– Written by Jack Lechich for the Center for Services Leadership In one episode of the hit sitcom Seinfeld, Jerry’s car gets stolen so he must use a rental car in the meantime. As is typical for the show, another hilarious service failure ensues as the rental car agency employee informs Jerry that, despite his reservation, …
Welcome to the CSL’s “ServiceFriday”. Each Friday we post three summaries from some of our favorite sources from research literature, news articles, blogs, and more. The posts are curated to cover topics that are interesting, relevant, and thought provoking in the realm of service, business, education, and beyond. If you like our blog and posts, …
Service providers have primarily utilized social media to generate positive word-of-mouth. However, what happens when customers spread negative reviews through online platforms, and how can service providers recover from this? In an article published in the Journal of Services Marketing, the authors observe how companies can implement service failure recovery strategies through social media, specifically …
In the past decade, few industries have grown as much as the sharing economy services (SESs) industry. SESs use cloud-based technology to match customers with providers that offer services such as house rentals, car rides and labor tasks. Some of the more popular SESs include Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb. Technological advances have helped lead to …
One of the many tasks the holiday season brings is purchasing gifts for other people. Not knowing what to get someone is a common issue and not knowing what to get for one’s self is also certainly frustrating. Often people compare interests and hobbies but what really helps consumers decide on what to purchase for …
Welcome to the CSL’s “ServiceFriday”. Each Friday we post three summaries from some of our favorite sources from research literature, news articles, blogs, and more. The posts are curated to cover topics that are interesting, relevant, and thought provoking in the realm of service, business, education, and beyond. If you like our blog and posts, …
Cultivating strong relationships with customers is crucial for a business in the service industry. As forms of communication move more towards online means, businesses face a difficult question: how do you reach out to multiple clients efficiently, while simultaneously showing each individual one they are valued? In an article written by Xingyao Ren, Lan Xia, …
Businesses and researchers know that beautiful environments – attractive colors, artful shelf displays, pleasing sounds and smells – affect customer behavior and enhance the consumption experience. Many restaurants have adopted the strategy, employing good-looking servers and bartenders in an effort to please customers and garner good word-of-mouth. Research has shown that many customers believe physically …
Customers are doing their research before buying, and increasingly they are relying on other people for the information they want. They consider online reviews, social media recommendations and word of mouth, searching for non-commercial, unbiased advice. Marketing scholars have started to study this behavior, but only lately have looked at customer groups and the differing …
The breakfast buffet is closed when a customer arrives looking for scrambled eggs; a flight is delayed. Service failures may or may not be the providers’ fault, and they may affect a single customer or a group. But importantly, service failures are often unpredictable. A study published recently in the Journal of Service Research sheds …
