Abstract
PurposeThe quality of the customer journey has become a critical determinant of successful service delivery in contemporary business. Extant journey research focuses on the customer path to purchase, but pays less attention to the touchpoints related to service delivery and consumption that are key for understanding customer experiences in service-intensive contexts. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize service journey quality (SJQ), develop measures for the construct and study its key outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a discovery-oriented research approach to conceptualize SJQ by synthesizing theory and field-based insights from customer focus group discussions. Next, using consumer survey data (N = 278) from the financial services context, the authors develop measures for the SJQ. Finally, based on an additional survey dataset (N = 239), the authors test the nomological validity and predictive relevance of the SJQ.FindingsSJQ comprises of three dimensions: (1) journey seamlessness, (2) journey personalization and (3) journey coherence. This study demonstrates that SJQ is a critical driver of service quality and customer loyalty in contemporary business. This study finds that the loyalty link is partially mediated through service quality, indicating that SJQ explains loyalty above and beyond service quality.Research limitations/implicationsSince service quality only partially mediates the link between service journey quality and customer loyalty, future studies should examine alternative mediators, such as customer experience, for a more comprehensive understanding of the performance effects.Practical implicationsThe study offers concrete tools for service managers who wish to understand and develop the quality of service journeys.Originality/valueThis study advances the service journey concept, demonstrates that the quality of the service journey is a critical driver of customer performance and provides rigorous journey constructs for future service research.
Highlights
The notion of satisfying customers through service excellence is a cornerstone of service research and practice
This emphasis aligns with broader marketing research suggesting that the set of touchpoints along the customer journey gives rise to customer experience (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016; Tueanrat et al, 2021)
Research on customer experience (CX) considers journeys, but CX measures predominantly focus on customers’ perceptions of their overall experience with a brand (e.g. Brakus et al, 2009) or a firm during the purchase process (Kumar et al, 2014; Kuppelwieser and Klaus, 2021), offering limited insights on the touchpoints related to service delivery and consumption that are critical for service-intensive contexts
Summary
The notion of satisfying customers through service excellence is a cornerstone of service research and practice. Brakus et al, 2009) or a firm during the purchase process (Kumar et al, 2014; Kuppelwieser and Klaus, 2021), offering limited insights on the touchpoints related to service delivery and consumption that are critical for service-intensive contexts Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize service journey quality (SJQ), develop measures for the construct and study its customer outcomes. This study develops service process-focused SJQ constructs that capture the key aspects of Service journey functional service journeys, putting the emphasis on customer perceptions of the quality interdependencies between journey touchpoints rather than on individual encounters or the overall evaluation of a firm, thereby complementing current constructs in the area of customer journeys and experience Service management research mostly focuses on JOSM 32,6 4
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