Chapter 4

Zeithaml
Think of a……
Think of a meal

@ Dhanshiri

Versus

@ Izumi
Possible Levels of Expectations:
Effecting your assessment
 Ideal: Everyone says its great
 Normative “Should be good”: Its quite expensive,
so should be good
 Experience Based: Usually they are good, except
if they are too busy
 Acceptable: Service should be adequate (should
do)
 Minimum Tolerable: I know service is poor, but
food is good and cheap
Consumer Expectations
 Beliefs about a service delivery that
serve as standards or reference
points against which performance
is judged.

 Types of Expectations
Desired service: the level of service the
customer hopes to receive
Adequate service: the level of service
the customer will accept
 Dual Customer
Expectation Levels
Desired Service

Zone of
Tolerance

Adequate Service
 The Zone of Tolerance
The extent to which customers recognize
and are willing to accept variation in
service performance

Desired Service

Zone of
Tolerance

Adequate Service
Zone of Tolerance and Importance
of Service Dimensions

Think of factors/situations that

might influence YOUR Zone of
Tolerance
 Zones of Tolerance for
Different Service Dimensions
Desired Service
Level
of
Expectation Zone of Desired
Tolerance Desired Service
Service
Adequate Service

Zone of
Tolerance

Adequate
Adequate Service
Service

Most Important Factors Least Important Factors

Source: Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml (1993)
Factors that Influence Desired
Service Expectations

Personal Needs

Desired
Service
Lasting Service
Intensifiers
• Derived Zone
•Personal Philosophy of
Tolerance

Adequate
Service
Factors that Influence Desired
Service Expectations
 Personal Needs: states or conditions essential to
the physical or psychological well being ---
physical, social, psychological, and functional

 Enduring Service intensifiers: individual stable

factors that lead the customer to a heightened
sensitivity
 derived service expectations
 personal service philosophy
Factors that Influence Adequate
Service Expectations
Temporary
Service
Intensifiers

Desired
Perceived Service Service
Alternatives
Zone
of
Tolerance
Self-Perceived
Service Role Adequate
Service

Situational
Factors
Factors That Influence Adequate
Service Expectations
 Transitory service intensifiers: short-term,
individual factors that make a consumer more
aware of the need for service

 Perceived Service Alternatives: As the number of

alternatives increases, the level of adequate service
increases and the zone of tolerance narrows

 Situational Factors: Temporary changes in the

normal state of things tends to lower the level of
adequate service expected and widen the zone of
tolerance
Factors That Influence Adequate
Service Expectations
 Self Perceived Service Role: how well the
customer perceives they are performing their own
role in service delivery

 Predicted Service: The level of service customers

believe they are likely to get

 Implies some objective calculation of the probability of the

performance in an individual transaction rather than
overall relationship.
Factors that Influence Desired
and Predicted Service
Explicit Service
Promises

Implicit Service
Promises

Desired Word-of-Mouth
Service

Zone
Past Experience
of
Tolerance

Adequate Predicted
Service Service
 Factors that Influence
Desired and Predicted Service
 Explicit Service Promises

 Implicit Service Promises

 Word of Mouth

 Past Experience
 Factors that Influence
Desired and Predicted Service
 Explicit
personal and non-
personal statements
from the organization
○ Advertising, personal selling,
contracts, other
communications
○ usually increases desired level
and narrows zone of tolerance
 Factors that Influence
Desired and Predicted Service

 Implicit  Past experience

 particular service
 service related cues
 within the same
○ Tangibles
industry
○ Price
 related services
○ Distribution

 More the
experience the
narrower the Zone
of Tolerance
Factors that Influence
Desired and Predicted Service
 Managing Consumer
Expectations During Prepurchase
Phase
 Learn what customers expect.
 Ask employees and customers.
 Tell customers what to expect.

 Consistently provide what

service customers expect.
Managing Consumer Expectations
During Service Encounter
 Communicate with customers
during the service.
 If possible, modify the service
to meet customer expectations.
 Explain why service cannot be
modified.
Managing Consumer Expectations
During Postpurchase Phase

 Communicate - expectations
were met?
 Develop a follow-up program.
 Develop a procedure for
dealing with dissatisfied
customers.