At Disney theme parks, face-to-face encounters occur between customer and ticket-takers, maintenance personnel, actors in Disney character costumes, ride personnel, food and beverage servers, and others. For a company such as, IBM, in a business-to-business setting direct encounters occur between the business customers and salespeople, delivery personnel, maintenance representatives, and professional consultants. Of all determining and understanding service quality issues in face-to-face context is the most complex. Both verbal and non-verbal behaviours are important determinants of quality, as are tangible cues such as employee dress and other symbols of service (e.g., equipment, informational brochures, and physical settings). In face-to-face encounters the customer also plays a role in creating quality service for herself through her own behaviour during the interaction.
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