Antecedents of Customer Experience in India A Study of the Airline Industry

Abstract

The study aims to understand what constitutes Customer Experience and the antecedents of Customer Experience for an airline traveler. The effect that the interaction quality, service environment quality, outcome quality, self- service technology and customer- to- customer compatibility have on Customer Experience was studied. newlineThe services that SST s provide are surprisingly varied, including monetary transactions (e.g. retail purchases), self-help (e.g. distance learning) and customer services (e.g. hotel checkout). Companies are drawn to SST s by their promise of greater cost efficiencies, enhanced service quality and attraction of new customers over in-person services (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000). Sometimes part of the reason people frequent a service firm is because they like the other customers the other customers add to the consumption experience beyond the typical benefits associated with the service provider and the service itself. Not only can these other customers newlineinfluence our evaluation of a service encounter, they can also be the very reason why we choose one service firm over another. newlineThe behavior of the service staff is important because of the intangible elements of services, and emphasizes the dependence customers feel on the service staff to solve their newlineproblems (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991; Sharma and Stafford, 2000). The place where the service is produced is very important and in fact has a strong impact on customers perceptions of the service experience. Even before purchase, consumers commonly look for cues about the firm s capabilities and quality (Berry and Clark, 1986; Shostack, 1977). The service environment is rich in such cues Rapoport, 1982) and may be very influential in communicating the firm s image newlineand purpose to its customers. The physical setting may also influence the customer s ultimate satisfaction with the service (Bitner, 1990). newline