Classification of Service Attributes and Strategic Customer Service Management based on the Asymmetric and Non-linear Relationship between Service Attributes and Customer Satisfaction

The principal objective of this study was to categorize service attributes on the basis of the asymmetric and non-linear relationship existing between service attributes and customer satisfaction. Researchers generally assume that service attribute performances and customer satisfaction are both symmetrical and linear. That is to say, improvements in attribute performance will inevitably result in increased customer satisfaction. However, this is not always the case. Certain attributes have been shown not to create satisfaction even when improved, and others do not create dissatisfaction even when their performance ratings become negative. Understanding this relationship is crucial not only to researchers, but also to service managers. Service managers can arrange their priorities with regard to which attributes must be improved or promoted first, in an environment of limited technical, financial, and human resources. Many studies into this asymmetric and non-linear relationship have recently been conducted, beginning with Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory (1976) and the disconfirmation theory, which was eventually developed into Kano's model (1984). This study attempted to determine the impact level of service attributes on incidents of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. It used 30 service attributes generated by Park (2008) in the CIT research into family restaurants. The data were collected from 600 participants, 300 incidences of satisfaction and 300 incidents of dissatisfaction, via an online survey. The t-test was used to confirm the difference between the satisfaction group's and dissatisfaction group's attributes. 11 attributes were found to be significant at a level of p>0.05. This indicates that the 11 attributes exerted different impacts on satisfaction and dissatisfaction, which confirmed the asymmetric and non-linear relationship. 14 attributes were categorized into the core service, 1 attribute into the quality service, 7 attributes into the basic service, and 8 attributes into the neutral service. Strategic customer service management was recommended for the 'A' family restaurant as an example, on the basis of the asymmetric and non-linear relationship and the characteristics of the four service factors.

서비스 속성과 고객만족과의 비대칭적, 비선형적 관계에 근거한 서비스 속성 분류와 전략적 고객서비스 경영