Impact of Customer Relationship Management on Customer Satisfaction: The Case of a Budget Hotel Chain

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can bring many benefits to the hotel business, though there are some associated challenges. Such challenges often bring a significant risk of failure, and these risks become more significant in budget hotels. This study considers the changes that have emerged in the last decade as regards customer expectations when staying in budget hotels. We use qualitative approaches to investigate the overlaps between customer expectations and managers’ perceptions of CRM applications. The findings reveal that regardless of all changes, value for money and core products continue to play a critical role in customers’ overall satisfaction with budget hotels.     

基于顾客价值的经济型酒店顾客满意度测评研究

培育和维护满意的顾客是经济型酒店获得和保持竞争优势的重要条件,而顾客对酒店产品感知利得和利失的比较对顾客满意度的形成具有重要的影响。该研究以现有的顾客满意度理论为基础,结合经济型酒店的顾客需求和产品服务特征,从顾客价值获得的角度构建经济型酒店的顾客满意度测评模型,建立了顾客满意度测评指标体系,并进行了实证分析。研究表明,经济型酒店的卫生状况、支持系统、交通便利程度以及价格等方面的顾客满意度较低。最后,根据实证分析结果提出了经济型酒店提高顾客满意度的建议和对策。     

Customer Satisfaction,Training and TQM

Abstract

Managers within the hospitality industry make frequent reference to TQM principles. The extent to which these principles are applied effectively within the human resource management area of hospitality however remains under-researched. By applying TQM principles, this paper focusses on the relationship between customer service and training drawing upon comparative data from Western and Thai hotels. The paper also examines the perceptions of staff towards of hotels' guest-orientation and the provision of quality guest services. The researchers found that guest assessments of the performance of hotel frontline staff depend on their services function (e.g., front-office, housekeeping). The service quality skills needed by frontline staff were also found to differ in the case of Western and Thai hotels. Such differences merit proper consideration on the part of managers within the major hotel chains. The various findings may assist hospitality managers to determine appropriate strategies for the enhancement of guest services particularly in cross-cultural settings.     

Marketing Culture and Business Performance in the Airline Industry

Abstract

In recent years the airline industry has witnessed increased emphasis on the cultivation of a culture which fosters the effective implementation of marketing programmes. This growing attention stems from the belief that sound marketing practices provide an important source of competitive advantage in the service sector which is characterised by high levels of interaction between firms and their customers. Moreover, marketing academics and managers proclaim that a strong marketing culture leads to customer retention, which in turn, yields higher profitability. In this study an attempt is made to investigate empirically the relationship between UK airline firms' marketing culture and business performance. Our results indicate a strong relationship between marketing culture and business performance. To conclude, implications of the findings for airline managers and avenues for future research are discussed.     

How Service Quality Affects Customer Loyalty in the Travel Agency: The Effects of Customer Satisfaction,Service Recovery,and Perceived Value

This study develops a conceptual model of the effects of service quality on customer loyalty that reflects the mediating role of customer satisfaction and the moderating role of service recovery and perceived value, and applies this model to the travel industry. A survey and analysis confirm that customer satisfaction is positively influenced by service quality, and customer loyalty is positively influenced by customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer loyalty is indirectly influenced by service quality through the mediator of customer satisfaction. The relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction is found to be stronger for customers who have a positive experience of service recovery; and the correlation between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is stronger for customers who perceive high service value.     

Alternate Measurement Approaches to Recreational Customer Satisfaction: Satisfaction-Only Versus Gap Scores

This study blends service quality and importance-performance methodologies to extend previous research beyond traditional customer service domains. The study examined water-based recreationists' importance and satisfaction ratings across a battery of 19 individual attributes within four domains relevant to outdoor recreation satisfaction (facilities, services, information, and recreation experience). Both the satisfaction-only item scores and gap scores (difference between importance and satisfaction level) were analyzed to determine their relationship within their respective satisfaction domain and with overall satisfaction. The satisfaction-only measures were found to be significantly better indicators than the gap scores of domain-level and overall satisfaction. The items were found to be stronger predictors within the four satisfaction domains than within the overall satisfaction model.     

Application of the Rasch Model to Customer Satisfaction in the Destination of Marbella

Abstract

The object of this study was to gauge the satisfaction of tourists holidaying in Marbella (Spain) as regards a group of items related to the town's main characteristics, including street safety and cleanliness, natural surroundings, services, hotel, restaurant and café prices, night clubs, facilities for practising sports and water sports, and for playing golf, as well as to the climate and natural surroundings. Furthermore, the results obtained from the study also indicated to what degree the state and local authorities and tourist-related businesses have been successful in taking steps to change those items with which tourists are unsatisfied. Finally, this study also aims to discover the profiles of the most satisfied tourists, which allow one to segment the market and implement the most effective marketing strategies in each specific segment. In this work, the author has seen fit to apply the Rasch Model, as it is a very novel and useful instrument for measuring the latent variable.     

旅游地顾客满意度测评指标体系的研究及应用

市场的竞争力来自顾客的满意度。本文根据旅游业的“食、住、行、游、娱、购”6要素特点。运用美国密歇根大学质量研究中心费耐尔(Fomell)教授的顾客满意度指数理论，构建旅游地顾客满意度指数测评的因果模型(Tourism Destination Customer Satisfaction Index，简称TDCSI)和旅游地顾客满意度测评指标体系，并对其进行了实证检验，证明该模型和指标体系较为科学、合理和可行。     

Managing Airline Passenger Satisfaction During a Delay: A Case Study Applying Consumerist Gap Concepts

Abstract

Delays occur quite commonly in airtransportation, due to the effects of weather, congestion, or technical problems. Lengthy delays often give rise to passenger complaints and demands for compensation. This paper firstly presents a general consumerist gap model of passenger satisfaction management, then applies its concepts to a batch of passenger correspondence which resulted from a very long delay. Passengers' letters to the airline were reviewed and analysed using con-sumerist gap approaches, following which discussions were held with senior airline managers to identify ways of improving responses to passengers during incidents such as the one presented in this case study.     

Visual Data Mining: Analysis of Airline Service Quality Attributes

The objectives of the study are to identify the key airline quality attributes from online review posts and to examine the effect of identified airline quality attributes on eWOM communication. This study employed data-mining techniques and logistic regression on 901 passenger reviews to evaluate the service quality of passenger airlines. The major contribution was identifying the most salient topics of travelers complimenting and complaining reviews. Passengers’ comments support that service, staff, cabin seat comfort, and entertainment are among the most discussed themes in positive and negative reviews. Additionally, value, seat comfort, staff/service, and catering were found to be significant predictors of airline eWOM.     

The Relationships Between Food Service Wait Staff Skills,Satisfaction, Commitment and Their Levels of Customer Orientation

Abstract

Restaurants are in an industry that seems to be one of the most competitivein the nation. The challenges of operating in this particular industry are exacerbated bythe relative similarities that exist between many food service providers. One means that may be used to achieve a degree of differentiation may be through the restaurant's customer contact personnel, i.e., its wait staff. The restaurant's wait staff is an important factor in determining customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction in turn is an important determinant of the restaurant's profitability and longevity. The purpose of this research is to assess the relationships that exist between the wait staff's levels of customer orientation and their sales skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The results indicate that the positive relationships exist between the wait staff's customer orientation and their skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.     

Understanding the dynamics of the quality of airline service attributes: Satisfiers and dissatisfiers

This research aims to determine the relationship between the quality of airline service attributes and overall satisfaction. Although a number of relevant studies have reported a linear relationship (or symmetric effect) between the two concepts, this work suggests that attribute quality exerts heterogeneous effects on satisfaction or dissatisfaction. A total of 157,035 consumer data from online reviews have been analyzed to achieve the research objective. In accordance with Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman’s (1959) two-factor theory, the findings of this research have determined that the quality of certain service attributes, such as cleanliness, food and beverages, and in-flight entertainment, affects the variations of positive ratings as a satisfier. Other airline service attributes, such as customer service and check-in and boarding, influence the deviations of negative ratings as a dissatisfier. Apart from airline attributes, the individual features and types of airline products have been estimated to improve the understanding of such relationships. In this regard, this study provides important implications to customer-centric marketing in an airline marketplace.     

How Cultural Differences Cause Dimensions of Tourism Satisfaction

Abstract

This paper develops a conceptual model of the relationship between different cultural values and how they influence consumer satisfaction in the tourism industry. It is hypothesized that cultural differences manifest themselves in different levels of importance being placed upon different aspects of service, and the differences between the levels of importance and the actual service received cause differences in the levels of satisfaction. These hypotheses are tested using 269 independent samples of levels of importance and 411 independent samples of satisfaction of tourists from four cultural groups (Australian, USA/Canadian, Japanese, Mandarin speakers) who visited Melbourne, Australia in the period May-September, 1996. The analysis develops dimensions of importance and satisfaction separately for each cultural grouping, and uses structural equation modeling (Amos 3.6) to develop the causal model measuring the way in which importance of service dimensions cause dimensions of satisfaction. Conclusions from the analysis show little evidence of a causal relationship between importance of service quality attributes and satisfaction. However, significant differences are found between cultures for different levels of satisfaction resulting indirectly from differences in the importance and actual levels of service received.

The implications for cultural differences affecting tourism satisfaction are discussed.     

服务失败后自我建构与质量预期对满意和口碑的影响

当顾客遭遇由个别雇员引发的服务失败时,顾客会产生怎样的心理反应?文章基于服务失败情境探讨了顾客的自我建构倾向与服务质量预期对满意度与负面口碑传播的影响。研究运用实验法模拟(餐厅)服务情境,结果发现,当服务失败源于个别雇员的不当行为时,如果顾客对企业的服务持有相对负面的质量预期,那么自我建构类型为互依型的顾客(vs.独立型自我建构)更倾向于认为企业对雇员的服务质量具有可控性,会对企业更不满意;但在负面口碑传播上,独立型自我建构的顾客却反而更有可能通过口碑传播服务失败经历(vs.互依型自我建构)。文章在此基础上主要讨论了自我建构对服务失败研究以及企业实践的启示,并指出未来可进一步研究的内容。     

Determining the Attributes of Casino Customer Satisfaction: Applying Impact-Range Performance and Asymmetry Analyses

This case study assesses the asymmetric relationship between the relative importance of service quality attributes and overall customer satisfaction in Korean casino settings, using impact-range performance analysis (IRPA) and impact asymmetry analysis (IAA). Results validated the rigor of IRPA and IAA over importance–performance analysis (IPA) in identifying key determining attributes of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction among various casino service quality attributes based on three-factor theory. The theoretical and practical implications of this study’s findings are included to enrich both academicians’ and casino industry professionals’ understanding of customers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards casinos, and the development of a marketing strategy.     

Effects of Stability and Controllability Attribution on Service Recovery Evaluation in the Context of the Airline Industry

This study examines the relationships between service recovery, stability and controllability attribution, recovery satisfaction, and customer loyalty. We collected data on service recovery, failure attribution, recovery satisfaction, and customer loyalty through a survey of airline passengers in Malaysia. The results indicate significant positive relationships between service recovery dimensions and recovery satisfaction, and between recovery satisfaction and customer loyalty. Both stability and controllability were negatively related to recovery satisfaction. The results provide support for the moderating effects of service failure attribution (stability and controllability) in the recovery process dimension. By recognizing the important role of stability and controllability attribution and its negative effects, service management should become highly involved in facilitating appropriate service recovery to satisfy customers after a failure. The results have important implications and suggest some interesting avenues for future research.     

Role of Airport Physical Environments in the Satisfaction Generation Process: Mediating the Impact of Traveller Emotion

As the use of international airports has been increasing, airports have emerged as a remarkable background in the tourism industry. To address this, the present study aimed at (1) investigating the relationships among the variables of airport physical environments, customer emotion, and satisfaction, (2) verifying which attribute of airport physical environments has significant impact on customer emotion, and (3) examining the mediating role of emotion between airport physical environments and customer satisfaction. The snowball method was introduced to collect the data. According to the findings from the structural analysis, three components of airport physical environments had decisive effects on pleasure. However, most of airport physical environments were insignificant on arousal, and arousal had invalid impact on satisfaction. Customer emotion was found as a partial mediator between the identical attributes of airport physical environments and customer satisfaction. Discussions and implications for airport practitioners, limitations, and suggestions for future research were also provided.     

Customer Satisfaction and Behavioural Intentions in a Rural Community Museum Environment

Abstract

This paper examines a cornerstone concept of mainstream marketing theory relating to the importance of customer satisfaction as an influence on future behavioural intentions. The underlying premise is that visitors to a tourist attraction whose expectations are met or exceeded will be satisfied with their experience, and that the degree of perceived satisfaction will positively correlate with their stated intention to repeat purchase and to recommend the experience to others. This paper reports an exploratory project to test the above proposition within a tourism industry context, specifically with reference to the museum sector. The study measures visitor satisfaction levels and future intentions to revisit or recommend the Matakohe Kauri museum in Northland, New Zealand-a rurally isolated tourist attraction which is heavily dependent on referrals to support its continued existence. Research was undertaken by means of a two part structured interview technique, conducted on site with 141 respondents on six separate days in September and October 1996. Visitor expectations were established by questioning prior to entry, whilst a subsequent exit interview captured respondents' perceived degree of satisfaction with their visit. The second interview included a measure of stated intention to return and to recommend the museum to others. Provisional indications are that perceived levels of satisfaction have little bearing on the visitor's stated intention to return to the attraction; however, a significant relationship exists between perceived satisfaction and intention to recommend to others. The results of this research will prove valuable as a foundation for a recommended programme of further research to more rigorously assess the performance of customer satisfaction theory within a rural folk museum environment.     

Customer Satisfaction with Korean Restaurants in Australia and Their Role as Ambassadors for Tourism Marketing

This is the first study to explore the connection between Australian residents’ satisfaction with Korean cuisine, the various characteristics of the restaurant experience, and Australians’ intention to visit Korea. Data was collected from customers of 16 Korean restaurants in the state of Queensland, Australia. While four factors (facility, menu, service, and food) were derived as selection attributes, menu factors had the most positive effect on customer satisfaction. The study found a positive correlation between satisfaction with local Korean food and the propensity of diners to think about visiting Korea. The results of this study can be used to enhance competitiveness and tourist marketing for Korea. The results reported here may have a broader application to provide effective managerial and marketing information to many other ethnic restaurants in Australia and beyond.     

满意度·敬业度·认同度--关于旅游企业服务利润链的另类思考

本文对旅游企业服务利润链内在逻辑关系进行深度剖析,论述员工敬业度与顾客认同度是顾客满意度基础上的发展与提升,通过一线员工与顾客之间互动而拥有忠诚顾客,提高企业赢利能力,并对敬业度和认同度提出了具体的评判标准.