Impact Of Customer Stereotypes On Perceptions Of Service Quality In Service Encounter

Services dominate the modern economy, and also maintain the relationship between enterprises and customers. However, services are different from tangible productions, which have four special characters which are intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity and perishability. In particular, the indivisibility of the service, requiring most of the services is completed in the dyadic service encounter between customers and service providers. In this process, service encounters will affect the perceptions of service quality and satisfaction directly. Therefore, the service encounters are critical moments of truth. Previous researchers suggests that service provider's language, behavior, attitudes, personality, etiquette, knowledge, social relationship will affect perceptions of service quality. On the other hand, the service areas of space layout, interior decoration, and sound such as music or smell in service environment will also affect the customer perceptions of service quality. However, in service encounters, service providers are not unilateral effect, customer'subject evaluation and judge is more important. Customers will evaluate service quality base on service providers'age, sex, appearance attraction or race. This fixed opinion and thought to some social group are called stereotype in psychology.Stereotype is studied by psychologists in system, but in marketing research stereotype is just beginning and not systematic and in-depth, especially the research of consequences of stereotype is still limited. Does service provider's gender, age, appearance or country of origin will affect perceptions of service quality?Do different types of stereotypes such as gender, age, appearance or country of origin will affects perceptions of service quality? Is the impact of stereotypes on perceptions service quality the same? There is no answer in current marketing literature for these questions.In this study takes a 2x2 between-subjects experimental design to test impact of customer gender stereotypes, age stereotypes, physical attractiveness stereotypes and county of original stereotypes on perceptions of service quality in different service scenario. The results are as follow:First, the impact of gender stereotypes on perceptions of service quality is significant. In service process successful situations, customers'perceived service quality will be higher for a same gender server than for a different gender. In service process failure situations, customers'perceived service quality will be higher for a female nurse than for a male nurse.Second, the impact of age stereotypes on perceptions of service quality is significant. In service process successful and failure two situations, customers'perceived service quality will be higher for a young server than for an old server.Third, in service process successful situations, the impact of physical attractiveness stereotypes on perceptions of service quality is significant. Server physical attractiveness the higher, the perceptions of service quality is higher.Forth, the impact of country of original stereotypes on perceptions of service quality is significant. In service process successful and failure two situations, customers'perceived service quality will be higher for a developed country service company than for a developing country service company...