Elements Of Customer Service Research Articles

How Python brings efficiency to chatbots: enhancing user experience with magic filters in Aiogram

User experience is of immense importance, especially when it comes to chatbots. Continuous and intuitive interaction with a chatbot can significantly elevate customer satisfaction and loyalty. Conversely, a poor user experience can lead to disappointment and abandonment, ultimately harming the reputation and effectiveness of the chatbot. To ensure a positive user experience, chatbot developers need to focus on designing conversations that are natural, context-aware, and efficient. Chatbots have become a key element of customer service in the digital environment, and this article explores how the Python programming language, particularly through the aiogram library, allows the implementation of magic filters and how they can alter the functionality of any chatbot. The article discusses issues and limitations to consider, as well as the potential and possibilities of using magic filters in aiogram for future developments. Magic filters enhance user interaction, recognize entities, analyze moods, and determine the language of messages. The research aims to explore the possibilities of using Python and magic filters to enhance chatbots using aiogram. The goal is to create a guide on using magic filters and their effective implementation. It's essential to consider the complexity of implementing magic filters, the need for quality data, and understanding linguistic and cultural nuances. These aspects can pose challenges for developers. Recommendations include understanding the target audience, testing, and maintaining a balance between automation and human intervention. Developing chatbots using Python and aiogram with magic filters opens up broad possibilities for improving interaction and functionality. Understanding limitations and implementing best practices are key to success. The implementation of magic filters in chatbots brings numerous benefits for businesses and users. Personalized interaction, time and cost savings, improved scalability, and data-driven statistics collection are key advantages that can significantly enhance chatbot functionality and user satisfaction.

Analysis of The Elements of Logistics Customer Service In Freight Forwarding

Logistics is as service industry that relies heavily on people to execute operations in order to provide a better perception to customers through customer service. In stiff competition, customer service will make a big difference between competitors. A qualitative study using in-depth interview analyse the effectiveness of implementing three elements of logistics customer service, i.e., pre-transactions, in transactions and post-transactions, particularly in the international freight forwarding activities to understand the three elements of customer service transactions. The result shows a strong relationship and impact between the elements, although most of the topics in these elements are not relevant to freight forwarding industry.

IDENTIFICATION OF LOGISTIC ELEMENTS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

Logistics activities are considered as a priority by the management in everyday business, while having an adequate customer service as a powerful tool helps achieving the competitiveness of the company to continuously grow and develop in a global scale. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key logistic elements of customer service by aggregating the most important components in the sample of customers for retail stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The principal component analysis of the logistic elements of customer service was employed in the research, within the principal components method with the application of orthogonal rotation of VARIMAX with Kaiser normalization. The analysis of the main components extracted six components with characteristic eigenvalues greater than 1, where 24 claims were grouped around them. Orthogonal VARIMAX rotation was performed to facilitate the interpretation of the obtained components. The rotated solution showed a simpler structure of components that explains 64.08% of the variance. The results of the study confirmed a six-dimensional component structure. The extracted components are given the following names: possibility of ordering and delivery of products, convenience of delivery, packaging and assortment of products, location of retail store and payment terms, loyalty card benefits, spaciousness of stores, improvement of sales and product complaints and correction of potential errors.

Drivers of customer satisfaction in the grocery retail industry: A longitudinal analysis across store formats

The design of satisfactory shopping experiences remains one of the main challenges for building long-term profitability in modern retailing. Therefore, companies are interested in identifying the key drivers of the service execution that shape customer shopping satisfaction. In this study, we developed a standardized questionnaire for evaluating the shopping experience, and conducted a large study in several grocery stores across different formats during a time span of five years. The resulting rich dataset enabled us to uncover interesting patterns using both individual and store-level analyses. Our results indicate that larger store formats are associated with greater satisfaction levels. When looking at the marginal effects of the various elements of customer service, we found that some specific elements of service execution present significant differences across store formats. In addition, we identified loss aversion on shopping experience, since poor performance impacts more on customer satisfaction than superior performance. Finally, our store-level analysis sheds light on how changes in the service performance determine changes in the shopping experience in the same store. These implied results may guide store and chain managers to evaluate the role of the store execution elements better, and to design the customer shopping experience successfully.

How the Unique Industry-Specific Measures of Service Quality and Brand Image Can Develop Customer Loyalty in Automotive After-Sales Service

The relationship between service quality and customer loyalty has been the focus of service organizations for decades when pursuing competitiveness and profitability. Albeit being the focus of research for years, the customer’s perception of the measures of service quality according to specific industry dimensions and contexts is still a major argument. As such, this study aimed to investigate service quality in the context of automotive after-sales service, specifically that provided by Malaysian national carmakers’ service providers. This study also evaluated the role of the national carmakers’ brand image and how it impacts the level of customer loyalty. This study found that national carmakers should focus on customer service and technical quality in order to achieve a higher quality of service, as well as strengthen their image to ensure customers return for the subsequent service and secure new vehicle sales. This study’s primary data was obtained from questionnaires involving 321 respondents. Statistical analysis using the SPSS software was performed on the data. Empirical findings have provided insights for carmakers, especially after-sales service, on the importance of service quality, especially the element of customer service, technical quality and a strong image that captures customers’ loyalty.

Pokolenie Y na rynku żywności – perspektywa placówek gastronomicznych

Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja wybranych elementów zachowań pokolenia Y na rynku usług gastronomicznych oraz działań podejmowanych przez placówki gastronomiczne w kontekście tych zachowań. Realizacji celu posłużyły studia literaturowe, informacje pochodzące z czasopism branżowych oraz badania bezpośrednie przeprowadzone przez autorów artykułu. Identyfikacji wyróżników oferty placówek gastronomicznych wpisujących się w specyfikę pokolenia Y dokonano na podstawie analizie zawartości informacji zawartych na stronach internetowych placówek. Wyniki przeprowadzonych badań i analiz wskazują, że pokolenie Y to niezwykle ważny podmiot rynku usług gastronomicznych – duży liczebnie, ale również innowacyjny, aktywny, szybki, wymagający. Zachowania pokolenia Y wyznaczają współczesne trendy na rynku i wymuszają podejmowanie działań przez placówki gastronomiczne zgodne z tymi trendami - w zakresie oferty, jej różnorodności i dostępności, a także wirtualizacji elementów obsługi klienta.

Mystery Shopping and Well-Being of Service Workers in South Korea.

BackgroundMystery shopping is a method in which a company monitors quality of service and employee conduct and compliance with regulations using an evaluator posing as a customer. It is a typical tool of customer-centered bureaucratic control insofar as it provides overall and standardized evaluation of intangible elements of customer service as well as physical elements of service environments. The purpose of this study is to examine how mystery shopping is related to the health status of service workers in South Korea.MethodsData from semistructured interviews with 15 workers were collected from January to April 2019 to obtain information on service worker experiences with mystery shopping. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method.ResultsMystery shopping limits worker autonomy and stiffens the workplace environment by standardizing and monitoring labor processes for service workers. In addition, mystery shopping heightens work stress through increased labor intensity. Five mechanisms by which mystery shopping affects service worker health are identified and comprise (1) multifaceted and multilayered surveillance, (2) evaluator subjectivity and irrational requirements, (3) standardized rules combined with high pressure to achieve sales, (4) self-esteem degradation because of evaluator results, and (5) musculoskeletal disorders because of strict adherence to labor processes based on evaluator results.ConclusionMystery shopping as an evaluation method should be reconsidered not only in terms of health problems but also in terms of organizational efficiency and issues of human rights.

“Alexa, Build Me a Brand” — An Investigation into the I mpact of Artificial Intelligence on Branding

Brands are built by “wrapping mediocre products in emotive and social associations” (Galloway, 2016). Nike and Coca-Cola differentiate through the emotional benefits associated with their brand, not their products functional benefit — with the latter long considered the worlds’ most valuable brand (Interbrand, 2016). This brand-building model has not been scrutinised in an environment where technology is a primary driver of organisational success, not merely a support function (E&Y, 2011). Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made “giant leaps” (Hosea, 2016) — algorithms — fly our planes and beat us at chess. Organisational spending on AI is set to reach $47 billion by 2020 (Ismail, 2017) with many (32%) claiming its biggest impact will be in marketing. Marketing communities conject that AI will “revolutionise” marketing (John, 2015) and while companies like Amazon appear to use a different model — utilizing AI to fulfil customer’s functional needs (commerce) — AI’s impact on brand has seldom been explored in an academic context. This paper aims to establish the implementation of AI as a source of brand success — recommending to marketing professionals how to allocate resources to sustain brand effectiveness. Grounded theory research was used; semi-structured interviews were conducted and data collection/analysis was done concurrently. There were three major findings: AI can improve operational efficiency — improving the consistency in which a brand delivers their promise. Natural Language Processing (NLP) can improve elements of customer service. And Machine Learning enables personalized offerings, but organizations are limited by data quality/quantity and knowledge of the technologies applications.

The Determinants of Service Quality and Its Impact on Customer Satisfaction (A Survey of Islamic Banks Customers in Indonesia)

Objective - This study examines the factors affecting the quality of Islamic banking services in Indonesia, and its impact on customer satisfaction. Methodology/Technique - Questionnaires were distributed to 300 people, with 286 respondents having completed and returned the questionnaires. A descriptive analysis was conducted to ascertain the elements of Islamic banking services. Further, multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the influence of the quality of Islamic banking services on customer satisfaction. The results show that all elements of banking services are not in accordance with the expectations of the respondents as customers, particularly with respect to Automatic Teller Machine ('ATM') services. Findings - The results show that, with respect to all elements examined, the value of expectations was higher than the service received by customers. In addition, not all of the study hypotheses were accepted. The expectations of banking services were not influenced by Word of Mouth ('WOM'), personal characteristics or experience. Further, the source of information obtained, the age or income of the respondents, and their education and experience, did not have an affect on the expectations of Islamic banking services. Novelty - A high quality of Islamic banking services significantly affects customer satisfaction. In an effort to improve services in that industry, Islamic banking in Indonesia would benefit from placing more attention on all elements of the services provided to customers, particularly ATM services. Further, based on the findings of this study, the elements of customer service should be addressed regardless of the characteristics of the customers, such as age, income, education or experience. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Service Quality; Customer Satisfaction; Islamic Banks; Indonesia. JEL Classification: G20, G21, G29.

Designing a medicalized wellness service: balancing hospitality and hospital features

ABSTRACTMedicalized environments around the world are challenged with making trade-offs between the clinical nature of the service and the customer service elements needed to deliver the service. Many medicalized wellness services have yet to achieve an effective balance between their hospitality and hospital features to generate loyalty (repeat patronage). We present a case study of a blood service organization in a developed country that, at the time of data collection (2011), was working to resolve tension between clinical goals and expectations of Millennial donors. The results identified seven principles: ‘control over booking and service interactions’; ‘build social connections’; ‘offer a luxury, indulgent experience’; ‘build relationship with customer beyond the “medical” procedure’. The three remaining principles related to hospital-like features: ‘hide the functional/medical features of the service experience’; ‘demystify the “hidden” processes’; ‘ability for the physical service environment to be modified by the customer’.

Creating the library experience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the elements of a library’s daily operations that contribute to the overall experience visitors to the library hopefully enjoy. Beyond the much discussed element of customer service, there are many other factors that either enhance the experience or detract from it. Design/methodology/approach – This paper used the author’s personal experience as an observer of library organizations from his perspective of a consultant and a workshop presenter. Findings – This paper focuses on the importance of ensuring that every aspect of the library operation functions properly to guarantee pleasant experiences for all visitors. Originality/value – The paper helps the library director, the department manager and the staff librarian to better appreciate the importance of being aware of how the visitor perceives the library experience.

English

The study sought to conceptualise a model to predict the elements of customer service that affect customers' sense of belongingness and satisfaction. Using structured questionnaires, data collection was done from a sample of two hundred (200) customers of selected commercial banks in Ghana. The study identified customer service, personnel attitude and environment as the customer service elements as predictors of customers' sense of belongingness and satisfaction. The study also revealed a positive relationship between all the elements of customer service and customer sense of belongingness. In addition, a positive correlation between customer sense of belongingness and customer retention was identified. However, the environmental element was found to be the most important element both for customer sense of belongingness and satisfaction. In conclusion, the study result suggests that for firms in the banking sector to be able to increase their customer retention, they should focus on the customers' satisfaction and sense of belongingness to the organisation.

Uncovering customer service experiences with Twitter: the case of airline industry

Purpose – In this paper the authors present a study that uses Twitter to identify critical elements of customer service in the airline industry. The goal of the study was to uncover customer opinions about services by monitoring and analyzing public Twitter commentaries. The purpose of this paper is to identify elements of customer service that provide positive experiences to customers as well as to identify service processed and features that require further improvements. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed the approach of sentiment analysis as part of the netnography study. The authors processed 67,953 publicly shared tweets to identify customer sentiments about services of four airline companies. Sentiment analysis was conducted using the lexicon approach and vector-space model for assessing the polarity of Twitter posts. Findings – By analyzing Twitter posts for their sentiment polarity the authors were able to identify areas of customer service that caused customer satisfaction, dissatisfaction as well as delight. Positive sentiments were linked mostly to online and mobile check-in services, favorable prices, and flight experiences. Negative sentiments revealed problems with usability of companies’ web sites, flight delays and lost luggage. Evidence of delightful experiences was recorded among services provided in airport lounges. Originality/value – Paper demonstrates how sentiment analysis of Twitter feeds can be used in research on customer service experiences, as an alternative to Kano and SERVQUAL models.

Online customer service and retail type-product congruence

This study investigates how various elements of customer service affect the behavioral intention to shop at the online or the offline store for different product categories. We focus on the perceived value, trust, interface, empathy, and offline presence as the dimensions of the customer service for the retail store (online or offline). Using 317 respondents from the online stores’ users, this study finds that perceived value is the strongest predictor for future intention to shop at online stores, whereas offline presence of an online store did not enhance the future intention to shop at online stores. Other dimensions such as enhanced trust and ease of interface strengthen the intention to purchase at the offline stores. Finally, perceived value and empathy associated with online stores harm the offline stores. In synch with the Theory of Congruence, this study supports the notion that the perceived congruence between product type and retail store type affect their intention to purchase certain product categories at the online stores and to purchase other groups of product categories at offline stores. Further ramifications of these findings are discussed in the paper.

Female customers' expectation of the service offering and their perception of the service quality in an emerging clothing market

AbstractWorldwide, clothing retailers that offer similar merchandise and even the same brands are flanked almost next to one another in shopping centres. Clothing retail therefore appears to be poorly differentiated, and it is not always clear why consumers prefer to patronize one store and avoid another. This study explored female consumers' expectations of the service offering and their perception of the service quality of prominent clothing retail channels in Tshwane, a major urban area in South Africa. The survey involved 243 females that were 20 years of age or older. They completed a structured questionnaire that investigated their (1) expectations of customer service in terms of tangible evidence of the service offering; and (2) perception of service quality using two different instruments by means of a direct measurement approach. Explorative factor analysis was used to reduce the data in terms of relevant dimensions of the respective measuring instruments and to determine the significance of the various dimensions of customer service and service quality in the context of this research. Contrary to what the literature proposes about consumers in an emerging economy, findings of this study suggest that females' expectations of the service offering of clothing retail stores were high. Their expectations were cognitively structured in terms of three elements of customer service, namely (1) physical facilities and product presentation; (2) personnel; and (3) store image and processes. Their perception of service quality revealed an opportunity to augment the service quality through attention to activities that are associated with personnel and the so‐called supportiveness dimensions of their service offering. Findings coincided with a prior investigation of Terblanche and Boshoff, although a re‐labelling of one dimension of their instrument is proposed to prevent confusion. Recommendations to augment the service quality of clothing retailers are made in terms of tangible evidence of the service offering.

Realizing Patient-Centered Care: Putting Patients in the Center, Not the Middle

In these challenging times, healthcare executives must make difficult decisions when setting goals and allocating resources within their organizations. Patient-centered care means putting the patient in the center, not in the middle. Hospitals should view the world through the patient's and organize care around the patient. Investing in patient-centered care as an expression of mission, vision, and values is the right thing to do and has the potential to increase patient volumes and revenue. Realizing patient-centered care requires shared understanding, top leadership that can own and embrace the vision, engaged caregivers, and involved patients. There is an undeniable element of customer service in patient-centered care: Lessons from the retail industry can take us beyond merely meeting expectations to exceeding them.

Customer Service Strategy and Segmentation in Food Retailing using the Importance-Performance Paradigm

This paper will provide a framework on how to design a customer service strategy and apply it to the food industry in Greece. Building a customer service strategy requires the evaluation of marketing and logistics service elements, the identification of importance-performance gaps in relation to those elements, and the segmentation of the service offered. To evaluate service elements, retailers were asked to rate the elements′ importance and the food suppliers′ performance. To identify importance- performance gaps, a paired samples t-test was used. Statistical differences between importance and performance exist in various customer service elements. To reveal different retailer segments, a cluster analysis with K-means was applied. The cluster analysis indicates that the prior classification of multiple food retailers according to their annual purchases of food products (hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores) affect their ratings on the importance of customer service. This study provides insight into the customer service-based segmentation. In addition, it provides an approach to identify customer segments by using the importance-performance analysis.

Customer service differentiation in the Greek food market: the case of chilled and ambient products

The objective of this study is to compare two different food product categories concerning customer service elements. For this purpose, four producers of ambient and chilled products were contacted with personal interviews in order to identify the customer service elements that are suitable for each product category. The results indicate 39 service elements that the food manufacturers provide to the food retailers, from which 24 are common between chilled and ambient products, nine elements were selected only for chilled products, and six elements were selected only for ambient products. Moreover, the importance of the common elements in the two product categories is evaluated by 40 supermarkets. The results indicate that statistical differences exist in the importance of the service elements: notice of shipping delay; in-stock performance; handling emergency orders; personnel competence; and sales and marketing support. The customer service differentiation between the two food product categories implies that the suppliers should provide different service elements in each category as well as offer different service level for the common elements.

Improving customer service performance within a food supplier‐retailers context

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a strategic approach to the improvement of customer service performance and apply it to a food supplier that distributes its products to food multiple retailers' stores (from now on, the term “retailers” instead of “food multiple retailers' stores” will be used to represent hypermarkets, supermarkets or neighbourhood stores).Design/methodology/approachTo attain the performance's enhancement, the requirements are: the identification, evaluation and selection of customer service elements and the establishment of measures as well as performance standards. To identify service elements, previous research and the food supplier's as well as the retailers' viewpoints were taken into consideration. To evaluate service elements, 40 retailers were asked to rate the elements' importance and the two competitors' performance. The usable questionnaires were subjected to correlation analysis, paired‐samples t‐test and multiple ANOVA. To select the appropriate service elements, on which measures and performance standards would be established, positioning matrices were also formed.FindingsWith respect to sausage market in Greece, the analysis points out that the supplier should apply measures in the service elements order completeness, invoice error‐free, on‐time delivery, delivery of products without defects, efficient handling of returned products, informing about shortages in the orders, providing technical information and efficient handling of customers' requests. The performance should be improved in the first three elements and maintained as it is in the remaining five elements.Originality/valueThe study provides insight into the customer service elements which a supplier should measure and into which of them a supplier should improve its performance or maintain it. Moreover, the elements that constitute customer service in the Greek sausage sector are identified.

Benefits of IT in supply chain management: an explorative study of progressive companies

PurposeTo provide empirical evidence of benefits from IT in supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachData in this qualitative study were collected through multiple enquiries. SCM consultant interviews gave an understanding of the current state of practice. A survey of 48 progressive companies was conducted to identify what IT solutions they have implemented in SCM. This was followed by 18 in‐depth case studies to identify the mechanisms for achieving benefits of IT in SCM.FindingsBased on the empirical studies five propositions are presented on the use and benefits of IT. First, successful companies have developed focused e‐business solutions for improving customer service elements that are most important in their business. Second, improved efficiency allows company personnel to focus more on critical business activities. Third, the use of e‐business solutions improves information quality. Fourth, e‐business solutions support planning collaboration and improved agility of the supply network. Finally, to gain strategic benefits, the use of IT has to be coupled with process redesign.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of companies used in the study was selected by expert assessment and is biased towards companies willing to discuss and share results openly. Additionally, the focus of the paper was on single companies and not on the entire supply network. However, the findings of this study present an opportunity to further develop understanding of the underlying mechanisms of how IT investments benefit supply chain management.Originality/valueThe paper fulfils an identified need for in‐depth case studies that analyze the possible mechanisms behind the practical benefits of IT in supply chain management.