketing managers may want to capitalize on previously acquired brand equity by extending a reputable brand to a new category. Little is known, however, about the extent to which consumerbased brand equity transfers to unrelated categories in a services context. The authors have replicated Aaker and Keller’s (1990) study and extended it to the services domain. Our data set provides evidence that in a services context, consumers use complementarity to the original category as a major cue to evaluate extensions. As a consequence, brand extension strategies could probably be used most successfully in cases where a significant similarity in service delivery processes exists.

Quality management and business performance in hospitals: A search for success parameters

This paper is based on the results of a European study aimed at identifying and exploring success parameters of high (quality) performance and their possible interrelationships. The study was conducted in three service sectors (the hospital, road freight transport and banking sectors) in three European countries (Spain, UK and the Netherlands) early in 1995. In this paper we shall concentrate on the hospital sector. Based on the hospital data, we examined if criteria other than those used in the European Quality Assurance (EQA) model are more accurate in identifying quality progress and business performance of hospitals. Our research shows that different explanatory variables are linked to progress in total quality management (TQM) and business performance. Moreover, the sector involved in the study plays an important role. Our first conclusion suggests that the general application of the EQA model as an evaluation instrument is subject to debate. A second conclusion is that there is a positive link between progress in TQM and perceived service quality by customers. TQM improves perceived service quality. Progress in TQM and perceived service quality by customers are positively, but only to a limited degree, linked to business performance. However, this may be due to the general level of quality management in the sector studied. In general, we conclude that progress in TQM leads to higher business performance of the hospital, indicating the efficiency/cost effect, and to a higher perceived service quality by patients, indicating the effectiveness.

Affective consumer responses in service encounters: The emotional content in narratives of critical incidents

This research explores the effect of emotion on satisfaction with after sales services. Emotional content is derived from the respondents answers to the so-called critical incident question in order to classify the information according to established categories and the object responsible for evoking the emotional response. The emotional content is classified according to three levels of inclusiveness; the superordinate, the basic and the subordinate level. We found that the subordinate level is responsible for explaining most of the service satisfaction. Positive emotions like positive surprise, pleasure and contentment contribute positively to satisfaction, while negative emotions, such as irritation and disappointment have a negative influence. Furthermore, more intense emotions have a greater impact on customer satisfaction than less intense emotions. Irritation, especially, has an extraordinarily negative impact on customer satisfaction. The positive emotion categories contribute almost equally to satisfaction. While the service employee is mostly the object of positive emotions in the critical incidents, the product, albeit less often the object of emotion, mostly evokes negative emotions.

Modeling and Evaluating Service Quality Measurement Using Neural Networks

Effective measurement and analysis of service quality are an essential first step in its improvement. This paper discusses the development of neural network models for this purpose. A valid neural network model for service quality is initially developed. Customer data from a SERVQUAL survey at an auto‐dealership network in The Netherlands provide the basis for model development. Different definitions of service quality measurement are modelled using the neural network approach. The perception‐minus‐expectation model of service quality was found not to be as accurate as the perception‐only model in predicting service quality. While this is consistent with the literature, this study also shows that the more intuitively appealing but mathematically less convenient expectation‐minus‐perception model out‐performs all the other service quality measurement models. The study also provides an analytical basis for the importance of expectation in the measurement of service quality. However, the study demonstrates the need for further study before neural network models may be effectively used for sensitivity analyses involving specific dimensions of service quality.

“Futurizing” smart service: implications for service researchers and managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to craft a future research agenda to advance smart service research and practice. Smart services are delivered to or via intelligent objects that feature awareness and connectivity. For service researchers and managers, one of the most fascinating aspects of smart service provision is that the connected object is able to sense its own condition and its surroundings and thus allows for real-time data collection, continuous communication and interactive feedback. Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on discussions in the workshop on “Fresh perspectives on technology in service” at the International Network of Service Researchers on September 26, 2014 at CTF, Karlstad, Sweden. The paper summarizes the discussion on smart services, adds an extensive literature review, provides examples from business practice and develops a structured approach to new research avenues. Findings – We propose that smart services vary on their individual level of autonomous dec...

After sales service quality: Views between industrial customers and service managers

Abstract This article focuses upon the perceived quality of after sales services. It is a case study about a large supplier of office e equipment active in the Dutch market. The perceptions of the industrial customer on after sales services are compared with the view the service managers in the company have about these customer perceptions. Some striking differences as well as some similarities on services are found. Conclusions can be drawn for an after sales services strategy to gain a competitive edge.