Customer Interviews Research Articles

UNDERSTANDING SERVICE OUTCOMES IN THE SPA INDUSTRY

Purpose - There is a scarcity of research to provide an in-depth understanding of spa service outcomes. This research note aims to examine the characteristics of spa service outcomes from three sources of information. Design/methodology - The information from past studies, online reviews, and customer interviews is analysed through a content analysis method. Findings - First, service outcomes in the spa industry involve two attributes: physical and mental outcomes. Second, the assessment of customer satisfaction on spa services includes two elements: service satisfaction and outcome satisfaction. Third, spa service outcomes may be regarded as a distinct variable as the experiences of spa service outcomes may be depended on certain factors (e.g. skills of therapists and the understanding of customer needs), meanwhile, they also have subsequent influences on post-consumption behaviours. Originality - This is an initial study to fully examine the characteristics of spa service outcomes. The study has conceptualised spa service outcomes for future investigation to strengthen knowledge development in the field.

New Product Development Strategy for Sustainable Rigid Plastic Packaging at XYZ Company in 2022-2025

This study developed environmentally friendly products for XYZ Company through business strategy analysis, macro external environment analysis, industry analysis, the voice of customer analysis, functional analysis, canoe model integration and quality functional deployment, and cost-benefit analysis. Based on the analysis results, a new product development strategy for sustainable rigid plastic packaging was formulated at XYZ Company in 2022-2025. The formulation of a new product development strategy at XYZ Company began by collecting data from XYZ Company's Business Strategy, analyzing internal factors using functional analysis, and analyzing the external environment (regulations, economic, social, political conditions, industry pressures, and results of customer interviews with XYZ Company) with using PESTEL Analysis, Industry Analysis (Five Forces Porter), and Voice of Customer Analysis. All data were combined in the Kano model matrix and Quality Function Deployment Matrix, which produced new product characteristics that will become the basis for XYZ Company in designing new products, conducting cost and benefit analysis, and determining strategy formulation. Based on the analysis results, XYZ Company could develop a 20L Jerrycan product for refillable packaging with Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) Material, using Extrusion Blow Molding and Injection Molding Process, and collaborating with customers to develop product cycles for refillable packaging offered to customers. The XYZ Company's effective New Product Development Strategy for sustainable plastic packaging in 2022-2025 is manufacturing refillable packaging with PCR material and using existing machines. Keywords: product development, kano model, quality functional deployment, sustainability, rigid plastic packaging

Idea Generation in New Product Development

It is imperative for companies to focus on innovation and new product development. Companies require generating effective ideas for new products. The objective of the study is to understand the various aspects related to idea generation in new product development. The methodology adopted is a conceptual analysis of the various aspects of idea generation. Companies adopt two approaches viz. top-down idea generation and bottom-up idea generation. They validate the ideas generated and employ different market research tools viz. observation of customers; conducting interviews of customers, employees, and experts; analysis of the competition; and crowdsourcing for idea generation and usage of multiple methods for idea generation. Academicians may suggest approaches, market research tools, and multiple methods which are effective in idea generation and validation. Practicing managers will understand the importance of generating new ideas for products. They may apply different approaches and tools which are effective in generating and validating effective ideas.

Investigating the effects of service recovery strategies on consumer forgiveness and post-trust in the food delivery sector

Underpinned by coping theory, this study investigates the extent to which service recovery strategies (e.g., firm-level apologies; compensation; feedback loops) stimulate customer forgiveness and post-trust following service failure. Adopting a two-stage explanatory sequential mixed-method, it investigates the interplay between prior knowledge of service providers, service failure incident familiarity, recovery strategies, forgiveness, and consumer evaluations within an Iranian food delivery platform. Survey responses (n = 925) reveal the role of recovery strategies in stimulating forgiveness and post-trust following service failure. Multi-group analyses reveal gender differences therein. Quantitative findings are extended narratively by customer interviews (n = 45), which suggest proactive, open, and immediate recovery protocol enactment holds greatest value in avoiding negative consumer responses to service failure, mitigating negative outcomes (e.g., anger, frustration). This study thus expands extant understanding of foodservice platform consumption behaviors, providing valuable practical insight for industry stakeholders with regards to the nuances of service failure and recovery in the digital age.

Pengendalian Internal Pemberian Kredit Mikro UMKM Untuk Menjaga Likuiditas Dimasa Pandemic Covid-19 Pada Bank BPR Serang Cabang Cinangka

The purpose of this paper is to answer how the internal control in the provision of MSME microcredit by the BPR Serang Bank Cinangka Branch during the Covid-19 Pandemic and find out how the liquidity is. The writing method used is descriptive qualitative, while the population used is the financial statements of BPR Serang Cinangka Branch with a sample of 2019-2020. The results of the discussion showed that the internal control in providing microcredit to MSMEs by Bank BPR Serang Cinangka Branch during the Covid-19 period were customer interviews, OTS, SLIK checking, curriculum vitae, and the application of 5C principles (character, capacity, capital, colleateral, and condition). Meanwhile, the liquidity of Bank BPR Serang Cinangka Branch during the Covid-19 period based on the results of the calculation of the Quick Ratio of BPR Serang Cinangka branch in 2019-2020 illiquid conditions of its current assets, based on the LAR ratio in 2019 healthy conditions and in 2020 unhealthy conditions or unable to meet demand for credit from assets owned or assets, based on LDR ratio in 2019-2020 very healthy condition, based on NPL ratio in 2019 NPL below 5% means healthy condition but in 2020 NPL above 5% means less healthy, because based on the amount of NPL, a bank that is in a healthy category must have an NPL below 5%.

Systemizing and Automating the Concept Development Process Based on Product Configuration and User Feedback: Case Study on Automating the Design Process of Creating Concepts for a Kitchen Stand Mixer

Optimizing the development and evaluation of concepts during the design of consumer products through, e.g., topology optimization, often excludes areas associated with user needs (e.g., usability). This paper reports on an exploratory study of developing a system which can create new product concepts based on users’ preferences, requirements, and a clearly defined product structure. The 3D model of the product (structured using top-down design and resilient modeling) was integrated with calculations of the performance of the user needs (performance indicators). Different designs were developed based on design of experiment analyses and optimization analyses of the 3D model of the product (a kitchen stand mixer). The outcome of the analyses was a range of concepts which scored differently in the performance indicators. The best designs (based on Pareto front) were evaluated by six potential customers. Half of the participants preferred the same design, suggesting that this tool can be used to develop a design which a specific customer segment prefers. The process of creating the model and using it for customer interviews contributed a set of qualitative findings to the literature on combining parametric design, customization, and systematic design with user needs.

A Study on Impact of Service Quality Factors Customer retention through Commercial Banks in Virudhunagar District

Some of the research work conducted in this area is led to undertake an aspect that has not been much identified. The research literature reviewed so far shows that the customer retention is a very interesting and important topic in the service industry especially in banking industry. Service quality is usually understood as a measure of how well the level of the delivered services matches customer’s expectations (Santos, 2003). Most of the Indian Banks perform the same function & therefore customers place service quality on the top in their priority list while choosing a particular bank. Therefore, banks prosper or decline majorly depend on the quality service offered to the customer and due to this reason majority of the banks in India have placed service quality at the top of the list of business strategy. For this study the researcher have chosen six commercial banks out of 10 public sector banks and 04 private banks working in the Virudhunagar district (Tamilnadu) India. The customers of these banks are considered as respondents of the study. It is descriptive because descriptive data were collected through detailed customer survey and interviews. It is also explanatory since it tried to explain the relationship between the service quality in banking and customer retention, also realized that for better understanding of the relationship between service quality and customer retention. The researcher have used a judgmental sampling method to select samples for the study. In this research the researcher have selected 120 respondents to obtain required primary data. Service quality is commonly noted as a critical prerequisite for establishing and sustaining relationship with valued customers. Several studies have shown that a high level of customer service quality can exert a positive influence on customer satisfaction and retention. Therefore, customer retention is considered here as dependent variable and it depends upon service quality of commercial banks

Analisis Penilaian Kinerja (Keuangan dan Non Keuangan) Pada SPBU Coco Nomor 51.651.16 Raya Langsep Kota Malang Dengan Pendekatan Balance Scorecard

This study aims to analyze financial and non-financial performance at COCO SPBU NUMBER 51.651.16 RAYA LANGSEP MALANG CITY (also called COCO gas station 51.651.16). This performance appraisal analysis uses the Balanced Scorecard approach which includes a financial perspective, a customer perspective, an internal business process perspective as well as a growth and learning perspective. The data used in this study are primary and secondary data. The primary quantitative data were obtained through customer satisfaction surveys and interviews with the COCO gas station manager51,651.16. Qualitative secondary data obtained from gas station documents, internet, and literature studies, as well as consumer and employee satisfaction questionnaires were analyzed through validity and reliability tests. The success of COCO gas stations 51,651.16 used the Balance Scorecard approach from a financial perspective with a performance percentage of 87.5%. Perspective customers with a performance percentage of 87.5%, an Internal business perspective with a performance percentage of 100%, as well as a growth and learning perspective with a performance percentage of 90%.Keywords: financial perspective, customer perspective, internal business process perspective and growth and learning perspective.

OBTAINING AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF THE ASSURANCE DIMENSION OF SERVQUAL IN THE SPA INDUSTRY: A CASE OF SPAS IN BANGKOK

Purpose - Among the five SERVQUAL dimensions, reliability is one of the most criticised dimensions because it is ambiguous and interpreted differently in the service literature. In addition, perceived hygiene, which is related to the attribute of safety, is becoming increasingly important in customer perceptions COVID -19 in the hospitality and tourism industries. In this study, three different sources of information are examined using a qualitative, exploratory methodology to gain a better understanding of the dimension of safety in the spa industry, focusing on spas in Bangkok. Design/methodology - Three different sources of information (secondary data, expert interviews, and customer interviews) are examined and interpreted through a content analysis methodology. Findings - There are two main findings. First, the assurance dimension of spa service quality can be sub-divided into four key categories: 1) product assurance 2) staff assurance 3) physical assurance and 4) process assurance. Second, perceived hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic is integrated into the assurance attributes of spa service quality. Originality - The study advances knowledge on the assurance dimension in relation to spa service quality. In addition, the assurance dimension of SERVQUAL in the spa industry has been conceptualised in regard to the current situation.

Design Thinking Approach for the Development of Theme Park Application

Theme entertainment businesses rely very much on providing their visitors with the most memorable experiences. To do so, top operators have put a considerable amount of effort and investment in their facilities and activities in their parks. However, after a customer interview, several pain points are still found such as long toilet queues, finding available parking lots, being unable to find the parked car, and no real-time thrill ride information/status. Similar with other domains in the tourism market, most of these problems are easy to solve with the help of having a smartphone application that delivers such information right to the customer’s hands. This study outlines the development process of a theme park application based on a design thinking approach. Our MVP prototypes have obtained good feedback from potential users in both qualitative and quantitative usability tests.

Financial Ratios : A Tool for Computing Probability of Corporate Default

Financial institutions want to draw upon a pool of borrowers having a high capacity of making repayments to ensure a smooth lending process. Before lending, financial institutions can assess their prospective customers using various tools such as customer interviews, visits, ratings from external credit rating agencies, financial analysis, and internal ratings along with risk mitigation through securities and collateral, as guided by the regulators and Basel committee. Basel accord suggests an internal rating-based approach where banks are allowed to estimate the borrower’s probability of default, internally. Multivariate statistical approaches such as logistic models is widely used for finding the probability of default models by banks. The current study covers the development of probability of default model after using financial ratios as predictors. Results reveal that financial ratios have a significant impact on the firm’s probability of default, except cash flow ratios. Fitted probability of default model can be utilized in any corporate lending firm for the assessment of its strength and its ability to pay back the loan. Probability of default model meets the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Basel requirements for the implementation of internal rating based approaches in the case of conventional Pakistani banks. Credit risk rating and expected credit losses can be calculated using fitted probability of default model. This study was executed only based on financial ratios because of the availability of financial data only. Conventional banks use managerial, business and economic factors along with financial ratios to construct better predictive models. The current study was conducted on limited data adopted from financial statements analysis published by SBP. The developed model in this study is suitable for all non-financial corporates. Future researchers may develop different models for different industries, for instance, manufacturing and trading.Keywords: financial ratios, default, Basel, internal rating

Digital Marketing Platforms and Customer Satisfaction: Identifying eWOM Using Big Data and Text Mining

Big data analytics provides many opportunities to develop new avenues for understanding hospitality management and to support decision making in this field. User-generated content (UGC) provides benefits for hotel managers to gain feedback from customers and enhance specific product attributes or service characteristics in order to increase business value and support marketing activities. Many scholars have provided significant findings about the determinants of customers’ satisfaction in hospitality. However, most researchers primarily used research methodologies such as customer surveys, interviews, or focus groups to examine the determinants of customers’ satisfaction. Thus, more studies must explore how to use UGC to bridge the gap between guest satisfaction and online reviews. This paper examines and compares the aspects of satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Greek hotels’ guests. Text analytics was implemented to deconstruct hotel guest reviews and then examine their relationship with hotel satisfaction. This paper helps hotel managers determine specific product attributes or service characteristics that impact guest satisfaction and dissatisfaction and how hotel guests’ attitudes to those characteristics are affected by hotels’ market positioning and strategies.

The Changes in Online Buying Intention as a Determinant of Behavior During COVID-19 Pandemic in the Ready-Made Garments Industry in Egypt

During 2020, in the time of the COVID-19 during and after lockdown. Governments are imposing lockdown and shutdown for all activities/services inside the country to reduce the spread of the previously mentioned pandemic including international flights. Major factories and manufacturers had stopped for months during the pandemic which led to having thousands of people with no salaries. Major companies resorted to work from home procedures whenever they can to keep the business going. This research will focus on the Online buying intention that eventually leads to buying behavior of Ready-made Garments in Egypt over the internet and social media, such as Facebook and Instagram to be specific. Readymade garment industry has started booming with the spread of e-commerce, especially with the influence of social media. Paper focuses on the area of greater Cairo and its resident customer segment of readymade garments, focusing on middle and upper social with minimum college education, who are also well-enabled with the needed resources to purchase products via the Internet. 
 
 The primary data was collected through Customer Interviews that were conducted through online questionnaires that resulted in the observation of COVID-19 as a catalyst for online shopping intention as a determinant of behavior since 32.5 % of the respondents increased their buying frequency during the lockdown. The secondary data was collected through the review of previous researches, models and cases. Although the Online Buying Behavior is relatively a new phenomenon, the Buying behavior is quite rich with theories, a theoretical framework was proposed for the study of the online buying intention as a determinant of behavior that is based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989) and 2 variables from Nayyar & Gupta (2011) along with 2 moderating variables which are eWOM & Psychological Factors and a mediating variable which is COVID-19.

Voluntary Kids' Meal Beverage Standards: Are They Sufficient to Ensure Healthier Restaurant Practices and Consumer Choices?

Many quick-service restaurants (QSRs) instituted voluntary kids’ meal default beverage standards (standards) between 2013 to 2017. Little is known about impacts of standards on QSR drive-through practices and on customer choices. This study assessed differences in restaurant practices including kids’ meal beverages shown on menu boards, offered by cashiers, and selected by customers in QSRs with and without voluntary standards. Observations (n = 111) and customer surveys (n = 84) were conducted in 2018 at QSRs with standards (n = 70) and without (n = 41) in low-income California, U.S. neighborhoods. Kids’ meal beverages on menu boards (n = 149) and offered by cashiers (n = 185) at QSRs with and without standards were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression. Significantly more menu boards at QSRs with standards (n = 103) vs. without (n = 46) featured only milk, water or unsweetened juice (65.1% vs. 4.4%; p < 0.001). Most cashiers at QSRs with standards and QSRs without (53.1%, 62.5%) asked what drink the data collector wanted rather than first offering default beverages. A small sample of customer interviews found that customers at QSRs with standards most commonly ordered juice (37.0%); at QSRs without standards, soda (45.5%). Although menu boards showed healthier kids’ meal beverages at QSRs with standards than without, cashier behavior was inconsistent. Results suggest additional measures (legislation, implementation support, enforcement) may be needed to ensure optimal implementation.

An Approach to Integrating Market Research with Customer Insights through the Development of IoT Products

Technology development is routinely seen as the solution to stay relevant, however, many organizations are unsure of exactly how to capitalize on such technology. This paper builds on current traditional market research (TMR) with deep customer insights (DCI) theory to understand how the development of a new technological solution can be supported by TMR and DCI methods. An empirical case study of an international firm developing a new product to utilize the internet of things (IoT) is investigated. This research reports on a 13 stage method, including industry and company business model analysis, mobile application analysis, cross-national company and customer interviews, co-design, and testing of prototypes methods. The results demonstrate how DCI methods enable an understanding of the opportunity a technological intervention provides, not just simply implementing it as a solution to a problem. In addition, it contributes to the emerging field of DCI methodologies by providing a practical examination of their use in the field. The paper illustrates the successful implementation of DCI methods as data collection to provide a novel approach to connect with customers to develop IoT products and services applicable to all cross-national organizations.

Engaging Stakeholders of Crowdsourced Work

With the advent of mobile application-based aggregator models, engaging stakeholders has become more challenging as the lines separating external and internal customer are blurred. This study deciphers the points of engagement and points of disengagement for the major stakeholders viz. drivers and commuters for the cab aggregators in India. Through semi-structured interviews of cab drivers and triangulation through media reports, interviews of customers, bank officers and regional transport officers, the authors elicit what enhances customer and driver engagement and what reduces it. Results show that technology has a dual nature where it enhances as well as diminish the engagement of drivers. The identity of a professional and the flexibility offered by this app-based work fosters engagement for drivers as well as customers. Changes in organizational and government norms are a source of disengagement. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Enabling a high-performing and sustainable shared service: The journey of a management engineering and consulting group

The value of a shared service organisation (SSO) is recognised in transactional functions across manufacturing, technology and finance. Successful application of an SSO in healthcare is limited, particularly in professional, non-transactional functions. This article explores the application, effectiveness and challenges of creating an SSO in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. The Department of Management Engineering &amp; Internal Consulting (ME&amp;IC), a team of engineering and consulting staff at Mayo Clinic, completed its SSO journey by leveraging lessons from Mayo Clinic and various industries. Methods to implement a successful SSO included a literature review, customer and leadership interviews, and cross-industry benchmarking. ME&amp;IC converged and streamlined its services, expenses, infrastructure and service delivery; realised economies of scale; translated best practices; and optimised staff talent. The SSO enabled customer responsiveness and performance excellence by integrating talent, processes and technologies. An effective SSO supports policy standardisation, agile decision-making, strong change management, consolidation of shadow groups, resource alignment with strategic priorities and more accurate measurement and benefits realisation. To achieve success, SSO models must be adapted to organisation culture, leadership commitment and service delivery expectations. The systematic transition to an SSO and lessons learned by ME&amp;IC are broadly transferable to professional groups across industries.

Views on the role of community pharmacy in local communities: a case study of stakeholders' attitudes.

Objectives:To investigate the view of the role of community pharmacy by selected stakeholders in local Danish communities.Methods:A mixed method approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods was used: observations at pharmacies, questionnaires for pharmacy staff and customers, and interviews with pharmacy owners, general practitioners (GPs) and politicians. Role theory was the theoretical foundation. Data was analyzed using directed content analysis and descriptive statistics.Results:Five Danish towns were visited, resulting in five pharmacist interviews, 48 questionnaire replies from pharmacy staff, 59 customer interviews, three GP interviews and four interviews with local politicians. All stakeholders found the pharmacy to have a medical focus, although to a differing degree. While pharmacy staff and GPs had the greatest knowledge and expectations regarding the pharmacy staff’s level of medical knowledge, local politicians had the least. Pharmacy staff wanted to take on more responsibility. Customers generally considered the pharmacy part of the healthcare sector with a high level of knowledge on medications. GPs’ attitudes appeared to be related to the amount of communication between GP office and pharmacy. Local politicians interviewed did not seem to be aware of the competencies within the pharmacy, but once informed were open to using the pharmacy as an integrated part of the local healthcare system.Conclusions:There was general consensus between stakeholder groups that medicine is the main area of focus at the pharmacy. However, investigated stakeholders did not appear to be aware of the full extent of the competencies within the pharmacy, and there was a general lack of consensus about the services the pharmacy should perform. If the competencies within the pharmacy are to be fully utilized, the pharmacy must not only tell but also show the local community what they can do.

Practical Skills to Get the Most from Customer Interviews for Entrepreneurs and Startups

Practical Skills to Get the Most from Customer Interviews for Entrepreneurs and Startups

The impact of social enterprise on food insecurity - An Australian case study.

Like many high-income countries, in Australia there are a range of programmes in place, from social security to food banks, to help address food insecurity. So far, they have been unable to adequately alleviate and prevent this growing nutrition challenge. This paper presents an evaluation of a new type of intervention in the food security landscape, the social enterprise. The Community Grocer is a social enterprise that operates weekly fresh fruit and vegetable markets in Melbourne, Australia. The aim of the study was to examine the market's ability to increase access, use and availability of nutritious food in a socially acceptable way, for low socioeconomic status urban-dwelling individuals. The mixed-method evaluation included: comparative price audits (n=27) at local (<1km) stores; analysis of operational data from sample markets (n=3); customer surveys (n=91) and customer interviews (n=12), collected in two phases (Autumn 2017, Summer 2018). The results found common (n=10) fruit and vegetables cost, on average, approximately 40% less at the social enterprise, than local stores. Over twenty per cent of customers were food insecure and 80% of households were low income. Thirty-four different nationalities shopped at the market, and just over half (54%) shopped there weekly. More than 50 types of vegetables and fruit were available to purchase, varying for cultural preferences and seasonality, which supported variety and choice. Overall, this enterprise promotes food security in a localised area through low-cost, convenient, dignified and nutritious offerings.