Customer Satisfaction Theory Research Articles

Rejuvenating importance‐performance analysis

PurposeImportance‐performance analysis (IPA) is a simple marketing tool commonly used to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of a value proposition. The purpose of this paper is to propose a revision of traditional IPA prompted by intuitions arising from the three‐factor theory of customer satisfaction. The ultimate goal is to propose a decision support method, which is as simple and intuitive as the original IPA, but more precise and reliable than the solutions proposed thus far.Design/methodology/approachIn order to estimate indirect measures of attribute importance, the study uses the coefficients of a multiple regression with overall satisfaction ratings as the dependent variable. Additional calculations are then introduced in order to manage non‐linear effects.FindingsUsing empirical data from a survey among 5,209 customers of a European bank, the authors show how the proposed method can be more accurate than other solutions, especially as disregarding non‐linear effects can prompt sub‐optimal marketing decisions.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the procedure in this study is applicable to any service business, the paper does not claim external validity for the numerical results of the empirical application: the authors acknowledge that only one dataset has been used. The authors' goal is merely to demonstrate a revised approach to IPA.Originality/valueFirst, the authors assert the need for an explicit distinction between the use of IPA for customer acquisition vs customer retention purposes. These two cases refer to distinct moments in the customer relationship life cycle and thus require separate analyses. The authors then propose a specific method for customer retention IPA. On this basis, they generate two priority charts: one for the purpose of maximizing customer satisfaction and one for the purpose of minimizing customer dissatisfaction.

Evaluating hotel animation programs at Mediterranean sun-and-sea resorts: An impact-asymmetry analysis

This study explores the determinants of tourist satisfaction and dissatisfaction with recreational services typically offered by sun-and-sea resorts, using the case of a large Croatian chain of hotels and resorts in the coastal region. The sample consisted of 994 guests drawn from the guest database. The analysis encompassed three types of animation programs: (i) sports activities; (ii) evening entertainment; and (iii) entertainment programs for children. Impact-asymmetry analysis was used to quantify potentials of particular service attributes to generate satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and to determine key-drivers according to the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction. The key-driver analysis was paired with qualitative data (guest comments on reasons for dissatisfaction) to provide valuable guidance for the hotel management in achieving higher levels of guest satisfaction within this segment of resort services. The results indicate several significant asymmetries in the formation of overall guest satisfaction, as well as differences according to the type of accommodation and selected demographic characteristics of tourists.

Customer satisfaction di un evento: i mercatini di Natale dell'Alto Adige

The image and economy of a territory are directly influenced by the organized events. The monitoring of the activated dynamics represents an essential instrument for planning and organization. The attraction of an event is connected to the satisfaction of the visitor/consumer and has a multi-factorial basis. The analysis of the event Christmas Markets of South Tyrol is conducted according to the customer satisfaction theory of the three principal factors of services (basis, performance and excitement factors). The results of the two measurement methods of the linear statistic regression and the importance-grid are confronted.

택배 서비스 품질속성이 택배업체와 온라인 쇼핑몰의 고객만족에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 온라인 쇼핑몰과 고객관의 거래관계에서 계약 당사자는 아니지만 온라인 쇼핑몰의 상품배달을 대신해주는 택배회사의 배달에 대한 서비스품질 속성이 고객의 온라인 쇼핑몰에 대한 구매만족도에 영향을 미칠 것이라는 가정에서 진행되었다. 연구결과 택배업체의 배송에 대한 서비스품질 속성이 택배회사 뿐만 아니라 온라인 쇼핑몰의 만족도에 영향을 미치는 것을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 온라인 쇼핑몰은 자신들의 고객들에 대한 만족도를 높이기 위하여 오프라인을 통하여 상품을 직접 고객에게 배달하는 택배회사에 대하여 많은 노력을 기울여야 할 것이다. The purpose of the study is to find out how the quality attributes of door-to-door delivery service affects on the on-line shopping mall customers' satisfaction. For the study service quality and customer satisfaction theories were reviewed and the relation between service attributes and satisfaction was proposed. With empirical study the research found that customers' satisfaction of on-line shopping mall would be influenced by door-to-door delivery service quality attributes even though the door-to-door delivery firm is not the direct partner of the contract.

Dimensions of price satisfaction: a replication and extension

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to replicate and extend the findings of Matzler et al.'s recent paper on the dimensionality of price satisfaction. Furthermore, a test is performed to ascertain whether the relationship between satisfaction with the individual price dimensions and overall satisfaction is symmetric or asymmetric, as the three‐factor theory of customer satisfaction suggests.Design/methodology/approachBased on a random sample of 406 bank customers, the impact of five price dimensions (price‐quality ratio, price fairness, price transparency, price reliability, and relative price) on overall satisfaction is tested using structural equation modeling with Partial Least Squares (PLS). The asymmetric relationship is tested using regression analysis with dummy variables.FindingsThe results confirm Matzler et al.'s findings and show that price satisfaction can be conceptualized as a multidimensional construct and that the five price dimensions have a strong and significant impact on overall satisfaction. Furthermore, it is shown that the relationship between satisfaction of individual price dimensions and overall price satisfaction can be asymmetric, indicating that the three‐factor theory of customer satisfaction is applicable also to price satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe study replicates previous findings and supports the multi‐dimensional nature of price satisfaction and shows that the three‐factor theory of customer satisfaction applies also to price satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe measurement of price satisfaction at the level of individual price dimensions and the assessment of asymmetric relationships provides managers with more precise data in order to take the right measures to increase satisfaction.Originality/valueThis paper confirms previous findings on the dimensionality of price satisfaction in a random sample of bank customers using structural equation modeling with PLS. Hence, it provides strong empirical support for Matzler et al.'s findings.

Customer delight and market segmentation: An application of the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction on life style groups

There is increasing evidence that product and service attributes fall into three factors (basic, performance, and excitement factors) which affect overall satisfaction differently. This has been argued extensively in theory and has also been confirmed empirically. Researchers and practitioners have also recognized the importance of distinguishing these factors in order to manage customer satisfaction more effectively. Surprisingly, nobody has so far addressed the issue of market segmentation in this context. This paper reports an extensive empirical study which investigates the different roles of basic, performance and excitement factors in different market segments. The results clearly show that significant differences can be found among lifestyle segments. The implications of the findings are of central importance in both theory and practice.

Customer Satisfaction Theory Applied in the Housing Industry: An Empirical Study of Low-Priced Housing in Beijing

A household satisfaction index (HSI) model based on the American customer satisfaction index (ACSI) model was fit to the housing industry in China and used with the software LISREL to measure the HSI in Beijing. Specifically, the empirical study analyzes the HSI of low-priced housing in Beijing. The results show that the HSI model is valid and the customer satisfaction theory can effectively analyze the housing industry. The results can help illustrate the factors which most affect customer satisfaction, and can be used to not only enhance the quality of homes and promote the housing market, but also to improve the standard of living for lower income people and provide suggestions to policy makers.

Measuring the Relative Importance of Service Dimensions in the Formation of Price Satisfaction and Service Satisfaction: A Case Study in the Hotel Industry

Service quality, customer satisfaction and price are important selection criteria for the guests and key determinants of post‐purchase behavior such as word‐of‐mouth and repurchase. Using structural equation modelling, the authors of this study investigate the drivers of service and price satisfaction, and the impact of service and price satisfaction on loyalty. The results show that the five dimensions of service satisfaction differ in their relative importance as drivers of overall satisfaction and as drivers of price satisfaction, and that price satisfaction and service satisfaction influence guest loyalty to a different extent. This relationship is strongly moderated by the guests' nationality, indicating cross‐cultural differences in the importance of service dimensions. This study also investigates the three‐factor theory of customer satisfaction and shows that the relative impact of the service dimensions can be asymmetric.

Assessing asymmetric effects in the formation of employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is a central concern in the service industry in general and in hospitality and tourism in particular. Employee satisfaction is typically viewed as a multi-factorial construct, assuming that some satisfaction factors are more important than others. In this study we investigate whether there is an asymmetric relationship between satisfaction involving single satisfaction factors and overall employee satisfaction. Two theories serve as a framework: prospect theory and the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction, which can be understood as an extension of Herzberg's two-factor theory, adapted to explain the formation of customer satisfaction. The authors report the findings of an empirical study (N=752) in the Austrian hotel industry that tests this asymmetric relationship using a regression analysis with dummy variables. The authors find an asymmetric relationship between satisfaction involving individual factors and overall employee satisfaction, thereby confirming the three-factor theory in the context of employee satisfaction.

Market segmentation for customer satisfaction studies via a new latent structure multidimensional scaling model

AbstractIt has been well documented in the marketing literature that customer satisfaction is critical to any businesses' success. However, it is far less clear as on how marketers comprehend customer differences in customer satisfaction evaluations, and leverage such understanding in forming their marketing strategies. Only recently have researchers begun to explore the notion of individual or segment differences in the formation of overall satisfaction judgments.To extend the exploration of unobserved customer heterogeneity in customer satisfaction studies with multiple attributes, we propose a latent structure multidimensional scaling (MDS) model to visually depict unobserved customer heterogeneity with respect to the theoretical components of customer satisfaction judgments. Our model is developed on the basis of the well‐established expectancy–disconfirmation theory of customer satisfaction. We describe the proposed MDS model and discuss the technical aspects of the model structure and maximum likelihood estimation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modelagem de equações estruturais e satisfação do consumidor: uma investigação teórica e prática

Este artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa que discute a aplicação da técnica estatística multivariada denominada análise de equações estruturais ou análise de caminhos, na avaliação de um esquema teórico da satisfação do consumidor, no segmento da terceira idade. Inicialmente, os autores dissertam sobre satisfação e análise de equações estruturais, apresentando uma revisão teórica destes temas, para mostrarem em seguida o modelo de satisfação do consumidor que serviu de base para as avaliações realizadas neste estudo. O principal objetivo foi o de investigar os antecedentes da satisfação do consumidor no segmento da terceira idade, visando a identificar quais os que são mais relevantes na determinação desta resposta pós-compra. Encontrou-se que dos antecedentes propostos pela teoria e avaliados neste estudo, os que mais contribuíram para a resposta de satisfação foram, em ordem de importância: desempenho, desconfirmação, justiça e emoções.

Customer Satisfaction and Behavioural Intentions in a Rural Community Museum Environment

This paper examines a cornerstone concept of mainstream marketing theory relating to the importance of customer satisfaction as an influence on future behavioural intentions. The underlying premise is that visitors to a tourist attraction whose expectations are met or exceeded will be satisfied with their experience, and that the degree of perceived satisfaction will positively correlate with their stated intention to repeat purchase and to recommend the experience to others. This paper reports an exploratory project to test the above proposition within a tourism industry context, specifically with reference to the museum sector. The study measures visitor satisfaction levels and future intentions to revisit or recommend the Matakohe Kauri museum in Northland, New Zealand-a rurally isolated tourist attraction which is heavily dependent on referrals to support its continued existence. Research was undertaken by means of a two part structured interview technique, conducted on site with 141 respondents on six separate days in September and October 1996. Visitor expectations were established by questioning prior to entry, whilst a subsequent exit interview captured respondents' perceived degree of satisfaction with their visit. The second interview included a measure of stated intention to return and to recommend the museum to others. Provisional indications are that perceived levels of satisfaction have little bearing on the visitor's stated intention to return to the attraction; however, a significant relationship exists between perceived satisfaction and intention to recommend to others. The results of this research will prove valuable as a foundation for a recommended programme of further research to more rigorously assess the performance of customer satisfaction theory within a rural folk museum environment.

A computerized quality function deployment approach for retail services

Product and service quality can only be effectively improved when the most important needs of customers are satisfied. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is an approach used to guide R&D, manufacturing, and management toward the development of products and services that satisfy the needs of consumers. The QFD operations are performed by way of a diagram called the House of Quality (HOQ). The HOQ contains information about the customers' needs (what), mechanisms to address these needs (how), and the criterion for deciding which “what” is the most important and which “how” provides the greatest customer satisfaction. A less familiar application of QFD is for the improvement of retail services. When QFD is applied to retail services, a computerized HOQ approach becomes integral to the process for providing continuous, iterative quality improvement. The objective of this research is to develop a formal QFD methodology for the retail industry and to build a computerized retail QFD system. The system provides a HOQ architecture for specifying and analyzing the customers' needs, deriving improvement strategies, and formalizing records of progress. Furthermore, two ranking methods that apply customer satisfaction theory are used to assist managers improve retail services. This system provides an integrated workbench for building retail HOQs and designing retail service strategies.

The role of employee effort in satisfaction with service transactions

We examine how one aspect of the service encounter, perceived employee effort, affects customer satisfaction with service transactions. Results from two empirical studies indicate that perceived effort has a strong positive impact on transaction satisfaction, and this effect is not eliminated when the perceived success of the service outcome is statistically controlled. This shows that employee effort is appreciated by customers in its own right, regardless of its impact on the outcome. Additional analyses show that outcome can bias effort judgments. That is, when customers do not get the service outcome they want, they are less likely to recognize employee effort and hard work. The study results suggest implications for motivation, attribution, and customer satisfaction theories, as well as for managing the service encounter.