2 Setting and communicating the service promise. Once expectations are understood, mar-
keting communications can be used to inform the customers of the level of service.
This can be achieved through customer service guarantees or promises. It is better to
under-promise than over-promise. A book retailer that delivers the book in 2 days
when 3 days were promised will earn the customer’s loyalty better than the retailer
that promises 1 day, but delivers in 2! The enlightened company may also explain
what it will do if it doesn’t meet its promises – will the customer be recompensed?
The service promise must also be communicated internally and combined with train-
ing to ensure that the service is delivered.
3 Delivering the service promise. Finally, commitments must be delivered through on-site
service, support from employees and physical fulfilment. Otherwise, online credibil-
ity is destroyed and a customer may never return.Tables 7.7 and 7.8 summarise the main concerns of online consumers for each of the ele-
ments of service quality. Table 7.7 summarises the main factors in the context of SERVQUAL
and Table 7.8 presents the requirements from an e-commerce site that must be met for
excellent customer service.The relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction
and loyaltyFigure 6.16 highlights the importance of online service quality. If customer expectations
are not met, customer satisfaction will be poor and repeat site visits will not occur,SERVICE QUALITYTable 7.7 Online elements of service qualityTangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance and empathy
Ease of use Availability Download speed Contacts with call centre
Content quality Reliability E-mail response Personalisation
Price E-mail replies Callback Privacy
Fulfilment SecurityTable 7.8 Summary of requirements for online service qualityE-mail response requirements Web site requirements
Defined response times and named individual Support for customer-preferred channel of
responsible for replies communication in response to enquiries
Use of autoresponders to confirm query is (e-mail, phone, postal mail or in person)
being processed Clearly indicated contact points for enquiries
Personalised e-mail where appropriate via e-mail mailto: and forms
Accurate response to inbound e-mail by Company internal targets for site availability
customer-preferred channel: outbound e-mail and performance
or phone callback Testing of site usability and efficiency of links,
Opt-in and opt-out options must be provided HTML, plug-ins and browsers to maximise
for promotional e-mail with a suitable offer in availability
exchange for a customer’s provision of Appropriate graphic and structural site design
information to achieve ease of use and relevant content
Clear layout, named individual and privacy with visual appeal
statements in e-mail Personalisation option for customers
Specific tools to help a user answer specific
queries such as interactive support databases
and frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Source: Chaffey and Edgar (2000)INMA_C07.QXD 17/5/06 4:23 pm Page 339