Exploring the moderating role of construal levels on the impact of process vs outcome attributes on service evaluations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrated conceptual framework using construal level theory (CLT) to explain the differences in the effects of process and outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction based on consumption context (social), evaluation context (temporal) and individual characteristics (expertise). Design/methodology/approach The authors use two lab experiments (hotel and restaurant settings) and a field study of online reviews posted by actual hotel customers to test all the hypotheses. Findings Process (outcome) attributes have a stronger influence on service evaluations under low-level (high-level) construal. Specifically, process attributes have a stronger influence when customers are accompanied by proximal (vs distal) social group, evaluate a service under near (vs distant) temporal frame or have high (vs low) level of customer expertise. Practical implications Service managers can use the findings about the differences in the influence of social, temporal and individual variables on customer evaluations under process and outcome attributes to improve customers’ service experiences and satisfaction. Originality/value This paper extends past research on the influence of construal levels on customer decision making by exploring the differences in the effects of process vs outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction, under the influence of low (vs high) construal levels triggered by social, temporal and individual variables.

Influence of prior reviews about a firm and its alliance partners on reviewers' feedback: evidence from the airline industry

“…Similarly, studies have also divided service attribute in process and outcome attributes, depending on the goal and the information content of the attributes. Studies found that process or "how" attributes become more important for consumers in low construal level, while outcome or "why" attributes get higher importance for consumers in high construal level (Tatavarthy et al, 2019). We extend the above observations to explain the relative importance of core or central aspects with peripheral and augmented aspects, in the case of own experience vs. the others' experience.…”

Self-service technology in supermarkets – Do frontline staff still matter?

“…According to CLT, customers may rely on their evaluations of the different checkout methods, to form their perceptions and judgments about the overall store quality, satisfaction and loyalty, based on their psychological distance with the service providers. Moreover, customers tend to rely more on process (tangible) attributes such as interactions with service employees when evaluating their service experience under low-level construal and on outcome (intangible) attributes such as perceptions of overall service quality or satisfaction under high-level construal (Tatavarthy et al, 2019). In the retail checkout context, self-checkout would be an example of higher psychological distance because it involves limited or no face-to-face interactions between the customers and store employees; whereas staff-checkout may represent low psychological distance because it involves a close interpersonal interaction between the customers and checkout staff.…”

“…Similarly, process (outcome) attributes have a stronger influence on service evaluations under low-level (high-level) construal (Tatavarthy et al, 2019).…”