Managing Customer Participation and Customer Interactions in Service Delivery: the Case of Museums and Educational Services

摘要

Background and Purpose - In this study we investigate determinants of customers' quality perceptions in service processes which involve customer participation and customer to customer interaction (CCI). Building on existing multidimensional approaches to service quality we explore relevant quality aspects for related to the performance customer participation and CCI. Design/Methodology/Approach - The study builds on focus groups conduct with employees and customers of a leading provider of educational and science services, which offered a portfolio of service activities requiring very diverse levels of customer participation and CCI, to characterize service quality dimensions. Results - The study distinguishes three dimensions of service delivery quality: a dimension related to the providers' direct performance; a second dimension relative to the performance of customers' own participation in service activities, and a third dimension relative to the interaction with other customers. The work extends service quality literature by identifying new dimensions which affect service quality in service settings with active customer involvement. Conclusion - Service providers have been developing very diverse delivery processes, frequently inviting customers to have active roles in service production. Often, customers also interact with other costumers in service delivery. The paper provides a contribution to foster the debate about service quality frameworks, and aims to inform the design and the management of services where customer participation and CCI have a key role.%Namen: Članek raziskuje determinante kvalitete uporabnikovega dojemanja storitev v procesih, ki vključujejo sodelovanje in interakcijo med uporabniki. Izhajajoč iz že znanih večdimenzionalnih pristopov k kvaliteti storitev, članek raziskuje relevantne vidike kvalitete povezane s sodelovanjem in interakcijo med uporabniki. Metodologija/pristop: Spremljali smo skupine zaposlenih in uporabnikov v vodilni organizaciji, ki nudi izobraževalne in raziskovalne storitve. Organizacija nudi širok spekter storitev, ki zahtevajo zelo različne ravni sodelovanja uporabnikov in sodelovanja med uporabniki. Ugotovitve: V študiji smo razlikovali tri dimenzije kvalitete storitev: (1) dimenzijo neposredno povezano s storitvijo ponudnika, (2) dimenzijo povezano s sodelovanjem uporabnika v aktivnostih storitve in (3) dimenzijo povezano z interakcijo med uporabniki. Članek prispeva k literaturi o kvaliteti storitev, tako, da identificira nove dimenzije, ki vplivajo na kvaliteto storitev v okolju kjer uporabnik aktivno sodeluje. Originalnost: Ponudniki storitev so razvili zelo različne procese ponudbe storitev, pogosto tako, da so povabili uporabnike, da prevzamejo aktivno vlogo v oblikovanju storitve. Pogosto tudi uporabniki sodelujejo med seboj. Članek spodbuja debato o ogrodjih kvalitete storitev, in informira načrtovalce in managerje storitev kje je sodelovanje uporabnikov in sodelovanje med uporabniki ključnega pomena.