Page 203 - DMGT522_SERVICES MANAGEMENT

Services Management

Notes
Figure 9.2: A Model of Service Encounter Evaluation

Source: http://www.ida.liu.se/~steho/und/htdd01/9602205187.pdf

9.3.1 Marketing Mix Effects

Though all of the mix elements are likely to influence satisfaction directly, the purpose of the
model and experiment is to begin to understand how this influence occurs by illustrating their
effects on satisfaction antecedents. In figure 9.2 the services marketing mix is shown as entering
the service encounter satisfaction process by directly influencing three antecedents of satisfaction:
expectation, perceived service performance and attributions. Because they have limited attention
in the marketing literature and because they are of particular importance in many service
settings, two if the new mix elements–physical evidence and participants–are the focus of the
following discussion and experiment.
Because services are intangible and usually cannot be tried prior to purchase, customers look for
tangible evidence of what they are about to experience in a given service encounter. Physical
evidence such as environmental design, decor, signage, and business card/stationery send
messages that help to establish the firm’s image and influence the customer’s expectations. The
participants in the service environment also provide clues about what the customer should
expect. Visual inspection of their dress and nonverbal cues as to the demeanor of both the
service firm personnel and other customers in the service facility aid customers in categorising
the firm and forming pre-experience expectations for the service encounter.
At the next stage of the evaluation process, elements of physical evidence such as noise level,
odours, temperature, colors, textures and comfort of furnishings may influence perceived
performance in the service encounter. Research suggests that such variations in physical
environment can affect perceptions of experience independently of the actual outcome. Similarly,
the attitudes and behaviours service personnel also influence perceived service performance. In
the service literature, such behaviours usually are associated with what is called process or
functional; quality as opposed to the outcome or technical quality. In addition, customers may
be influenced by the perceived experiences of other customers.
The model suggests that marketing mix elements also may influence satisfaction in the service
encounter through their effects on attributions for service disconfirmation. For example, when

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