Experience vs quality: predicting satisfaction and loyalty in services

ABSTRACT

Both quality and experience are discussed as antecedents of satisfaction and loyalty in services. Despite their popularity in measuring success, no previous study compared the effect size and impact of quality and experience on positive outcomes on the same product. In order to do so, package tours were selected as the case service. 356 questionnaires were collected from tourists participating in package tours. The impact of service quality and customer experience on satisfaction and loyalty was measured using regression analysis. Findings revealed that customer experience was a better predictor for both satisfaction and loyalty. Although service quality was also found as a significant antecedent, experience was able to explain a greater percentage of variance in positive customer behaviors. Through comparing the strength of service quality and customer experience on satisfaction and loyalty, this study offers both theoretical contributions and practical implications. The study identified experience as a better predictor for both satisfaction and loyalty than satisfaction which is an important contribution to the discussion on consumer behavior and its components. Tour operators organizing package tours who might design their itineraries based on experiential components might also achieve a greater satisfaction and loyalty.

摘要

质量和体验在服务行业中作为满意度和忠实度的前因被讨论过很多次。 除了它们可广泛用于测量成功之外，并没有任何研究致力于比较质量和体验在同一产品上的效应值及其积极的影响。为了比较质量和体验在同一产品上的效应值及其积极的影响， 我们选择旅行团做为服务行业案例， 并向参加旅行团的356名旅客发放了问卷。我们使用了回归分析法来分析服务质量和客户体验对满意度和忠实度的影响。分析结果显示，客户体验可以更好的预测满意度和忠实度。虽然服务质量也是一个重要的前因，但是客户体验能够以更大比例的方差解释积极的客户行为。通过比较服务质量和客户体验对满意度和忠实度作用的强度，本文既做出了理论上的贡献，也给出了实践上的指导。 本文指出客户体验可以比满意度更好的预测满意度和忠实度，这一结论在探讨消费者行为及其构成方面做出了重要的贡献。组织旅行团的旅游经营者可以根据体验构成来设计他们的行程，这样也可能达到更高的满意度和忠实度。

KEYWORDS:

• Service quality
• customer experience
• satisfaction
• loyalty
• package tours

关键词:

• 服务质量
• 客户体验
• 满意度
• 忠实度
• 旅行团

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Istanbul Üniversity, Scientific Research Project Support Unit [grand number BYP-2017-26776].