Services quality and satisfaction

Contemporary research on service quality and satisfaction has limitations. First, current satisfaction models treat the consumer as an isolated individual, not considering the social context of the service provision. Second, while satisfaction and quality are thought to be process outcomes, the domi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of services marketing 1998-02, Vol.12 (1), p.59-72
Main Authors: Swan, John E, Bowers, Michael R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airports
Birds
Consumer behavior
Customer satisfaction
Customer services
Ethnography
Focus groups
Interaction
Quality of service
Questionnaires
Service industries
Service quality
Services marketing
Solitary confinement
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Summary:Contemporary research on service quality and satisfaction has limitations. First, current satisfaction models treat the consumer as an isolated individual, not considering the social context of the service provision. Second, while satisfaction and quality are thought to be process outcomes, the dominant survey research approaches are not well suited to learning about processes. Finally, popular paradigms assume consumers' determination of service quality and satisfaction is based solely on a set of attributes. Symbolic interaction and ethnographic methods expand the theoretical basis of service quality satisfaction research beyond an individually centered psychological view to consider social influences and processes, thereby providing a deeper understanding of how consumers experience quality and satisfaction. The knowledge gained from this approach is easily accessible to service managers and may serve to improve employee recruiting, training and evaluation. Examples of employing symbolic interaction and ethnographic methods are provided. Actions to improve the management of service providers are listed
ISSN:0887-6045
2054-1651
DOI:10.1108/08876049810202375