Customers’ Service Evaluation: Antecedent Effects of Employees’ Customer Orientation and Service Orientation Behaviors

Abstract

Academics and practitioners have long recognized the importance of understanding customers' perceptions of service evaluation. While research examining customers' service evaluation is evolving, investigation of the antecedent role that service employees play in the overall service evaluation process seems less well developed. This is surprising given that service employees are recognized as having an important role to play in the formulation of customers' service evaluations. With this in mind, we develop a conceptual model, where the effects of service employees' customer orientation and service orientation behaviors are encapsulated within an extended service evaluation model encompassing service quality, service encounter quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioral intensions. The model is empirically tested using data collected from 271 customers. Data analysis incorporates confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that: i) customer orientation is positively related to service orientation, customers' perceptions of service encounter quality and service quality; ii) service orientation influences customers' perceptions of service encounter quality and service quality; iii) customers' perceptions of service encounter quality influence customers' perceptions of service quality and customer satisfaction; iv) customers' perceptions of service quality influence value perceptions; v) service quality influences customer satisfaction; and vi) customer satisfaction influences customers' behavioral intentions. The importance of these findings for practitioners and academics, research limitations and future research avenues are subsequently discussed.