Constructing an empirically derived measure for customer contact

Article Abstract:

The development of a measurement model for the construct of customer contact is important in the scientific study of service management because this variable is widely used in the field. If such a measure is created, researchers can accurately service encounters along the continuum of high, medium or low contact, thereby allowing the precise appraisal quality in various service settings. In this light, a measurement model for the customer contact construct is defined and developed using the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) methodology. The method of paired comparisons and content analysis were also used. MDS revealed that the construct of customer contact is multidimensional and complex. The resulting measure of customer contact is described.

Measurement

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Time versus market orientation in product concept development: empirically-based theory generation

Article Abstract:

Concept Engineering (CE) is a normative model of the product concept decision process. CE is a structured process supported by decision aids that is aimed at developing product concepts via a product development team. It alternates between the level of thought and the level experience so that participants can understand what is vital to customers, why it is important, how it will be quantified and how it will be approached in the product concept. CE has five stages, namely, understanding customer's environment, converting understanding into requirements, operationalizing what has been learned, concept generation, and concept selection. Each stage has three steps.

Methods, Analysis, Product development, Total quality management

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Linking the customer contact model to service quality

Article Abstract:

The Kellogg/Chase measures of customer contact was used as a basis for the development of a model which defines an operational measure between customer contact and service quality. The model showed that customer contact was dependent on the factors of communication time and intimacy. A validation of the model on the hotel industry showed that the customer contact-service quality linkage was indeed defined by the two factors.

Operations Research, Management science, Models, Services industry, Service industries

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