Customer Services

Kotler and Keller (2006, p.144) define satisfaction as a person’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment which resulted from comparing a product’s perceived performance or outcome against his/ her expectations. Customer perceived value has been defined as “the difference between the perspective customer’s evaluation of all the benefits and all the costs of an offering and the perceived alternatives” (Kotler and Keller, 2006, p.141) Conceptualised service encounter satisfaction model proposed by Walker (1995, pp. 8-9) is divided into three disconfirmation stages: Evaluation stage. In that stage the peripheral service is encountered prior to the core service being consumed. Core service is more anticipated by the consumer. After core service delivery interaction is undertaken in the final stage. The influence of several complex and multiple factors to the customer tolerance zone is noted by Zeithaml et al (1993, p.2). Eleven factors affecting both desired and adequate service levels are described by Zeitheml et al (1993, pp.3-11) as following: Desired service influencing factors: 1. Enduring service intensifiers Derived expectations Personal service philosophies 2. Personal needs 3. Explicit service promises Advertising Personal selling Contracts Other communications 4. Implicit service promises: Tangibles Price 5. Word of mouth: Personal Expert (Consumer reports, publicity, consultants, surrogates) 6. Past experience Adequate service influencing factors: 7. Transitory service intensifiers Emergencies Service problems 8. Perceived service alternatives 9. Self-perceived service role 10. Situational factors: Bad weather Catastrophe Random over-demand 11. Predicted service   References Hutchinson, TP, 2009, “The customer experience when using public transport: a review”, Proceedings of the ICE – Municipal Engineer Kotler, P & Keller, K, 2006, “Marketing Management”, twelfth edition, Prentice-Hall McManus, J & Miles, D, 1993, “An underground journey: Managing Service Quality”, MCB UP Ltd Miller, M, 1995, “Improving customer service and satisfaction at London Underground”, Managing Service Quality, Vol.5, Issue:1 Walker, JL, 1995, “Service Encounter Satisfaction: Conceptualized”, Journal…

There are no arguments among business researchers and practitioners about the importance of providing excellent customer service to customers. Because of high level of competition in almost every industry, the customer bargaining power has increased significantly, and customers can easily turn to the competitors of the business if they are not satisfied with the level of customer service, as well as, any other aspect of the business. Today business are totally aware of the importance of the customer service, therefore try to create competitive edge for the company by providing excellent customer service and make considerable investments for these purpose by employing competent people to deal with their customers and training them on a regular basis. People who are customers of businesses also deal with various public organisations and agencies for a varied range of purposes being members of society. Because people are used to the high level of customer service as a result of dealing with many businesses regularly, they also expect the same level of customer service from public sector organisations as well (Agness, 2010) The principles operations of public sector organisations are based upon are different from the principles of business entities on the fundamental level. And primarily, this difference comes from the objectives of these two kinds organisations. While the main objective of any business entity is profit maximisation and they know that this objective can only be achieved when customers are satisfied with the level of the service they are receiving, the objectives of public sector organisations are to perform some functions within society mechanism, which is often not related to profit maximisation.   Public Sector Customer Expectations The issue of increasing customer expectations became only urgent with after the level of competition intensified in many industries due to technological advancement, globalisation, internet and other…