The Service Encounter Determines the Quality of the Service on Offer. Discuss
A service encounter is simply defined as a customer’s actual interaction with a service company. Shostack (1985) defined service encounter as the period of time that a customer interacts with a service. Merritt (1977:198), a linguistic scholar, views a service encounter as an instance of face to face interaction between a server who is ‘officially posted’ in some service area, that interaction being oriented to the satisfaction of the customer’s presumed desire for some service and the server’s obligation to provide that service. The service encounter is also known as the ‘moment of truth’ in which the customer often develops a perception about the business and often creates a differentiation from other competitors. Solomon et al (1985) points out that service encounters are role performances. A service encounter includes a customer’s interaction with other customers, employees, machines, automated systems, physical facilities, and any other service provider visible elements. Researchers such as Czepiel et al 1990 believe that the quality of the interaction between customers and service providers during the service encounter is important because it is at this level where customers judge the services provided to them.
It can therefore be argued that to a greater extent the service encounter determines the quality of the service on offer both positively and negatively when analysing the interaction between service employees and service customers, interaction between service customers themselves, interaction of a customer with technology, service setting, service script and blueprinted service encounters. However there are other factors that determine the quality of the service on offer such as the intermediaries and the processes.
To a greater extent the service encounter determines the quality of the service on offer by analyzing the interactions involved in the encounter. Service employees involved in the service encounter can determine the quality of the
It can therefore be argued that to a greater extent the service encounter determines the quality of the service on offer both positively and negatively when analysing the interaction between service employees and service customers, interaction between service customers themselves, interaction of a customer with technology, service setting, service script and blueprinted service encounters. However there are other factors that determine the quality of the service on offer such as the intermediaries and the processes.
To a greater extent the service encounter determines the quality of the service on offer by analyzing the interactions involved in the encounter. Service employees involved in the service encounter can determine the quality of the