The Role of Domain-Skills in Bureaucratic Service Encounters

2020 ◽  
pp. 179-196
Author(s):  
Søren Skaarup
Keyword(s):  
Service Encounters

scholarly journals Attribution of success and failure in intercultural service encounters: the moderating role of personal cultural orientations

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 643-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie L.M. Tam ◽  
Piyush Sharma ◽  
Namwoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Delivery Outcome ◽  
Cultural Orientations ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role that personal cultural orientations play in customer attributions in intercultural service encounters. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model was developed depicting the relationships between service delivery outcome, personal cultural orientations and customer attributions. Data were collected from 640 Chinese and Western customers using scenario-based experiments in a restaurant context to assess the hypothesized relationships in the model. Findings The findings show that compared to service delivery success, customers tend to hold service employee and firm responsible for service delivery failure rather than themselves and cultural differences. Moreover, personal cultural orientations partially moderated the influence of the service delivery outcome on customer attributions. Research limitations/implications Future research could adopt different methodologies such as critical incident techniques and surveys to replicate the study. Practical implications Service firms are recommended to design programs to influence customer attributions such as “customer education programs” and “customer appreciation programs” to achieve high customer satisfaction. Originality/value This study examines the differences in customer attributions between successful vs unsuccessful service delivery. It also sheds light on the potential moderating role of personal cultural orientations on the relationship between service delivery outcome and customer attributions.

The market context: service–consumer

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanna Mik-Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Freedom Of Choice ◽  
Welfare Work ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Service Consumer ◽  
Welfare Workers

This chapter introduces the market context and examines the recent efforts of integrating norms and values from the market—such as ideals of service, freedom of choice and co-production— into present day welfare work. The chapter begins by introducing the market context and its inherent principles. This is done by drawing especially on the work of Clarke and colleagues on the expert citizen of how the marketisation of public administration lays ground for a number of challenges and dilemmas for both welfare workers (in the roles of service providers) and citizens (in the roles of costumers and consumers). The role of soft power in these idealised service encounters within welfare work is also discussed and the chapter concludes with a discussion on the role and expressions of agency within this marketised context.

The Role of Digital Service Encounters on Customers' Perceptions of Companies

2010 ◽  
pp. 88-97
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Service Encounter ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
A Company ◽  
E Mail

The service encounter occurs whenever a customer interacts with a company personally or through technology through, for example, the Internet, e-mail, or telephone. Nowadays, customers frequently initiate the encounter as, for example, inquiries, information searches, and complaints are conveniently performed online. This article explores the role of digital service encounters on customer perceptions of companies. Digital service encounters in this article denote remote customer-company interactions via the Internet or e-mail. The focus is on active customers initiating interactions and on customer perceptions of company responses to these interactions. A conceptual framework that captures customer perceived service encounter value on two dimensions (responsiveness and personalization) is proposed. An empirical study exploring the value of company responses to digital contacts indicated that many contacts are responded to promptly and satisfyingly. However, there are also significant differences in the value of the service encounter. Some service encounters are perceived as unpersonalized, and some are even left without response.

scholarly journals Building Customer Loyalty in Intercultural Service Encounters: The Role of Service Employees’ Cultural Intelligence

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Paparoidamis ◽  
Huong Thi Thanh Tran ◽  
Constantinos N. Leonidou
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Cultural Intelligence ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
The Impact

Intercultural service encounters, in which customers and service employees from different cultures interact, are becoming more common in the market. Despite the importance of such encounters for international marketers, limited research attention has been directed to this area. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study examines how frontline employees’ cultural intelligence (CQ) influences customer loyalty outcomes of service quality perceptions. Specifically, the authors propose that the three components of CQ—cognitive, emotional/motivational, and physical—have differential moderating effects on the perceived service quality (PSQ)–customer loyalty link and that these effects vary across two national markets. Data collected with a multirespondent (i.e., frontline service employees and customers) cross-cultural research design indicate that cognitive CQ negatively mitigates the impact of PSQ on customer loyalty in an emerging-market context while emotional/motivational CQ has a positive moderating effect in a mature-market setting. When service employees have high physical CQ, the positive role of PSQ in creating and maintaining customer loyalty is strengthened in both markets. The authors discuss these implications for theory and practice.

scholarly journals Examining the role of attribution and intercultural competence in intercultural service encounters

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Tam ◽  
Piyush Sharma ◽  
Namwoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Culture Distance ◽  
Perceived Cultural Distance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This study aims to develop a model based on attribution theory and intercultural literature to explain the underlying customer satisfaction process in intercultural service encounters. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were used to develop an understanding of customer experience and evaluations in intercultural service encounters. A quasi-experiment with 236 customers was used to empirically examine the relationships between perceived culture distance, cultural attribution, intercultural competence and customer satisfaction. Findings – Perceived culture distance is positively related to customer satisfaction, with cultural attribution mediating the relationship between perceived cultural distance and customer satisfaction, and partially mediating the moderating effect of intercultural competence on the relationship between perceived culture distance and customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on cultural attribution in intercultural service encounters. It is acknowledged that there are other attribution dimensions such as stability and controllability which may interact with perceived culture distance and influence subsequent customer satisfaction evaluation. Future research should consider these various dimensions and examine their mediating role in customer satisfaction. Practical implications – It is recommended that service firms educate their customers of diverse cultures about local norms and practices, and proactively manage their expectations throughout the service experience. Originality/value – Despite the growing importance of intercultural service encounters, the findings of the relationship between perceived cultural distance and customer satisfaction are mixed. This study contributes to the literature by advancing our theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence of the role of cultural attribution and intercultural competence in intercultural service encounters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document