What is it about?
Enabling customers to move around easily within a large service environment, such as a mall or a hospital, increases service quality and customer satisfaction. However, this specific aspect of the service delivery is often underestimated by service managers. Even recently restored or brand-new service settings sometimes overlook the importance of signage. Consequently, customers risk to helplessly wander around looking for the desired destination. In fact, not all customers have the same wayfinding ability. Based on a survey conducted in an Italian hospital, we identify three profiles of customers based on their wayfinding ability: the Easy Goings, the Do-it-yourselves (DIYs) and the Insecures.
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Why is it important?
Service managers should be aware of the characteristics of customers' wayfinding ability to improve the service setting and increase customer satisfaction.
Perspectives
When moving around in a hospital, constrasting emotions as well as low familiarity with the environment might affect customers' ability to find their direction. Therefore, service managers should take into due consideration the importance of elements (e.g. signage) that can help customers to find their way. I hope this article will help service managers to see complex service settings from customers' perspective.
Vania Vigolo
University of Verona
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Servicescape navigation, The TQM Journal, June 2017, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/tqm-01-2017-0003.
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