Benchmarking in service marketing - a longitudinal analysis of the customer

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the temporal development of therncustomers' psychological state, described by a multitude of constructs, throughout the wholerndecision-making process in a service context in order to derive ideas for customer-focusedrnbenchmarking.rnDesign/methodology/approach - A combination of qualitative and quantitative data contributesrnto a better understanding of psychological phenomena during purchase decision making. The presentrnlongitudinal study investigates the consumers' psychological state during the decision-makingrnprocess considering services in tourism industry applying the diary method. Qualitative in-depthrninvestigation of individual case studies provides further information for interpreting the results ofrnquantitative analyses which aim at measuring constructs such as perceived risk, cognitive dissonancern(CD), satisfaction and arousal on a higher level of abstraction.rnFindings - Findings show that qualitative and quantitative data not only complement one anotherrnbut also their interaction provides additional information about the individual consumerrndecision-making process. As the longitudinal quantitative analysis shows that CD does notrncompletely dissolve over time and significantly influences the level of satisfaction, complaintrnbehaviour and word-of-mouth, additional qualitative data help interpret these findings and derivernmore effective marketing implications.rnResearch limitations/implications - Implications for the marketing-mix of service companies inrngeneral and travel agencies in particular are derived. The paper underlines the potential ofrninnovational methodological approaches in marketing research.rnOriginality/value - The paper introduces a longitudinal mixed-method approach to collectrncustomer-focused information relevant for benchmarking purposes of service companies. It contributesrnto scientific knowledge of decision making in general and CD in particular.