Next steps in SERVQUAL - Adjusting to digitalization of services

Web-based service market places have been established as the fast-growing Internet technology has facilitated e-commerce platforms that enable buyers of services to connect with service providers in various different fields (Banker & Hwang, 2008). With the birth of e-commerce, it has become important to be able to monitor and enhance web-based service quality (Li et al., 2002). Ongoing attempts to understand the dynamics of service in an online context have indicated that service quality is related to customer satisfaction (Luo & Lee, 2011) and loyalty (Chang & Wang, 2008). Therefore, it is important for firms to identify factors that contribute to e-service satisfaction and perceived value (Zhang et al., 2006). E-service has been constantly evolving to incorporate new and continuous technological innovations. E-services must meet customers’ increasing expectations while at the same time adapt to the unique features of the Internet in order to gain user acceptance. E-service providers have realized the importance of satisfying customers. (Zhang et al. 2006) Therefore, identifying the factors that create customer satisfaction with e-services is critical. Even though there are numerous studies on service quality in physical settings, e-service lacks empirical research (Zhang et al., 2006). Since e-service quality and perceived value of websites are regarded as the key influential factors for internet marketing (Chang & Wang, 2008), it becomes necessary to research the phenomenon more thoroughly. To examine factors affecting customer satisfaction with e-services, I conducted a survey. The questions were based on existing studies on both perceived service quality and characteristics of e-commerce. The goal was to find out which factors affect customer satisfaction in an online service context. For the study I interviewed ten consumers on their expectations and experiences from online travel agencies. These results were compared to interviews conducted with eight travel agency representatives from four different travel agencies. The results indicate that some modification to existing theory is needed and new dimensions should be considered when measuring e-service quality

Integration Kano Model and E-Servqual to Evaluate Online Travel Agent Services in Bandung 2022

One of the integrated e-commerce models is online ticket selling. Many travel agents sell travel tickets for national or international destinations online through websites; one of them is Tiket.com, a popular travel agency in Indonesia. The intense competition in the internet-based service providing industry has, in fact, motivated this company to meet their customers’ needs and preferences with quality services; the goal is to increase the number of their service users. The purpose of this study is to identify aspects of user requirements by Tiket.com as an online travel agent service that need to be maintained and improved. This study combines two methods of measuring customer satisfaction, namely the Kano model and e-service quality. The identified customer needs, based on Voice of Customer, can be analyzed to increase satisfaction. The results of this study are grouped into the dimensions of e-service quality, i.e. reliability, responsiveness, fulfillment, ease of use, information, security, and efficiency. Using a combination of e-service quality and Kano Model, six attributes of True Customer Needs were acquired; five of them are recommended for improvement and one needs to be developed. Tiket.com are suggested to pay more attention to weak attributes that are included in the must be category because they are fundamental for the company's services. They are also advised to develop weak and strong attributes that are included in the attractive category because they can help the company increase their competitive advantage

Understanding the factors that attract travellers to buy tickets online in Saudi Arabia

Despite widespread discussions of online consumer behaviour and the effect of web quality on online user’s actions, there is still a lack of research in the area of consumer attitude towards the services provided by airline companies due to the specific nature of travellers. – being using the internet for different motivations and buying specific kind of product (e-tickets). This study aims to measure consumers’ electronic satisfaction and intention to purchase tickets from Airlines websites. The results provide better understanding on the factors that attract travellers to adopt the most cost effective distribution channel for Airlines (own website) for ticketing needs. To obtain the study objective, a conceptual framework is developed based on literature pertaining to e-consumer behaviour, web quality, and travel and tourism streams. A detective quantitative methodology was chosen to examine the constructs and the relations within the framework. An online survey targeting actual airline online users (travellers) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is suggested with items covering 9 constructs: Information Quality (IQ), System Quality (SQ), Perceived usefulness (PU), Perceived ease of use (PEOU),e-Trust (ET), Airline reputation (AR), Price Perception (PP), e-Satisfaction (ES), and Intention to Purchase (IP). Findings would help decision makers within airline companies to understand their customers’ online behaviour and enable enhancements and modifications to be made to their airline storefront, hence ensuring the satisfaction of potential customers and conversion of visitors into buyers

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

Service quality measurement in the internet context: A proposed model

The survival of any organisation in a highly competitive environment depends on its ability to provide the best service quality to its existing customers as the quality of service is a key factor in the success of any organisation. It is well established that the measurement of service quality is an important procedure for the improvement of the success and performance of any organisation. Facts indicate that more attention is needed toward developing an industry-specific scale for measuring customer service quality within the still-developing sector of Internet-based self-service technologies. The main objectives of this research paper are two-fold; firstly, to review comprehensively previous and contemporary literature on service quality measurement and to discuss the key issues on the development of an industry-specific scale for measuring customer service quality in the specific context of Internet-based self-service technologies, secondly, to propose a conceptual model for service quality perceptions of Internet-based self-service technologies through identifying its key antecedents and consequences. The findings of this study will be significant for both scholars and practitioners in this area as it provides a deep understanding of the way customers evaluate services provided via self-service technologies

Online Travel Service Quality: The Importance of Pre-Transaction Services

The Internet revolution has led to significant changes in the way travel agencies interact with customers. Travel websites are used to different degrees, and for a variety of combinations of pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction services. A better understanding of how customers interact with online services will help providers improve service quality to levels that satisfy or even delight customers, and thus create loyalty. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on online service quality, applies the theory to online travel offerings, and reports on an empirical study of quality perceptions of pre-transaction services provided on three travel websites. Effects on customer perceived quality were measured for process and outcome dimensions of online services. Implications for the design of online travel services and suggestions for further research are formulated.Economics ;

Performance measures of net-enabled hypercompetitive industries: the case of tourism

This paper investigates the theory and practise of e-metrics. It examines the tourism sector as one of the most successful sectors on-line and identifies best practice in the industry. Qualitative research with top e-Marketing executives demonstrates the usage and satisfaction levels from current e-metrics deployment, selection of e-metrics for ROI calculation as well as intention of new e-metrics implementation and future trends and developments. This paper concludes that tourism organizations gradually realise the value of e-measurement and are willing to implement e-metrics to enable them evaluate the effectiveness of their planning processes and assess their results against their short and the long term objectives

Environmental Sustainability and the Hospitality Customer Experience: A Study in Tourist Accommodation

Academic research on sustainability in the hospitality industry is scarce and fragmented, and requires a general structure to lend coherence to its approach. There is a need for empirical research to fathom the question of environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry and to study the interaction between the two concepts. This paper aims to close these gaps by establishing the nature of the relationship between customers’ perceptions of the environmental practices in tourism accommodation and their customer experiences and levels of satisfaction. The working hypotheses, based on a review of the literature on environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry, are tested in an empirical study of 412 Spanish customers who stayed in various types of tourist accommodation. The main conclusion is that the relationship between environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry can be demonstrated. This paper also validates a measurement scale based on the most accepted dimensionality of the construct: cognitive (think), affective (feel), behavioral (act), sensory (sense) and social (relate)

From post-consumption experience evaluation to online generated content and intensification

En el contexto de los museos, el presente trabajo analiza hasta qué punto la evaluación de la experiencia in situ (satisfacción y valor percibido) que realizan los visitantes refuerza sus comportamientos online a corto plazo (consultar y generar contenido online). Sobre la base de la teoría del equilibrio y de la teoría del nivel óptimo de estimulación, proponemos la existencia de un efecto de la evaluación de la experiencia que adoptará forma de U invertida sobre la intensificación y forma de U sobre la intención de generar contenido online después de la visita. Los resultados indican que la satisfacción fomenta la intención de consumir más contenido, mientras que la percepción de haber alcanzado el máximo valor lo limita (efecto U invertida). Por otro lado, si bien la satisfacción y la percepción de una visita rentable motivan a los visitantes a publicar comentarios, las malas experiencias en los museos no tienen ningún impacto en la generación de contenido online.In the context of museums, this paper analyses to what extent visitor evaluation of the in situ experience (satisfaction and perceived value) drives their short-term online behaviours (visiting online content and generating content in online sites). On the basis of the balance theory and on the optimal stimulation level theory, it proposes that the evaluation of the experience has an inverted U-effect on visit intensification while a U-effect on the intention to generate content after the visit. Findings indicate that satisfaction fosters the intention to consume further content, while the perception of having gained the maximum value limits it (inverted U-effect). On the other hand, while satisfaction and the perception of a profitable visit motivate visitors to post online comments, poor experiences in museums have no impact on the generation of online content