Relative importance and combined effects of attributes on customer satisfaction

Abstract

Customer satisfaction with a service experience is often determined by several critical attributes. Prior studies have suggested that food, physical environment, and employee service impose an important effect on diners' satisfaction with restaurant services. Although much research has looked at the direct effect of these attributes individually, little is known about them when they are considered together. This study investigates the relative importance and combined effects of the determinants of customer satisfaction in China's hospitality industry. The results show that food taste, employee service, and physical environment (in that order) all significantly contribute to diners' satisfaction, and that one attribute may substitute for another attribute in the satisfaction formation process. Generally, humanic attributes (employee service) can effectively substitute for less humanic attributes (physical environment).

Keywords:

• service attributes
• employee service
• physical environment
• customer satisfaction

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the constructive comments offered by the anonymous reviewers and Editor of The Service Industries Journal. This research was partially funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71322202, 71203042, 71101039, and 71301018), and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-13-0179).