Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/803594

OpenURL Link
Title
Rethinking customer expectations of service quality: are call centres different?
Author/Creator
Dean, Alison M.
Description
Reported studies on call centers emphasize efficiency and control, with possible implications for service priorities, customer orientation and service quality. However, there is little empirical research to test assumptions from the customer’s perspective. This study aimed to establish whether customers expected (predicted) low levels of service from a call center, how this level compared to the minimum level they considered adequate, and whether the perceived customer orientation of the call center was related to service quality expectations. Data were collected in Australia from two sources: end consumers (n = 289) of an insurance provider, and business customers (n = 325) of a bank. Key findings were similar for both samples. First, customers had very high levels of adequate (minimum) expectations, and adequate expectations behaved independently from predicted (forecast) expectations. Second, customer orientation was associated with predicted expectations but not adequate expectations. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research and managerial implications.
Relation
Journal of Services Marketing Vol. 18, Issue 1, p. 60-78
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876040410520717
Date
2004
Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing
Keyword(s)
Australia;  call centres;  customer requirements;  customer services;  quality;  services marketing
Resource Type
journal article
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/803594
Identifier
ISSN:0887-6045
Reviewed
Reviewed
33 Visitors 40 Hits 1 Downloads
Save/E-mail Citation
Citation Format
E-mail Address
Subject
"Journal of Services Marketing"
 
OR