Long-Term Services Requiring Customer Participation and Compliance

This paper provides a theoretical conceptualization and classification of long-term services requiring customer participation and compliance. Long-term services which require both customer participation and compliance are known as compliance dependent services (CDS). In CDS the customer participates during the face-to-face exchange and must comply with his or her role once away from the provider to ensure positive outcome and customer satisfaction. CDS entail service delivery processes that are of longer duration. Compliance is integral to producing these services. Non-compliance, i.e., when a consumer regimen is not followed, most likely will lead to adverse impact on the consumer and provider. It is important that scholars understand the service delivery process of services, in particular CDS, whereby both customer participation and compliance are required

Extrinsic And Intrinsic Motivators Of Customer Participation In Compliance Dependent Services

Research on customer participation has focused primarily on the customer’s participatory role in service creation during the face-to-face service exchange (Bateson 1989; Bowen 1986; Chase 1978; Kelley, Donnelly, and Skinner 1990; Lovelock and Young 1979; and Mills, Chase, and Margulies 1983) however customer involvement often extends beyond the face-to-face exchange.  This is especially the case with compliance dependent services (CDS).  CDS are services that require customer participation with his or her service delivery role while within the service organization and once away from the service facility to ensure goal attainment and customer satisfaction.  Examples of CDS include dental care, weight loss programs, preventive auto maintenance, education, exercise programs, health care programs (diabetes, hypertension), prenatal care, long-term financial planning, debt management programs, and smoking cessation programs. In an early CDS study, Dellande (1999) found motivation to be the most important customer attribute in gaining customer compliance.  In this research we further our understanding of the role of motivation by studying the impact of persuasive provider communication, an extrinsic customer motivator, on intrinsic customer compliance motivation.  One important characteristic of persuasive messages that influences their effectiveness is how they are framed.  Among other factors, effective persuasive messages require comprehension and retention, yielding and behavior in accordance with the message content (McGuire 1966).  Specifically, existing research suggests that behavior is affected by the extent to which messages emphasize the potentially negative consequences of failing to engage in a given behavior relative to a message in which the possible beneficial (i.e., positive) consequences of engaging in that action are emphasized (Roberson and Rogers 1988, Tykocinski et. al, 1994).  We explore this distinction in the dental compliance service context.  We specifically examine how the manner in which written compliance-related communications are framed influences consumers’ intended compliance behaviors

International Growth Strategies of Service and Manufacturing Firms: The Case of Banking and Chemical Industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in growth strategies – domestic and international – of manufacturing and service firms. Hardly any literature exists that empirically investigates the differences on account of the distinctive characteristics of goods and services, and such studies rarely draw from the operations management field. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple analysis of variance is used to analyze longitudinal data from multiple secondary sources. Findings – Mixed services, such as banks, focus more on domestic growth and less on international growth. Manufacturers, such as chemical firms, focus more on international activities as compared to domestic activities. Mixed service firms seem to prefer collaborative approaches, whereas goods producers prefer wholly owned ventures. Research limitations/implications – The data collection methodology applied in this study may be applicable to many other topics of operations management. Future researchers may examine internationalization of services from front and back office perspectives, and compare information‐processing, possession‐processing, and people‐processing services in their choices of mode of entry and resultant performance differences. Practical implications – The findings are relevant for developing operations strategy, including location alternatives, for both manufacturing and service firms as different nations become a part of the global village. Appropriate modes of entry in an international arena for both service and manufacturing firms are identified. Originality/value – A cross‐functional study that uses longitudinal data from secondary sources in an innovative way with significant implications for operations managers and researchers

Gaining Compliance and Losing Weight: The Role Of the Service Provider In Health Care Services

This research provides and empirically tests a conceptualization of health care services in which customer compliance outside of the service organization is necessary for successful health outcomes. Using data from service providers and customers in a weight-loss clinic, the authors examine the provider\u27s role in gaining customer compliance. They find that provider expertise and attitudinal homophily play a role in bringing about customer role clarity, ability, and motivation. This study demonstrates that compliance leads to goal attainment, which results in satisfaction. More important, compliance also leads to satisfaction directly; consumers who comply with program requirements have greater satisfaction with the program

A longitudinal investigation of customer cooperation in services: The role of appraisal of cooperation behaviors

The customer cooperation level in behavior change programs (e.g., weight‐loss programs, alcohol‐quitting programs, and debt management programs) is low, which leads to a low program success rate. To address this problem, this study draws on the goal‐driven behavior theory and develops a theoretical framework to explain how goal intention, and behavioral appraisal processes influence the subsequent cooperation behaviors, which, in turn, influence customers’ goal attainment. A two‐wave longitudinal survey was used to test the theoretical model. Results show that customers’ appraisals of the cooperation behaviors play a vital role in influencing customers’ cooperation behaviors. Three appraisal factors (self‐efficacy, instrumental belief, and affect toward cooperation behaviors) fully mediate the relationship between goal intention and cooperation. Customer cooperation contributes directly to goal attainment. Both theoretical and managerial implications are provided

Using Public Commitment to Gain Customer Compliance

We investigate the role of public commitment in gaining customer compliance in a long-term service (e.g., online education) where customer adherence to his/her role when away from the service provider is important in the successful delivery of the service. Given the major role customers have in the delivery process of services it is important to understand how service providers can influence customers to comply with their service role. [to cite]: Stephanie Dellande and Prashanth Nyer 249 Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, © 2007 Using Public Commitment to Gain Customer Compliance Stephanie Dellande, Chapman University, USA Prashanth Nyer, Chapman University, USA ABSTRACT We investigate the role of public commitment in gaining customer compliance in a long-term service (e.g., online education) where customer adherence to his/her role when away from the service provider is important in the successful delivery of the service. Given the major role customers have in the delivery process of services it is important to understand how service providers can influence customers to comply with their service role

Temptation's itch: Mindlessness, acceptance, and mindfulness in a debt management program

This study examines the experience of temptation through the accounts of consumers who have entered a debt management plan (DMP). During 12 weeks, participants reported weekly temptations. The results are consistent with socio-cognitive theory; participants with higher self-efficacy are better able to manage their emotions, resist justifications connected with entitlement, and perceive their difficult circumstances as providing them the opportunity to develop new financial skills and an improved financial identity. The results show that DMP consumers engage in three patterns of responses to temptation that vary in degree of self-efficacy: mindlessness, acceptance, and mindfulness. The highest level of self-efficacy and success in the DMP is associated with mindfulness, as these participants feel pride when they “work the program” and resist temptation

Service recovery following dysfunctional consumer participation

This article introduces the notion of dysfunctional consumer participation. It advances a theoretical model of service recovery for contexts in which the smooth functioning of a service has been disrupted by consumers’ dysfunctional contributions, founded on justice theory and cognitive appraisal theory. The model presents perceived justice as the core element of the evaluation of service recovery encounters. Stressful appraisal evokes emotions in consumers and influences the cooperative or resistant nature of consumer participation in service recovery processes directly and indirectly via its impact on consumers’ emotions. Dysfunctional consumer participation is represented as an interactional process in which resistant consumer participation in service recovery provokes an adaptive response from service providers. Outcomes of the service recovery process for consumers and organisations are outlined. The contribution of this work lies in the domain of transformative consumer research, and our proposed framework enables managers with commercial (e.g., customer retention, sales) and social responsibilities (e.g., staff stress, consumer welfare) to analyse situations in which consumers’ actions have disrupted the smooth functioning of services and consider strategies to restore workable relationships with them