Consumer Behaviour Culture & Service Encounters + TB Chapter 2 Flashcards
Three-stage model of service consumption
Pre-purchase
Service encounter
Post-purchase
Pre-purchase stage
Begins with need awareness followed by information search and evaluation of alternatives before deciding to purchase a service
Need awareness
When an entity decides to buy or use a service, it is triggered by an underlying need or need arousal
Needs can be triggered by
People’s unconscious minds
Physical conditions
External sources
Three-stage model of service consumption
Pre-purchase
Service encounter
Post-encounter
Information search
Once a need has been recognized, customers are motivated to search for solutions to satisfy that need
Evoked set
Formed of several alternatives that may come to mind after a need has been recognized
Evaluation of alternative services
Includes service attributes, perceived risk, and service expectations
The “moment of truth”
The moment when a customer comes into contact with a service and forms an impression of the service quality. This moment is critical because it shapes the customer’s perception of the service, and can greatly impact their overall satisfaction and loyalty to the brand
Perceived risks in evaluation of alternatives
Functional – unsatisfactory performance outcomes
Financial – monetary loss, unexpected extra costs
Temporal – wasted time, delays leading to problems
Physical – personal injury, damage to possessions
Psychological – fears and negative emotions
Social – how others may think and react
Sensory – unwanted impact on any of five senses
Service attributes in evaluation of alternatives
Multi-attribute model assumes that customers can evaluate all important attributes before purchase
Includes:
Search attributes
Experience attributes
Credence attributes
Search attributes
Help customers evaluate a product before purchase (style, colour, texture, other preferences)
Experience attributes
Those that cannot be evaluated before purchase
eg: how much you like the food at a restaurant you haven’t been to before
Credence attributes
Are characteristics that customers find hard to evaluate even after consumption
eg: after eating at a restaurant, difficult to evaluate quality of cooking ingredients
3 levels of service expectations
Desired service (level wished for)
Adequate service (minimum level acceptable)
Predicted service (level expected)
Purchase decision
Best option selected
Very often trade-offs are involved
Price typically a key factor
Service encounter stage
“Moment of truth”
Service encounters (range from high-low contact)
Service encounter
A period of time during which a customer interacts directly with the service provider
Models include:
“moment of truth”
high/low contact model
Servuction model
Theater metaphor
High/low contact model
High contact means there is direct contact throughout the service delivery process
eg: haircut
Low contact means there is little if any direct contact
eg: cable tv, insurance
Servuction system
Visible front stage, hidden backstage
Means service production and delivery
Customers interact with the front stage while the backstage happens out of view
eg: ordering takeout
Theatre metaphor
Service facilities = stage for drama
Roles = actors (employees)
Personnel = front and backstage personnel
Scripts = sequences of behavioural interactions
Post-purchase stage
Evaluation of service performance
Future intentions
Customer satisfaction
Attitude-like judgement following a service purchase or series of service interactions
Different from actual service quality
3 components of customer delight
Unexpectedly high levels of performance
Arousal
Positive affect
