Ch 3.

Customer Expectations of Service

- Services Marketing, Zeithaml & Bitner -

2002. 1. 21

Quality Engineering Laboratory

Hong Sun Young

 Contents

„ Meaning and types of service expectations

„ Factors that influence customer expectations of service

„ A Model of Customer Service Expectations

„ Current Issues Involving Customer Service Expectations

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 Meaning and Types of Service Expectations (1)

„ Expected Service - Two level of Expectations

• Desired Service : the level of service the customer hopes to receive
• Adequate Service : the level of service the customer will accept
“minimum tolerable expectation”

Desired Service What they desired

Adequate Service What they deem acceptable

Figure 3-1 Dual customer expectation levels

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 Meaning and Types of Service Expectations (2)

„ The Zone of Tolerance : range of level, bounded desired and adequate service
• Different customers possess different zones of tolerance
• Zones of tolerance vary for service dimensions
• Zones of tolerance vary for first-time and recovery service

Desired Service

Zone of
Tolerance

Adequate Service

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 Meaning and Types of Service Expectations (3)

Desired Service
Level Desired Service
of Zone of
Expec-
tation Tolerance
Zone of
Adequate Service Tolerance

Adequate Service

Most important factors Least important factors

Figure 3-3 Zone of tolerance for different service dimension

First-Time Service
Outcome
Process

Recovery Service
Outcome
Process

Low Expectation High

Figure 3-4 Zones of tolerance for first-time and recovery service

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 Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service (1)

„ Sources of Desired Service Expectations

• Personal needs
• Enduring service intensifiers
– Derived service expectations : occur when customer expectations are driven by
another person or group of people
– Personal service philosophy : the customer’s underlying generic attitude about the
meaning of service and the proper conduct of service providers

Expected Service
Enduring service
intensifiers
Desired Service

Personal needs
Zone of
Tolerance

Figure 3-6 Factors that influence desired service Adequate Service

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 Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service (2)

„ Sources of Adequate Service Expectations

Transitory service
intensifiers
Desired Service
Perceived service
alternatives
Zone of
Self-perceived Tolerance
Service role

Adequate Service Predicted

Situational
Service
factors

Figure 3-6 Factors that influence adequate service

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 Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service (3)

„ Sources of Adequate Service Expectations

• Transitory service intensifiers
– temporary, short-term, individual factors that make a customer more aware of the
need for service
• Perceived service alternatives
– other providers from whom the customer can obtain service
• Self-perceived service role
– customer perceptions of the degree to which customers exert an influence on the
level of service they receive
• Situational factors
– service performance conditions that customers view as beyond the control of the
service provider
• Predicted service
– the level of service customers believe they are likely to get

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 Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service (4)

„ Sources of Both Desired and Predicted Service Expectations

Explicit service
promises

Implicit service
promise

Desired Service
Word of mouth

Zone of Past experience

Tolerance

Adequate Service Predicted

Service

Figure 3-7 Factors that influence desired and predicted service

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 Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service (5)

„ Sources of Both Desired and Predicted Service Expectations

• Explicit service promises
– Personal and nonpersonal statements about the service made by the organization to
customers
• Implicit service promises
– Service related cues other than explicit promises that lead to inferences about what
the service should and will be like
• Word-of-mouth communication
– Carries particular weight as an information source because it is perceived as unbiased
– Including Consumer Reports, friends, and family
• Past experience
– The customer’s previous exposure to service that is relevant to the focal service

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 A Model of Customer Service Expectations

Enduring Service Intensifiers Explicit Service Promise

ƒ Derived expectations ƒ Advertising
ƒ Personal service philosophies ƒ Personal selling
ƒ Contracts
ƒ Other communication
Personal Needs

Implicit Service Promise

ƒ Tangibles
Expected ƒ Price

Transitory Service Service

Intensifiers Desired Word of Mouth
ƒ Emergencies Service ƒ Personal
ƒ Service problems ƒ “Expert” (Consumer Reports,
publicity, Consultants, surrogates)
Perceived Service
Zone of
Alternatives Tolerance Past Experience

Self-Perceived Adequate
Service Role
Predicted Service
Service

Situational Factors Gap 5

ƒ Bad weather
ƒ Catastrophe
ƒ Random overdemand
PERCEIVED
SERVICE

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 Current Issues Involving Customer Service Expectations

„ What Does a Services Marketer Do if Customer Expectations Are Unrealistic”?

• Customer want service to be delivered as promised.
„ How Does a Company Customer Service Expectations?
• Honoring promises (Reliable service)
• Ex) Ritz-Carlton Hotel “memorable visit”
„ Do Customer Service Expectations Continually Escalate?
• Company need to monitor adequate service expectations continually
„ How Does a Service Company Stay Ahead of Competition in Meeting Customer
Expectation?
• Company must consistently exceed not only the adequate service level but also the
desired service level.

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 Discussion

„ Personal needs 와 Personal service philosophy의 정확한 개념???

• Personal needs : physical, social, psychological, and functional등의 category내에서 개인
의 needs에 따라 Desired Service Expectation이 달라진다.
• Personal service philosophy : 개인마다 각 Service에 대해 가지고 있는 기본적인 주관이
틀리다. 그 Service에 대해 당연히 제공되어야 한다고 생각하는 것들과 provider의 태
도 등이 개인마다 틀리다.

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