Abstract
Customer satisfaction is one of the most important success drivers. Managers need to understand how satisfaction is formed, which factors to focus on, and how to increase the performance. The Kano model offers useful guidance for managers to increase customer satisfaction. It assumes that there are three different factors, which influence overall satisfaction, and that the weight of these factors changes over time. This study adds to limited empirical evidence on temporal changes of nonlinear relationships between attribute performance and customer satisfaction. The data comprise two waves of a large-scale sample of more than 40,000 skiers in 55 Alpine ski resorts in 2012 and 2016. Applying nonlinear structural equation modeling, Ski Core and Value-for-Money were identified as basic factors (dissatisfiers) and Ski Peripherals as a performance factor. Change in skiers’ satisfaction levels operates at a slow pace and, besides general industry trends, time-related segmentation criteria like loyalty and skier skills play a salient role. Especially, the attribute Value-for-Money is prone to temporal changes. AcknowledgmentsWe thank Michael Partel from Mountain-Management C. Est for granting access to the data.
Highlights
Customer satisfaction remains a central interest for managers
This study adds to limited empirical evidence on temporal changes of nonlinear relationships between attribute performance and customer satisfaction
Applying nonlinear structural equation modeling, Ski Core and Value-for-Money were identified as basic factors and Ski Peripherals as a performance factor
Summary
Customer satisfaction remains a central interest for managers. After having entered the literature about three decades ago, both frequency and volume of publications on this topic are astonishingly persistent over time. Based following asymmetric and nonlinear relationship: on the existing literature on satisfaction formabasic factors (or must-be requirements) resemble a tion in ski resorts and following the theoretical convex function (as suggested by prospect theory) propositions from disappointment theory (Inman at low attribute performance but do not increase et al, 1997; Loomes & Sugden, 1986), prospect satisfaction when performance is high Such ba- theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979), satisfaction sic factors, affect overall satisfaction the theory (Oliver, 2014; Oliver et al, 1997) and the strongest when customer expectations are not met Kano model (Kano, 1984), the following baseline and cause dissatisfaction.
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