Lesson 2. Understanding service consumers
Prepurchase
Stage
Service
Encounter
Stage
Postencounter
Stage
Three-Stage Model
Stages of Service Consumption
Prepurchase
Stage
Awareness of needs
• Clarify needs
Key Concepts
•
•
•
Need arousal
Evoked set
Consideration set
•
•
Multi-attribute model
Search, experience, and credence
attributes
Perceived risk
Information search
• Explore solutions
• Identify alternative service products and suppliers
Evaluation of alternatives (solutions and suppliers)
• Review supplier information
(e.g., advertising, brochures, websites)
• Review information from third parties
(e.g., online reviews, ratings, comments on the web, blogs, awards, and
comparison portals)
• Discuss options with service personnel
• Get advice and feedback from third-party advisors, friends and family, and
other customers
Make decisions on service purchase and often make a reservation
•
•
Formation of expectations:
desired service level, predicted
service level, adequate service
level, zone of tolerance
Stages of Service Consumption
Service Request service from a chosen supplier or
Encounter initiate self-service (payment may be upfront
Stage
or billed later)
Service delivery by personnel or self-service
technology
Key Concepts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stages of Service Consumption
PostEvaluation of service performance
encounter
Stage
Future intentions
Moments of truth
Service encounters
Low- vs. high-contact encounters
Servuction system
Theater as a metaphor
Role and script theories
Perceived control theory
Key Concepts
•
•
•
•
•
•
Confirmation/Disconfirmation of expectations
Dissatisfaction, satisfaction, and delight
Service quality
Word-of-mouth
Repurchase
Loyalty and engagement
Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
 Describe how customers evaluate services and what determines their
satisfaction.
 Understand service quality, its dimensions, and measurement, and how quality
relates to customer loyalty.
 Know why customer loyalty is important.
Post-Encounter Stage
#3 of The Three Stage Model
1. Customer Satisfaction
 In the post-encounter stage:
 Customers evaluate the service performance they have
experienced
 Compare it with their prior expectations
Word of
Mouth
Market
information
Past
experience
Expectation
Assessment
Performance
1. PS > ES : satisfaction
2. PS = ES: just satisfaction
3. PS < ES: dissatisfaction
The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Model of
Satisfaction
Source: Adapted from Richard L. Oliver (2010),
Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the
Consumer, 2nd ed. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
 Satisfaction is a judgment following a series of consumer
product interactions.
 In the model, confirmation or disconfirmation of expectations
is the essential determinant of satisfaction.
The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Model of
Satisfaction
 Customers will be satisfied as long as
perceived performance falls within the zone
of tolerance, that is, above the adequate
service level.
 Satisfaction with service attributes results
from the experience of attribute specific
performance and strongly influences
consumers’ overall satisfaction.
 Multi-attribute models help to understand
the formation process of customer
satisfaction.
Service Quality
 Excellent service quality is a high standard of performance
that consistently meets or exceeds customer expectations.
 It is a key driver of important customer behaviors, including
word-of-mouth recommendations, repurchasing, and loyalty.
Dimensions of Service Quality
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., &
Berry, L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A
multiple-item scale for measuring
consumer perceptions of service
quality. 1988, 64(1), 12-40.
 Parasuraman et al. (1988) identified five broad dimensions
used by consumers in evaluating service quality.
 Tangibles
 Reliability
 Responsiveness
 Assurance
 Empathy
Dimensions of Service Quality
Source: Valarie A. Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, and Leonard L. Berry
(1990), Delivering Quality Service. New York, NY: The Free Press.
See also: Valarie A. Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne D.
Gremler (2018), Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus
Across the Firm, 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, pp. 125–128.
Dimensions of
Service Quality
Definition
Sample Illustrations
Tangibles
Appearance of physical
facilities, equipment,
personnel, and
communication materials
Are the hotel’s facilities attractive?
Is my accountant dressed appropriately?
Is my bank statement easy to understand?
Reliability
Ability to perform the
promised service
dependably and
accurately
Does my lawyer call me back when promised?
Is my telephone bill free of errors?
Was my TV repaired right the first time?
Responsiveness
Willingness to help
customers and provide
prompt service
When there is a problem, does the firm resolve it
quickly?
Is my stockbroker willing to answer my questions?
Is the cable TV company willing to give me a specific
time when the installer will show up?
Dimensions of Service Quality
Source: Valarie A. Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, and Leonard L. Berry
(1990), Delivering Quality Service. New York, NY: The Free Press.
See also: Valarie A. Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne D.
Gremler (2018), Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus
Across the Firm, 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, pp. 125–128.
Dimensions of
Service Quality
Definition
Assurance
Trustworthiness,
Does the hospital have a good reputation?
believability, and honesty Does my stockbroker refrain from pressuring me to trade?
of the service provider
Does the repair firm guarantee its work?
• Security
Freedom from danger,
risk, or doubt
Is it safe for me to use the bank’s ATMs at night?
Is my credit card protected against fraud?
Can I be sure that my insurance policy provides complete coverage?
• Competence
Possession of the skills
and
knowledge required to
perform the service
Can the bank teller process my transaction without fumbling around?
Is my health insurance able to obtain the information I need when I
call?
Does the dentist appear to be competent?
• Courtesy
Politeness, respect,
consideration, and
friendliness of contact
personnel
Does the flight attendant have a pleasant demeanor?
Are the telephone operators consistently polite when answering my
calls?
Does the gardener take off his muddy shoes before stepping on my
carpet?
• Credibility
Sample Illustrations
Dimensions of Service Quality
Source: Valarie A. Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, and Leonard L. Berry
(1990), Delivering Quality Service. New York, NY: The Free Press.
See also: Valarie A. Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne D.
Gremler (2018), Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus
Across the Firm, 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, pp. 125–128.
Dimensions of
Service Quality
Definition
Sample Illustrations
Empathy
• Access
Approachability and
ease of contact
How easy is it for me to talk to a supervisor when I have a
problem?
Does the airline have a 24-hour, toll-free service hotline?
Is the hotel conveniently located?
• Communication
Listening to customers
and keeping them
informed in the
language they can
understand
When I have a complaint, is the manager willing to listen to
me?
Does my doctor avoid using technical jargon?
Does the electrician call when he is unable to keep a
scheduled appointment?
• Understanding
the customer
Making the effort to
know customers and
their needs
Does someone in the hotel recognize me as a regular guest?
Does my stockbroker try to determine my specific financial
objectives?
Is the moving company willing to accommodate my
schedule?
Measuring Service Quality
 Parasuraman et al. (1988) developed a survey instrument
called SERVQUAL.
 SERVQUAL — A generic measurement tool that can be applied
across a broad spectrum of service industries.
The SERVQUAL Scale
Source: Adapted from A.
Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml,
and Leonard Berry.
 The SERVQUAL scale includes five dimensions:
 tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and
empathy.
 Within each dimension, several items are measured. There
are many different formats in use, and we show the most
basic 21 items for ideal perceptions below for a banking
context.
 The statements are accompanied by a seven-point scale,
ranging from “strongly disagree = 1” to “strongly agree = 7.”
The SERVQUAL Scale
Source: Adapted from A.
Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml,
and Leonard Berry.
 The firm’s performance is measured by rewording the same
items (e.g., for item 1 in the table below: “XYZ firm has
modern-looking equipment”).
 The difference between the scores for each item, dimension,
and overall service quality is computed and used as an
indicator of a firm’s level of service quality.
The SERVQUAL Scale
Tangibles
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
• Excellent banks will
have modern-looking
equipment.
• The physical facilities
at excellent banks will
be visually appealing.
• Employees at excellent
banks will be neat in
appearance.
• Materials (e.g.,
brochures or
statements) associated
with the service will be
visually appealing in an
excellent bank.
• When excellent banks
promise to do
something by a
certain time, they will
do so.
• Excellent banks will
perform the service
right the first time.
• Excellent banks will
provide their services
at the time they
promise to do so.
• Excellent banks will
insist on error-free
records.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
tell customers exactly
when service will be
performed.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
give prompt service
to customers.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
always be willing to
help customers.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
never be too busy to
respond to customer
requests.
• The behavior of
employees of
excellent banks will
instill confidence in
customers.
• Customers of excellent
banks will feel safe in
their transactions.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
be consistently
courteous with
customers.
• Employees of
excellent banks will
have the knowledge
to answer customer
questions.
• Excellent banks will
give customers
individual attention.
• Excellent banks will
have operating hours
convenient to all
their customers.
• Excellent banks will
have employees who
give customers
personal attention.
• The employees of
excellent banks will
understand the
specific needs of
their customers.
• Excellent banks have
your best interest at
heart.
Customer Loyalty
 Loyalty is a customer’s willingness to continue patronizing a
firm over the long-term.
 It includes preference, liking, and future intentions.
 Loyalty is an important outcome of satisfied customers who
believe that the firm delivers great service.
Customer Loyalty
 A rising defection rate indicate that something is wrong with quality
and may also be a leading indicator signaling a fall in profits.
 The most important step toward building a loyal customer base
include:
 Delivering great service experiences that satisfy your customers
 Build positive service quality perceptions
Conclusion
 The three-stages of service consumption are:



pre-purchase
service encounter
post-encounter
 The three-stage model of service consumption helps us:







to understand how individuals recognize their needs
search for alternative solutions
address perceived risks
choose a particular service
use a particular service
experience a particular service
evaluate their service experience resulting in a customer satisfaction outcome
Conclusion
 The various models we explored for each of the stages are
complementary and together provide a rich and deep
understanding of consumer behavior in a services context.
 In all types of services, managing customer behavior in the
three stages of service consumption effectively is central to
creating satisfied customers who will be willing to enter into
long-term relationships with the service provider.
 Gaining a better understanding of customer behavior should
lie at the heart of all services marketing strategies.
Any questions?
bona.kim@inha.ac.kr