Deck 5: Customer Perceptions of Service

Question 1

Which of the following statements about customer satisfaction is true?

A) Satisfaction cannot be defined quantitatively
B) Customer satisfaction can only be analyzed if it is considered to be a static occurrence
C) Customer satisfaction can only be determined through anecdotal evidence
D) Satisfaction may be associated with feelings of ambivalence when there is a mix of positive and negative experiences
E) Customer satisfaction is not influenced by price

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is true?

A) The ACSI demonstrates to service providers that there is much room for improvement in customer satisfaction
B) The ACSI was developed by the federal government as a way to include customer satisfaction measurements in census data
C) In spite of the name, the ACSI also measures customer satisfaction levels for countries with which the U.S. has a greater than average level of trade
D) The only country that is currently studying customer satisfaction and creating an index is the United States
E) The ACSI tracks customer perceptions of the level of satisfaction provided by sole proprietorships as well as by large corporations

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following industries would be ranked highest by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)?

A) Online retailers
B) Snack food
C) Restaurant
D) Internet auctions
E) Insurance

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Imagine a bereaved family at a funeral home discovering a disco ball in the chapel, dirty restrooms and rap music on the sound system. You would be correct in saying:

A) The physical environment quality led the family to belittle the overall service quality
B) The technical outcome quality of the facility needed fine tuning
C) The inappropriateness of the service quality was due to poor technical qualities
D) Interaction qualities led to perceived inequities
E) The overall service quality is not influenced by tangibles

Question 5

Which of the following in NOT an example of technical outcome quality?

A) The taste of a meal at a restaurant
B) An airplane arriving on time at an airport
C) A pest control company eradicating termites in a townhouse
D) The sales associate greeting a customer in a specialty clothing store
E) A utility company connecting electricity for a customer's new home

Question 6

Which of the following statements about customer satisfaction and service quality is true?

A) Customer satisfaction is a focused evaluation that reflects the customer's perception of specific dimensions of service like reliability and responsiveness
B) Service quality is more inclusive than customer service
C) The terms customer service and service quality can correctly be used interchangeably
D) Customer satisfaction is influenced by perceptions of service quality
E) None of the above statements about customer satisfaction and service quality is true

Question 7

Betty had a group of checks that she needed to deposit and another that she needed to cash for a trip she was leaving on the next day. When she got to her bank on Saturday, she was very disappointed to see it was closed. There was one car in the parking lot and a man was walking toward it. She pulled into a place to decide what to do. The man she had seen walked up to her car and asked if he could help. When she explained her problem, the man introduced himself as the bank's vice president and offered to cash her checks with the money he had in his wallet. Betty has since learned that this kind of service is commonplace at her bank. She knows the bank focuses on the _____ dimension of service quality.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 8

Which of the following can influence how satisfied a customer is with a service?

A) Customers' emotions
B) Product features
C) Customers' perception of service quality
D) Uncontrollable situational factor
E) All of the above

Question 9

Which of the following incidents is likely to influence a customer's perception of service quality of an appliance store?

A) A late night call to the store's service department
B) The relationship the customer has established with the store after buying several different appliances
C) A salesperson's explanation of extended warranty service
D) The welcoming atmosphere of the store
E) All of the above

Question 10

Customers often cannot accurately evaluate the technical qualities of legal work like that provided when a homeowner refinances his or her property. Which of the following cues would the homeowner be likely to use to evaluate the legal services?

A) Courtesy of the lawyer and staff
B) Diplomas on wall
C) How the lawyer dresses
D) The lawyer's use of humor and empathy
E) All of the above

Question 11

Henri, Al and T.K. are all studying to be dog groomers at a local Petsmart training academy. Henri and Al believe they received inadequate training because they could not get a job when the course concluded. T.K. thinks the academy was a great experience and really enjoys grooming the pets at Pet Heaven Kennels. In this example, satisfaction levels were influenced by:

A) Poor service quality
B) Their perceptions of service quality
C) Their emotional states
D) Their attributions for service success
E) Their perception of equity

Question 12

_____ has consistently proven to be the most important determinant of service quality.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibility

Question 13

Business travelers today are more likely to order room service than ever before. A tired piece of chicken in a congealed sauce kept company by a heap of wilted lettuce will likely cause the customer to think negatively about his or her hotel stay. This is an example of how _____ influences customer satisfaction.

A) The salesperson's emotional state
B) Problems with perceived equity
C) A product feature
D) Service validity
E) Service attribution

Question 14

Raul took his dog Buffy to dog training school to stop Buffy from barking. As soon as the dog returned home, she started her same pattern of barking. Raul was highly critical of the trainers for not teaching Buffy not to bark even though he had not continued the reinforcement technique he was supposed to use to encourage Buffy's good behavior. Raul customer satisfaction was adversely affected by:

A) Poor service quality
B) His perception of service quality
C) His emotional state
D) His attribution for service failure
E) His perception of equity

Question 15

Gwen's first trip to an amusement park was as a chaperone for a class of special education children who were allowed to fill up on sugar on the bus trip to the park. By the end of the day, Gwen was very frustrated and very tired. Later when she revisited the amusement park, Gwen could not enjoy the experience because she kept remembering how miserable she had been acting as a chaperone. Gwen's satisfaction with amusement parks was adversely influenced by:

A) Poor service quality
B) Her perception of service quality
C) Her emotional state
D) Her attributions for service success
E) Her perception of equity

Question 16

Because Virginia's brother died while he was cashing a check at the local bank, Virginia has always hated any type of banking. When it became necessary for her to go to the bank to empty her brother's safe deposit box, she complained the whole time about the inept service, the too-cold air conditioning and the poor parking. Virginia's customer satisfaction was adversely influenced by:

A) Poor service quality
B) Her perception of service quality
C) Her emotional state
D) Her attributions for service success
E) Her perception of equity

Question 17

_____ quality refers to how a service is delivered to the customer.

A) Output
B) Interaction
C) Experiential
D) Technical outcome
E) Interactive

Question 18

Business travelers today are more likely to order room service than ever before. A tired piece of chicken in a congealed sauce kept company by a heap of wilted lettuce led the salesperson to conclude that the hotel did not care about his comfort. Therefore, the salesperson decided to never stay at this hotel again. The salesperson's lack of satisfaction with the hotel was due to:

A) The salesperson's emotional state
B) Problems with perceived equity
C) A product disadvantage
D) Service validity
E) Service attribution

Question 19

The _____ dimension of service quality refers to the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 20

Southwest Airlines has consistently had one of the best on-time performance records in the airline industry. A critical factor in Southwest's success has been its use of second tier airports such as Midway in Chicago, Hobby in Houston, City in Detroit and Ontario in Los Angeles. These lower traffic airports allow South-west to have a faster turnaround for its airplanes so they spend a greater percentage of their time in the air. Seventy percent of Southwest's flights have a turnaround time of 15 minutes. Southwest Airline's on-time performance reflects the _____ dimension of service quality.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 21

On his way home from school, Daoud stopped at Wendy's and placed his order for a grilled chicken combo using the drive-through microphone. Which type of service encounter did Daoud have with Wendy's when he ordered his meal?

A) Remote
B) Phone
C) Detached
D) Public
E) Collective

Question 22

The growth of e-tailing has led to the identification of four core dimensions that consumers use to evaluate Web sites. They are:

A) Efficiency, fulfillment, reliability and privacy
B) Responsiveness, reliability, assurance and empathy
C) Context, content, community and connectivity
D) Content, reliability, privacy and download speed
E) Efficiency, effectiveness, maneuverability and attractiveness

Question 23

From the customer's point of view, the most vivid impression of service occurs in the service _____ when the customer interacts with the service firm.

A) Event
B) Socialization
C) Encounter
D) Arrangement
E) Experience

Question 24

Why would a blood bank, which pays people for their blood donations and then sells this blood to hospitals, use the name Blood Assurance?

A) Because the assurance dimension of service quality guarantees customer satisfaction
B) Because the assurance dimension of service quality means that the blood donation will be done accurately
C) Because the assurance dimension of service quality emphasizes the knowledge of the employees
D) Because the assurance dimension of service quality negates concerns about tangibles
E) Because the assurance dimension of service quality inspires trust and confidence

Question 25

The _____ dimension of service quality is the caring, individualized attention given to customers.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 26

In Mexico for about $13.50, you can participate in a migrant obstacle course that gives tourist a taste of the sometimes deadly crossings that illegal migrants make daily. Employees of the park do their best to catch the mock migrants. When they are caught, they hands are bound behind their back and they are loaded into trucks. The service quality the mock migrants perceive is determined by:

A) Whether the faux border patrols use abusive language
B) How hot the truck is
C) How well the other customers react to their capture
D) How the faux border patrol dresses
E) All of the above

Question 27

When consumers have problems with a Web site, they use _____ dimensions to evaluate e-service quality.

A) Tangibility, efficiency and fulfillment
B) Responsiveness, compensation and contact
C) Empathy, efficiency and expectations
D) Reliability, privacy and assurance
E) Efficiency, fulfillment, reliability and privacy

Question 28

On a recent trip to Disneyworld, Danielle had her picture taken with Minnie Mouse. After the picture was taken, Minnie Mouse signed Danielle's autograph book. Danielle's interaction with Minnie Mouse was actually a service _____ with Disneyworld.

A) Event
B) Socialization
C) Encounter
D) Arrangement
E) Acculturation

Question 29

Which of the following statements about service encounters is true?

A) When a customer has multiple service encounters with a firm, the only important encounter in terms of the customer's perception is the first one
B) If a customer is interacting with a firm for the first time, that initial encounter will create a first impression of the organization
C) All encounters are equally important in building customer relationships
D) A customer will remember only negative service encounters and will forget any and all positive ones
E) All services have on average about the same number of service encounters

Question 30

The greatest potential variability in the interaction between a customer and a service firm occurs in a(n) _____ service encounter.

A) Detached
B) Phone
C) Face-to-face
D) Public
E) Integrated communication

Question 31

Nita belongs to an Internet library, which lets her trade books she no longer wants for like-valued items she does want. Most members follow the rules of the Web site, but a few unscrupulous members do not mail requested books because they are more interested in acquiring books than sharing them with others. Nita has the potential to experience problems with which e-service quality dimension as she trades books?

A) Assurance
B) Reliability
C) Fulfillment
D) Empathy
E) Efficiency

Question 32

Research indicates that if an individual has to wait longer than eight seconds for an Internet site to download, then he or she will likely abandon plans to visit the site and move on to another site. In which of the service quality dimension that are used to evaluate web sites would a site be deficient if it took longer than eight seconds to download?

A) Assurance
B) Reliability
C) Fulfillment
D) Empathy
E) Efficiency

Question 33

In services with a high level of credence qualities, e.g., banking, insurance, medical and legal service, which of the following service quality dimensions is most important?

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 34

For years, Texaco used the slogan, "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star". Which dimension of service quality was the Texaco promotional campaign emphasizing?

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 35

The Walt Disney Company does not permit male employees at its theme parks to have mustaches and beards, sideburns that extend past the earlobe or hair covering any part of the ears or hanging over the shirt collar. In addition, male employees may not wear strong fragrances or earrings. The Walt Disney Company's dress code reflects the _____ dimension of service quality.

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 36

Which of the following are determinants of service quality in a face-to-face service encounter?

A) Verbal behavior of employees
B) Decor of physical environment
C) Verbal behavior of customers
D) Appearance of employees
E) All of the above

Question 37

In Mexico for about $13.50, you can participate in a migrant obstacle course that gives tourist a taste of the sometimes deadly crossings that illegal migrants make daily. Employees of the park do their best to catch the mock migrants. When they are caught, they hands are bound behind their back and they are loaded into trucks. The capture of the mock migrants is an example of a(n) _____ encounter.

A) Face-to-face
B) Public
C) Personal
D) Symbiotic
E) Customer-controlled

Question 38

To determine the source of customers' favorable and unfavorable perceptions in service encounters, researchers use which of the following research methods?

A) Trailer calls
B) Mall intercept interviews
C) Role-playing experiments
D) Critical incident technique
E) Thematic apperception tests

Question 39

A service encounter that occurs without any direct human contact is a(n) _____ encounter.

A) Remote
B) Phone
C) Detached
D) Public
E) Impersonal

Question 40

For years, State Farm insurance used the slogan, "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is here". The slogan showed the availability of the State Farm agent to help in any way needed. Which dimension of service quality was State Farm emphasizing?

A) Reliability
B) Responsiveness
C) Assurance
D) Empathy
E) Tangibles

Question 41

The last time Lia went shopping at Parisian's department store she had a very pleasant experience. When she entered Parisian's, she asked a sales associate named Sarah for assistance finding a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, a skirt and matching tops. Sarah enthusiastically agreed to help and treated Lia like royalty throughout her two-hour shopping trip. Sarah stayed with Lia the entire time she was in Parisian's and showed her a number of different styles of jeans, shorts, skirts and tops. Sarah brought Lia additional items while she was in the fitting room and offered her advice on accessorizing her outfits. After the sale, Sarah thanked Lia for her purchases. Lia's experience at Parisian's is an example of which type of service encounter incident?

A) Recovery
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Believability
E) Coping

Question 42

Service researchers have suggested that consumers judge the quality of services based on their perceptions of the technical outcome provided, the process by which that outcome was delivered and the quality of the physical surroundings in which the service was delivered.

Question 43

Which of the following service encounter themes reflects employees' responding to problem customers, i.e., customers who are unwilling to cooperate with the service provider, other customers, industry regulations and/or laws?

A) Recovery
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Credibility
E) Coping

Question 44

The letters ACSI are an acronym for the Association of Customer Service Institute, which measures customers' perceptions of service quality around the world.

Question 45

The most important determinant of perceptions of service quality among U.S. customers is reliability.

Question 46

Perceptions of equitable treatment by the service provider will affect customers' perceptions of service.

Question 47

Although consumer satisfaction tends to be measured at a particular point in time as if it were static, satisfaction is a dynamic, moving target.

Question 48

Allstate changed its insurance billing procedure after research revealed customers wanted flexible payment plans and billing information presented in an easy-to-read format. What type of research would Allstate most likely have used to discover how customers perceived Allstate's billing procedure?

A) Trailer calls
B) Mall intercept interviews
C) Role-playing experiments
D) Critical incident technique
E) Thematic apperception tests

Question 49

In Mexico for about $13.50, you can participate in a migrant obstacle course that gives tourist a taste of the sometimes deadly crossings that illegal migrants make daily. Employees of the park do their best to catch the mock migrants. When they are caught, they hands are bound behind their back and they are loaded into trucks. Which of the following would NOT be part of the customer's evidence of service for this experience?

A) The other customers
B) Economic conditions in Mexico
C) Guarantees of safety
D) Conditions of land that is being crossed
E) How employees communicate with customers

Question 50

All services have about the same number of service encounters.

Question 51

In Mexico for about $13.50, you can participate in a migrant obstacle course that gives tourist a taste of the sometimes deadly crossings that illegal migrants make daily. Employees of the park do their best to catch the mock migrants. When they are caught, they hands are bound behind their back and they are loaded into trucks. When a captured mock migrant showed signs of having a heart attack, the park employees would be involved in which type of service encounter incident?

A) Reliability
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Functionality
E) Coping

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT part of the evidence of service in a bank?

A) Tellers
B) Time spent waiting in line
C) Bank's interior decorations
D) Courtesy of loan officer when you apply for an automobile loan
E) Interest rate on a 6-month certificate of deposit

Question 53

When Randy Ross arrived at the airport Enterprise Rent-A-Car to pick up a reserved SUV, he was told the agency had no such car on the lot and that it had no record of him making a reservation. The rental agency's customer service representative Gene Lowery apologized profusely and called other agencies until he located an SUV at an agency several miles away. Lowery personally drove him to the other agency, knocked 20 percent off the rental fee, handed Ross $2 to pay a toll that he would now have to pay to get to his destination and gave him a free tank of gas. Ross's experience at Enterprise is an example of which type of service encounter incident?

A) Recovery
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Functionality
E) Coping

Question 54

Which of the following themes is NOT a source of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction in service encounters?

A) Recovery
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Credibility
E) Coping

Question 55

A company that wants to excel at responsiveness should view service delivery and the handling of requests from the company's point of view.

Question 56

Last Thursday Dylan and Tori had dinner at Pig Pete's, a new restaurant they had a heard about from friends. When they received their order of buffalo wings, Dylan noticed the wings were cold and dried out instead of being hot and moist. Dylan complained to their waitress, who apologized, brought out a plate of freshly cooked buffalo wings and told Dylan and Tori that they would not be charged for the buffalo wings. The couple's experience at Pig Pete's is an example of which type of service encounter incident?

A) Recovery
B) Adaptability
C) Spontaneity
D) Credibility
E) Coping

Question 57

Which of the following would lead to dissatisfying SSTs?

A) Stakeholder-driven failure
B) Poor Internet linkage
C) Management failure
D) Poor design
E) Innovation failure

Question 58

Attributions influence perceptions of satisfaction with services.

Question 59

A service provider that wants to be perceived as empathetic should allow its employees to customize the services to meet the specific needs of each individual customer.

Question 60

Service marketing researchers all agree that the terms satisfaction and quality are interchangeable.

Question 61

Service encounters that occur without any human contact are referred to as impersonal encounters.

Question 62

What type of service encounter occurs when Raphael uses his computer to order and pay for concert tickets?

Question 63

List the five dimensions U.S. customers use to determine service quality.

Question 64

When considering customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction, the ability of the service providers to correct service delivery system failures is very important.

Question 65

In terms of service success or failure, what is an attribution?

Question 66

Imagine you are a consultant and you have been asked to give a seminar to bank employees on how they can use the five dimensions of service to improve customers' perceptions about the quality of the bank's service. What ideas would you give them to better customers' perception of each of the bank's service dimensions?

Question 67

What organization is represented by the abbreviation ACSI?

Question 68

List the three major categories of evidence of service.

Question 69

What type of service encounter occurs when Sam uses inbound telemarketing to order greeting cards from the Current catalog?

Question 70

Discuss the following statement: "The terms satisfaction and quality can be used interchangeably".

Question 71

Creating a memorable service experience is important to service providers. Restaurants and hotels on the beach have to train their employees to deal with students who flood the regions during spring break and who oftentimes have had too much to drink. Which common theme of service are they involved with in this example?

Question 72

What does the text state is another appropriate name for a service encounter?

Question 73

A hotel porter overhears a guest crying because she left a pair of newly purchased shoes at the counter of a retail store some blocks away. The porter volunteers to pick up and deliver the guest's new shoes in time for her to wear them to the banquet at 7 p.m. The porter is trying to make the service encounter memorable. This type of action is in response to what service theme?

Question 74

Even though it was unusual, the retailer wanted the sign painter to do reverse painting on her store windows. (Paint the glass and leave the letters clear.) The retailer felt that this would make her store stand out as a unique place to shop. She had to talk to four sign painters before she found one that was agreeable to her plan. Which service dimension were the first three sign painters lacking?

Question 75

A catalog retailer that sells boxed fruit would like its customers to think of the operation as a gift provider. Its operators are trained to help customers pick out just the right customized gift for family members and friends. Which two dimensions of service quality are most evident in this example?

Question 76

Because services are intangibles, customers do not need evidence of service in order to know they have been served.

Question 77

A customer's refusal to comply with park regulations when riding a roller coaster in an amusement park will have no effect on his or her level of satisfaction.

Question 78

Why are public policymakers so interested in the development of a device to measure and track customer satisfaction?

Question 79

List the four core dimensions consumers use to evaluate Web sites.

Question 80

All service encounters are equally important in building good customer relationships.