Chapter 7
Consumers’ Evaluation
of Service
Chapter 7 slides for
Marketing
for Pharmacists,
2nd Edition
Learning Objectives
 Define the following terms: satisfaction, dissatisfaction.
service quality, value, expectations, search and nonsearch
characteristics of services, experience and credence qualities
of services, technical quality and functional quality.
 Discuss why pharmacists should care about patient
perceptions of service.
 List the 10 dimensions of service quality that patients use to
evaluate pharmaceutical services.
 Describe the two dimensions of service quality most
important in determining overall perceptions of service.
 Compare and contrast affective loyalty and behavioral loyalty.
 Explain why dissatisfaction is more important than
satisfaction in determining patient perceptions of service.
 Suggest things pharmacists can do to understand and
influence patient perception of services.
Effect of Expectations
and Performance on
Satisfaction
TIP
Perceptions are most
important.
Factors
Affecting
Customer
Satisfaction
Individual’s
Personal
Characteristics
Situational
Factors
Product
Quality
Customer
Satisfaction
Service
Quality
Price
Comparing Service Performance
with Expectations
Patient Comparison
of Performance with
Expectations
Does Not Meet
Expectations
Dissatisfaction
(Negative
Disconfirmation)
Meets
Expectations
Mild Satisfaction
(Simple
Confirmation)
Exceeds
Expectations
Delight
(Positive
Disconfirmation)
Consequences of service
Bad service = dissatisfaction = lost
customers
OK service = not dissatisfied/mild
satisfaction = customers until
something better comes along
Great service = delight = loyalty
Zone of Tolerance
Service Most Desired
by Customer
Level of
Service
Given by
Pharmacy
Zone of Tolerance
Merely
Adequate
Service Deemed
Minimally Acceptable
Expectations, performance,
and satisfaction
 Patient satisfaction is caused by
expectations and perceptions of service
performance.
 Lower expectations are easier to meet.
 Simply meeting expectations provides little
competitive advantage.
Service Elements
Assessed by
Consumers
TIP
Evaluations are
multidimensional.
Consumer’s Ability to
Assess Services
Qualities
Sea rch
Nons ea rch
can be identif ied and
evaluated pr ior to choice
and/or consumption
cannot be evaluated
prior to choice
Exp erie nce
can be evaluated only dur ing
or after consumption
Cre den ce
can never be meaningf ully
evaluated even af ter exper ience
Implications
Consumers have trouble evaluating
many aspects of pharmacist services.
Many have credence qualities.
Therefore, they rely on those things
they can easily assess.
e.g., fast, friendly, appearance, time spent,
price
Pharmacists can help patients assess
credence qualities of care.
Another way of examining service
quality: Patients assess both….
Functional
Quality (FQ)
Technical
Quality (TQ)
- how care was
delivered
- the end result
of the care
Overall
Evaluation of
Service
What is most important in overall
assessment of care?
Dimensions of service quality
 Reliability -- performing service correctly the first
time
 Responsiveness -- willingness and ability to provide
prompt service
 Competence -- knowledge and skill of customercontact personnel
 Communication -- explaining service in a way that
can be understood
 Credibility -- trustworthiness of personnel
 Security -- confidentiality of transactions
 Understanding/knowing the customer -- making
effort to ascertain a customer’s specific needs
 Access -- ease of contacting the service firm
 Courtesy -- friendliness of personnel
 Tangibles -- appearance of facilities and personnel
Findings about service quality
Patients focus on those things they can
assess (search and experience qualities).
They use the process (FQ) of service as a
surrogate of the outcome (TQ).
Reliability and responsiveness are most
important to patients, although any
dimension can affect patronage.
Relationship Between
Loyalty and Satisfaction
TIP
Satisfied patients are
not always loyal.
Perceptions and outcomes
of service
Service
Quality
Value
Satisfaction
Perceptions
of Service
•Loyalty,
•Word-of-Mouth
•Frequency and
Volume of Purchases
Satisfaction strategies
Avoid causing subversives
Avoid serious interpersonal or technical
errors
Keep promises, be responsive, show
respect
Demonstrate you care
Preserve and create apostles
Give patients exceptional service
experiences
Make them feel that they got something
of real value
Assessing patient perceptions
Observation
Employee
feedback
Patient complaints
Patient interviews
Patient surveys
Sales figures
Critical incident
surveys
Focus groups
Mystery (secret)
shoppers
Service audits
The most important thing in communication is to
hear what isn't being said.
- Peter F. Drucker
Summary
Patient perceptions are important as
proxies for patient behavior (i.e.,
association with patient loyalty, word of
mouth, and profitability).
Pharmacists should attempt to
Make their services reliable and responsive.
Minimize negative service experiences.
Monitor patient perceptions of service.
Questions?