Service Personnel (service + personnel)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Service Personnel, Technology, and Their Interaction in Influencing Customer Satisfaction,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 1 2006
Craig M. Froehle
ABSTRACT Managing both the technologies and the personnel needed for providing high-quality, multichannel customer support creates a complex and persistent operational challenge. Adding to this difficulty, it is still unclear how service personnel and these new communication technologies interact to influence the customer's perceptions of the service being provided. Motivated by both practical importance and inconsistent findings in the academic literature, this exploratory research examines the interaction of media richness, represented by three different technology contexts (telephone, e-mail, and online chat), with six customer service representative (CSR) characteristics and their influences on customer satisfaction. Using a large-sample customer survey data set, the article develops a multigroup structural equation model to analyze these interactions. Results suggest that CSR characteristics influence customer service satisfaction similarly across all three technology-mediated contexts. Of the characteristics studied, service representatives contribute to customer satisfaction more when they exhibit the characteristics of thoroughness, knowledgeableness, and preparedness, regardless of the richness of the medium used. Surprisingly, while three other CSR characteristics studied (courtesy, professionalism, and attentiveness) are traditionally believed to be important in face-to-face encounters, they had no significant impact on customer satisfaction in the technology-mediated contexts studied. Implications for both practitioners and researchers are drawn from the results and future research opportunities are discussed. [source]


Elementary School Parents,/Guardians' Perceptions of School Health Service Personnel and the Services They Provide

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 9 2007
November 2007 issue of Journal of School Health
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Service Personnel, Technology, and Their Interaction in Influencing Customer Satisfaction,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 1 2006
Craig M. Froehle
ABSTRACT Managing both the technologies and the personnel needed for providing high-quality, multichannel customer support creates a complex and persistent operational challenge. Adding to this difficulty, it is still unclear how service personnel and these new communication technologies interact to influence the customer's perceptions of the service being provided. Motivated by both practical importance and inconsistent findings in the academic literature, this exploratory research examines the interaction of media richness, represented by three different technology contexts (telephone, e-mail, and online chat), with six customer service representative (CSR) characteristics and their influences on customer satisfaction. Using a large-sample customer survey data set, the article develops a multigroup structural equation model to analyze these interactions. Results suggest that CSR characteristics influence customer service satisfaction similarly across all three technology-mediated contexts. Of the characteristics studied, service representatives contribute to customer satisfaction more when they exhibit the characteristics of thoroughness, knowledgeableness, and preparedness, regardless of the richness of the medium used. Surprisingly, while three other CSR characteristics studied (courtesy, professionalism, and attentiveness) are traditionally believed to be important in face-to-face encounters, they had no significant impact on customer satisfaction in the technology-mediated contexts studied. Implications for both practitioners and researchers are drawn from the results and future research opportunities are discussed. [source]


Importation of Dengue by Soldiers Returning from East Timor to North Queensland, Australia

JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2002
Scott Kitchener
Background: Soldiers based in Townsville, Australia, returned from East Timor following peacekeeping operations during the wet season of 1999 to 2000. This represented the potential to import dengue virus into north Queensland, a dengue receptive area of Australia. This article seeks to outline the measures taken by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to prevent local transmission and to present the outcomes. Methods: Soldiers returning to north Queensland were provided with education on dengue fever and in the fortnight before return, their living areas were subjected to intensive vector control measures, in order to reduce the risk of acquisition of dengue. They were further encouraged to present early with any febrile illness following their return to Townsville. Provisionally diagnosed dengue cases were notified to the state public health authorities immediately and cases were isolated until suitable vector control programs were implemented or the potentially viremic period exceeded. Serologic and virologic investigations were undertaken to identify the passage and probable serotype or confirm the presence and serotype of dengue virus. Results: Nine serologically confirmed cases of dengue were identified as viremic in north Queensland. Six cases were identified as arising from dengue serotype 2, two were from serotype 3, and one case was ill defined. No dengue cases have been reported in the local population 4 months following these ADF cases. Conclusions: Local outbreaks of dengue fever have occurred in north Queensland following the importation of dengue virus in returned travelers. The successful prevention of local transmission in these circumstances was contributed to by early notification of cases and prevention of transmission through isolation of cases and collaboration between ADF and state and local public health authorities in vector control. The management of potentially viremic returning service personnel represents a future challenge for the ADF. [source]


Impact of customer preconsumption mood on the evaluation of employee behavior in service encounters

PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 10 2002
Veronica Liljander
The influence of customers' affective states on the evaluation of service encounters has been conceptually discussed for more than a decade. However, empirical studies, field studies in particular, are scarce. Recent studies have contributed to the area by empirically demonstrating mood effects on service satisfaction. Because of the interpersonal nature of services, the behavior of the service personnel is of utmost importance for overall service satisfaction. This article extends previous research by investigating the impact of customers' reported preconsumption mood on the evaluation of three service behaviors, proposed by Winsted (2000) in her seminal study. The findings support the existence of three service behavioral dimensions, namely, concern, congeniality and uncivility, and show that mood valence influences these behaviors as well as encounter satisfaction. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the importance of past service experiences for customers' responses, especially their repurchase intentions. Future research directions regarding mood effects in services are also discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Mystery shopping: Using deception to measure service performance

PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 7 2001
Alan M. Wilson
This article reports on a program of exploratory research aimed at examining the practice of mystery shopping in service organizations. Mystery shopping, a form of participant observation, uses researchers to deceive customer service personnel into believing that they are serving real customers or potential customers. The research focused on the views of senior managers responsible for commissioning mystery shopping research and directors of market research agencies responsible for the provision of such research. The research findings identify the manner in which mystery shopping is used and the methods used to maximize the reliability of the technique. The study also revealed that employees' acceptance of this form of deception appears to be critical if the results are to be taken seriously by service personnel and if industrial relations within the organization are not to suffer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


Influences on teacher education student attitudes toward youth who are HIV+

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 2 2004
Terry A. Stinnett
The expectations, attributions, and reactions toward children and youth who have contracted HIV/AIDS warrant close attention from parents, teachers, related service personnel, and others who will interact with these students in the schools. Those who are misinformed or unaware of their beliefs may inadvertently discriminate against children and youth with the disease. This study examined factors that influence judgments about children and youth with HIV/AIDS in a sample of teacher education students. Course of infection of HIV accounted for significant differences in the participants' judgments about responsibility and blame for contracting the disease and also fearfulness and attitudes reflecting isolation for these youth. Educational professionals should be aware of the many negative attributions placed on adolescents who are diagnosed as HIV+ and be prepared to act as facilitators when designing appropriate interventions to assist these students. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 211,219, 2004. [source]