Factors affecting memorability of service failures: a longitudinal analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1676-1701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Hyeong Kim ◽  
SooCheong (Shawn) Jang
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Service Experiences ◽  
E Mail ◽  
With Memory

Purpose This study aims to identify the influences that lead to better memorability of a service by focusing on type of service failure, recovery condition and frequency of occurring. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quasi-experimental design in which customers answered questions about a restaurant they had recently patronized and then evaluated experimentally generated failure and recovery scenarios. Two follow-up contacts were made (by phone and e-mail) to assess their memory of the imagined service failures stimulated by the scenarios. Participants were asked how clearly and vividly they could recollect the service failure and to indicate their behavioral intentions at the time of recall. Findings The type of service failure and the subsequent recovery efforts significantly affect whether negative service experiences are memorable. Specifically, individuals showed a higher likelihood of vividly recalling a core service failure than an interactional one. Moreover, service recoveries were found to be helpful in decreasing the memorability of service failures, and that they were effective in decreasing the resulting negative customer behavioral intentions (i.e. switching behaviors and negative word-of-mouth). However, frequently occurred service failures did not significantly influence the memorability of the failures. Practical implications The current study suggested what characteristics of service failures and situations lead to strong memorability and significantly affect future behavior. Thus, the findings provide important implications for avoiding and handling the failures that trigger strong memorability. Originality/value Previous researchers have emphasized on the importance and urgency of preventing critical service failures. However, it is still unclear what type of service failures and/or factors are critical ones. The current study expands the knowledge by incorporating service failures with memory and investigates the characteristics of memorable service failures, which are likely to be remembered more vividly.

Others service experiences: emotions, perceived justice, and behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 552-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Mattila ◽  
Lydia Hanks ◽  
Chenya Wang
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Experiences

Purpose – Often, service failures are witnessed by other customers, but little is known about how consumers react to service recovery aimed at other customers. Using the deontic theory of justice, this paper aims to examine consumers' reactions to justice directed toward other customers. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Both were 2 x 2 between subjects quasi experimental designs using written scenarios and surveys. The scenarios depicted an observing customer witnessing a service failure and recovery happening to another customer. Findings – Results show that the valence of the recovery attempt impacted the observing customer's reactions and evaluations, and that the observer's processing frame and loyalty status of the victim impacted the observing customer's judgments of fairness and behavioral intentions. Originality/value – These results provide guidance to service providers by shedding light on the impact of service failures and recovery on surrounding customers.

Does anthropomorphism influence customers’ switching intentions in the self-service technology failure context?

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 713-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alei Fan ◽  
Luorong (Laurie) Wu ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Self Service Technology ◽  
Sense Of Power

Purpose To enhance customer experiences, firms are increasingly adding human-like features to their self-service technology (SST) machines. To that end, the purpose of the present study is to examine customer interactions with an anthropomorphic machine in a service failure context. Specifically, the authors investigate the joint effects of machine voice, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers in influencing customers’ switching intentions following an SST failure. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used a quasi-experimental design in which they manipulated voice type (anthropomorphic vs robotic) and the presence of other customers (present vs absent) in video-based scenarios while measuring customers’ sense of power. The scenarios reflected a service failure experience with a self-service kiosk at an airport. The authors tested the hypotheses using PROCESS analyses with the Johnson–Neyman technique. Findings Consumer reactions to SST failures vary depending on the degree of anthropomorphism associated with an SST machine, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers. Research limitations/implications Field inquiry and an investigation in other SST contexts or of other anthropomorphic features are needed to generalize the findings. Practical implications Service providers targeting powerful consumers should consider the social presence of others when incorporating anthropomorphic features into their SST facilities. Originality/value This study is the first to examine consumer responses to service failures in an anthropomorphic SST context.

Online information retrieval behaviour and economics of attention

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Utku Özmen
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
General Information ◽  
Survival Duration ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Information Providers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse users’ attitudes towards online information retrieval and processing. The aim is to identify the characteristics of information that better capture the attention of the users and to provide evidence for the information retrieval behaviour of the users by studying online photo archives as information units. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses a unique quasi-experimental data of photo archive access counts collected by the author from an online newspaper. In addition to access counts of each photo in 500 randomly chosen photo galleries, characteristics of the photo galleries are also recorded. Survival (duration) analysis is used in order to analyse the factors affecting the share of the photo gallery viewed by a certain proportion of the initial number of viewers. Findings – The results of the survival analysis indicate that users are impatient in case of longer photo galleries; they lose attention faster and stop viewing earlier when gallery length is uncertain; they are attracted by keywords and initial presentation and they give more credit to specific rather than general information categories. Practical implications – Results of the study offer applicable implications for information providers, especially on the online domain. In order to attract more attention, entities can engage in targeted information provision by taking into account people’s attitude towards information retrieval and processing as presented in this paper. Originality/value – This paper uses a unique data set in a quasi-experimental setting in order to identify the characteristics of online information that users are attracted to.

Is consumer forgiveness possible?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1567-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
JungYun (Christine) Hur ◽  
SooCheong (Shawn) Jang
Keyword(s):  
Service Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Hotel Managers

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how consumer forgiveness is formed by examining rumination and distraction by consumers in hotel service failures.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in the USA. A total of 371 usable responses were obtained. Anderson and Gerbing’s two-step approach was used to assess the measurement and structural models.FindingsThis study suggests that rumination and distraction play significant roles in processing consumer forgiveness. Self-focused rumination and distraction increase consumer forgiveness, whereas provocation-focused rumination exacerbates the negative effects of service failure severity on consumer forgiveness. This study also shows that gender differences exist. Men were more likely than women to link self-focused rumination and distraction to their intentions to forgive a service provider.Practical implicationsThis study is helpful for hotel managers to understand the mechanisms of consumer forgiveness in service failures and develop effective recovery strategies. Managers should aim to lessen consumers’ provocation-focused rumination while encouraging self-focused rumination and distraction. In addition, because of the differences in the process of consumer forgiveness between men and women, it is critical to differentiate the two groups in designing targeted recovery strategies for service failures.Originality/valueThis study investigates consumer forgiveness as a behavioral outcome following service failures that may help consumers achieve psychological balance and allow service providers a chance to restore the broken relationship. This study adds new information for understanding consumer responses and provides a basis for effective service management strategies.

Are tattoos still a taboo?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 874-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ozanne ◽  
Michael J. Tews ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Mediation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Aesthetic Labor ◽  
Agency And Communion ◽  
Failure Scenario ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAs tattoos increase in popularity, questions persist regarding their impact on customer perceptions. To help shed light into this issue, this paper aims to explore the impact of tattooed restaurant servers in the context of service failures. Through the agency and communion theory, the authors propose that a female server with tattoos induces higher levels of negative word of mouth (WOM) intention than her male counterpart. Furthermore, the authors propose that perceived competence mediates this effect.Design/methodology/approachThrough a 2 (tattoos status: yes, no) × 2 (server’s gender: male, female) experimental design, a panel of consumers were exposed to a restaurant service failure scenario with a photograph of a server. Depending on the condition, the server was either a male or female and had (or not) a tattoo on their left arm and neck. The same tattoo design was used for both genders.FindingsThe findings indicate that, in a service failure context, customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM does not differ across tattooed (vs non-tattooed) servers. However, contrary to the expectations of the authors, people tend to react more negatively to a male (vs female) server with tattoos.Originality/valueResearch on tattoos in the customer service context is scant, especially in hospitality. Furthermore, no previous study on tattoos has empirically tested a mediation process explaining differences in customer perceptions. Contrary to previous findings, this study demonstrates that an exposure to male (vs female) tattooed servers increases customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM. In other words, the type of profession coupled with the employees’ gender might influence customer perceptions. Furthermore, as customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM did not increase when served by a tattooed (vs non-tattooed) employee, managers in aesthetic labor industries, such as the foodservice business, can be more accepting of employees with tattoos.

Assistive technology in dementia care: methodological issues in research design

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Altendorf ◽  
Jason Schreiber
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trials ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Monitoring Devices ◽  
With Memory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate some of the ethical issues and methodological obstacles encountered when trialling and using safer walking technologies and monitoring devices in dementia care. Design/methodology/approach – Using a number of recent studies as examples statistical, methodological and ethical issues are illustrated, which impact on the feasibility of randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs. Findings – Much has already been achieved in using technology to aid people with memory and related problems. However, statistical evidence for the effectiveness of safer walking and monitoring devices in dementia care is still lacking. Careful considerations such as “treat the client as you would like to be treated” should be applied, when making a decision about a particular device. Originality/value – Safer walking and monitoring technology for people with memory and related problems is a rapidly advancing field of research. This is an updated discussion on methodological, statistical and ethical issues.

Factors affecting desire to negotiate again

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Fleck ◽  
Roger Volkema ◽  
Sergio Pereira ◽  
Lara Vaccari
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Process And Outcome ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Personality Process ◽  
E Mail

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of negotiation process and outcome on an individual’s desire to negotiate again with the same counterpart. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 115 dyads representing two companies negotiating an eight-issue property leasing agreement via e-mail. Desire to negotiate again was regressed on demographic/personality, process, and outcome measures. Findings Reaching an agreement was found to be significantly related to desire to negotiate again, while the number of messages exchanged and the mean number of competitive tactics employed were positively and negatively associated with reaching an agreement, respectively. Further, perceived honesty of self and counterpart were also associated with an individual’s desire to negotiate again. Originality/value This study focuses on an aspect of real negotiations often overlooked by researchers – the likelihood of future encounters with the same party – and examines three categories of factors that could affect a party’s desire to negotiate with a counterpart again – demographic/personality, process, and outcome (actual and perceived).

Influence of empathy on hotel guests’ emotional service experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 618-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamsanandini Umasuthan ◽  
Oun-Joung Park ◽  
Jong-Hyun Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Emotional Empathy ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Emotional Dimensions ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Service Experiences ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the comparative influence of two empathy dimensions (cognitive and emotional attributes) on emotional service experience and behavioral intention among business and leisure hotel guests. Studies relevant to empathy dimensions are relatively scarce in tourism and hospitality. Design/methodology/approach The current study reviewed the concepts of empathy, and empirically compared perceptions of empathy attributes between the two groups. The survey was intended to examine how well the hotel employees emotionally handle hotel guests’ incidents or inquiries related to any discomforts through personalized attention. The data were collected from 330 hotel guests who had actually complained about service failures while staying at the hotel during the record-breaking summer of 2013 in terms of number of visitors to Jeju. An active empathetic listening (AEL) tool has been taken to measure the hotel guest’s cognitive views and behavioral intentions, as well as emotional empathy measures under the empathic concern and emotional contagion. Findings The results revealed that empathetic dimensions strongly influenced the service experiences of hotel guests. While the emotional service experience of business guests was almost completely determined by the cognitive empathy, the emotional service experience of the leisure guests was mainly governed by the emotional empathy. Practical implications These outcomes suggest that the empathetic services through a “purpose of visit”-oriented manner might enhance the guest’s overall emotion positively. Originality/value According to the prior literatures and empirical findings in hospitality and tourism, empathy can be seen as subscale in SERVQUAL instrument. This paper focus on insights of empathy dimensions, and it was revealed that the interaction of both the cognitive and emotional dimensions of empathy conjointly determines the overall emotional service experience and intention of hotel guests.

scholarly journals A Healthy Retirement Program for Thai government teachers: a quasi-experimental and comparison groups study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Numporn Insin ◽  
Chanuantong Tanasugarn ◽  
Sarunya Benjakul
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
One Year ◽  
Experimental Group

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the Healthy Retirement Program's effectiveness toward skills improvement and evaluate changes in subjective health.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental, pre and posttest of the comparison groups was conducted. Teachers who were going to retire within one year were recruited into the experimental (n = 47) and the comparison groups (n = 43). Questionnaires were administered at baseline, posttest and at the 6-months follow-up. An independent t-test and Mann–Whitney U test were applied to determine the differences in outcomes between groups.FindingsThe results revealed different effects regarding teachers' health status. In those who had no chronic disease, the experimental group had higher skills to understand health information at posttest and at follow-up (p = 0.036, 0.028). Skills to apply health information was also greater at follow-up (p = 0.042). Among those suffering from a chronic disease, skills to access and apply health information were significantly higher in the experimental group than that of the comparison at follow-up (p = 0.011, 0.046). Greater perceived health of the experimental group was also indicated (p = 0.032).Originality/valueWhile the health conditions of teachers at the preretirement period are inconsistent, healthy lifestyle management after retirement is a crucial skill for retirement adjustment. Supporting teachers to be health literate should be included in the retirement planning program which emphasizes preretiree's ability to understand and take control of their health.

“My bad”: investigating service failure effects in self-service and full-service settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Köcher ◽  
Stefanie Paluch
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Self Service

PurposeCompanies in diverse branches offer a variety of service alternatives that typically differ in terms of the degree to which customers are actively involved in service delivery processes. The purpose of this paper is to explore potential differences in consumers’ reactions to service failures across services provided by a service employee (i.e. full-services) and services that require customers’ active involvement (i.e. self-services).Design/methodology/approachTwo 2 (full-service vs self-service) × 2 (no service failure vs service failure) scenario-based experiments in technological and non-technological contexts (i.e. ticket purchase and furniture assembly) were conducted.FindingsStudy results reveal that although service failures have a similar negative impact on satisfaction across both full-services and self-services, in the self-service context, the negative effect on the willingness to use the same service delivery mode again is attenuated.Research limitations/implicationsBy emphasizing the role of customers’ active involvement in the service delivery process, the study extends previous knowledge regarding customer response to service failures in different service settings.Practical implicationsBy highlighting that self-service customers’ future behavioral intentions are less severely affected by service failures, the authors present an additional feature of customer involvement in service delivery processes that goes beyond the previously recognized advantages.Originality/valueDespite the abundance of research on the effects of failure attributions, previous studies have predominantly examined main effects of attributions on customer responses, such that insights into potential moderating effects of failure attributions on established relationships – as investigated in this study – are still scarce.

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