Variation within service categories and customer satisfaction: A segment-based approach using the tetra-class model

摘要

Do client's age, gender or income affect how they may benefit from certain services? Is the classification of a service into one of the four categories of the tetra-class model, fixed or, for example, linked to the length of time a customer has been a client or their geographical proximity? This study examines how the contribution of certain services to customer satisfaction changes in reference to his age, gender and income. Without questioning the suitability of the tetra-class model for classifying services, the authors have studied the nature of the changes in categories of services for three client-based variables and two variables linked to the service relationship. The results indicate that there are degrees of variability that alter in importance from one client segment to another and also with respect to the particular service under consideration.