Love stories in service relationships

Customer-service interactions are a delicate dance between underlying needs, implicit expectations, and the unpredictable interpretation of 'reality'. It is a love story - or, more realistically, a love-hate story - that unfolds through two crucial phases: engagement and marriage.

Engagement is about envisioning the future relationship and taking a leap of faith, knowing that reality will differ from initial expectations, and will change anyway. Marriage is about developing a deeper understanding and maintaining the relationship. As many subject matter experts will confirm, this is a simplistic metaphor. For example, just as marriage can be simulated during engagement, vows can be renewed during marriage. This article explores the metaphor from the customer perspective but the same applies to the provider.

In the engagement phase, customers express their requirements, make formal agreements, and develop expectations. The marriage phase brings these into tangible reality, encompassing service, information, value, and costs, from which they infer the provider's values, intent, expertise, and trustworthiness. However, gaps emerge from the start, revealing the intricate nature of the customer-service provider relationship.

Service quality strawman model

The service quality strawman model depicted above, that is incomplete and imperfect, encapsulates eight elements that contribute to the multifaceted relationship between customers and service providers, acknowledging the spectrum of tangible and hidden aspects involved in the service experience. The first four elements refer to the engagement phase, and the last four to the marriage phase.

1. Needed (actually required, but often unknowable)

This is the fundamental starting point. The customer has a basic need that they want the service and the relationship to fulfill. This need is often the core reason for seeking out a particular service and service provider.

2. Desired (assumed to be needed)

Sometimes, customers may not be fully aware of their needs, or they might have additional wants beyond the basic requirements. These are desires that they may not explicitly state but are assumed to be part of the overall service experience.

3. Agreed (formally documented)

Customers explicitly communicate some of their desires. These are the aspects of the service that they specifically ask for. Clear communication is crucial at this stage to ensure that expectations are aligned, but it is difficult to share what they want and for the provider to understand.

4. Expected (explicitly and implicitly anticipated)

In addition to explicit requests, customers often have certain expectations based on industry standards, previous experiences, or cultural norms. These are not always communicated but are implicitly anticipated by the customer. Expectations are not static but are refined when the service and relationship are actually experienced.

5. Perceived of what is tangible (experienced)

Customers form perceptions based on what they experience. This includes aspects of the service, such as the service itself, information provided during the service, the value derived from the service, and its cost.

6. Tangible (what is experienced)

This refers to the observable aspects of the service.

Service:

• Interaction: Observable interactions between the customer and service providers, encompassing customer service, communication, and interpersonal dynamics.
• Process: How well the service is carried out, including efficiency, clarity, and effectiveness of the service delivery process.
• Work: The visible effort and activities involved in providing the service, both by the customer and the service provider.

Information:

• Accuracy: The correctness of the information provided during the service interaction.
• Relevance: The appropriateness and significance of the information to the customer's needs.
• Transparency: The openness and clarity in communication, ensuring the customer understands the process and information provided.

Value:

• Experience: The overall feeling and satisfaction derived from the service interaction.
• Output: The tangible deliverables or results of the service.
• Outcome: The broader, often long-term effects or impact of the service on the customer's situation or well-being.

Cost:

• Time and Effort: The perceived investment in terms of time and effort required from the customer.
• Emotional Labour: The emotional impact or energy expended during the service interaction.
• Expense: The monetary cost associated with the service

7. Inferred (from perception)

Customers draw inferences from their perceptions. These inferences may go beyond the observable elements and involve interpretations of the service provider's values, intent, expertise and trustworthiness.

8. Hidden (only assumable for the customer)

These are aspects that manifest themselves in the service interactions but cannot be experienced directly. They significantly impact their overall experience. They feature in the 'stories' that the customer tells themself about the provider.

Values:

• Benevolence: The genuine care for the relationship with customer.
• Accountability: The sense of responsibility and ownership displayed by the service provider.
• Cocreation: The belief that the customer should play an active role in the service interactions.

Intent:

• Strategy: How the service provider succesfully differs from other providers.
• Innovation: The level of creativity and novelty in the business model and operating model.
• Risk: The willingness of the service provider to take calculated risks for mutual benefit.

Expertise:

• Knowledge: The depth and breadth of information possessed by the service provider.
• Skills: The practical abilities and proficiency applied during the service provision.

Trustworthiness:

• Reliability: The consistency and dependability of the service provider.
• Integrity: The honesty and ethical standards upheld by the service provider.

Gaps in the service relationship

The model illustrates ten potential gaps to consider, but there are more. For example, the gap between what has been agreed and what is perceived/inferred. As mentioned at the start, this article focusses on the customer perspective. When we consider the provider perspective, we can add how the provider has interpreted what the customer has said, what they have promised, and more. In other word, the model is incomplete and imperfect, by design or incompetence. As such, it is a true strawman (thanks to Akshay Anand for pointing that out). Nevertheless, it may be worthwhile considering the following gaps and suggestions how to address these.

Subjectivity and variability

Customers assess service based on their perceptions and inferences,?which are inherently subjective and can vary widely among individuals.

• Customer feedback mechanisms: Implement regular customer feedback mechanisms to gather diverse perspectives. This can include surveys, reviews, and direct feedback channels to capture subjective experiences and varying perceptions.
• Personalized service: Tailor services to individual preferences and needs where feasible. Personalization can help mitigate the impact of subjectivity by addressing specific customer expectations and enhancing satisfaction.

Information and communication

Expectations and experiences are not always explicitly captured and communicated,?leading to potential misunderstandings between customers and service providers.

• Clear communication protocols: Establish clear communication protocols to ensure expectations and experiences are communicated effectively. This includes providing detailed service information, setting clear expectations, and offering transparent communication channels.
• Regular updates and notifications: Keep customers informed about any changes, updates, or potential disruptions to the service. Regular updates prevent misunderstandings and help align customer expectations with the evolving nature of the service.

Perception and reality

There is disparity between what the customer perceives and infers and what the service and provider truly are.

• Transparent communication: Actively manage and shape customer perceptions through transparent communication. Clearly convey the service's features, benefits, and any limitations to bridge the gap between perceived and actual service attributes. IT people have a lot to learn about marketing.
• Service quality assurance: Consistently deliver high-quality service to meet or exceed customer expectations. Consistency in service excellence helps align customer perceptions with the actual value provided.

Present and past

Needs, interpretatations, and the service and relationship themselves are continuously changing. Expectations often lag behind, but not as much as agreements.

• Dynamic service agreements: Implement agile service agreements that can adapt to changing needs and interpretations. Regularly review and update service agreements to ensure they reflect the current state of the service and relationship.
• Proactive relationship management: Adopt a proactive approach to relationship management by staying ahead of changing customer needs. Anticipate shifts in interpretations and expectations, and address them before they become discrepancies. ?

Conclusion

In navigating the intricate dance between customers and service providers, the customer-service relationship undergoes a dynamic journey divided into two essential phases: engagement and marriage. The engagement phase involves envisioning the future relationship, taking a leap of faith, and acknowledging the inevitable evolution of reality. On the other hand, the marriage phase is characterized by developing a profound understanding and actively maintaining the relationship.

While this metaphor simplifies the complexity of customer-service dynamics, it provides a valuable lens for exploring the intricacies of the relationship from the customer's perspective. The service quality model, comprising eight elements, offers a comprehensive view of this multifaceted relationship, spanning tangible and hidden aspects. However, it's crucial to recognize the inherent gaps in the model, prompting the need for continuous improvement and adaptation.

The article delves into potential gaps and proposes measures to address subjectivity, communication challenges, perception-reality disparities, and the evolving nature of needs and expectations. By acknowledging and addressing these gaps, service providers can enhance the customer experience, fostering transparency, communication, and adaptability in the ever-changing landscape of customer-service relationships.