Faculty & Research
A Service Conundrum: Can Outstanding Service Be Too Good?
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Vol 41 No 5
By: Kate Walsh Ph.D.
Executive Summary: A study of a full-service hotel in a large city found that guests could not recall the specifics of a check-in transaction only moments after it occurred, unless that transaction was exceptionally good (or bad). In contrast, restaurant customers were better able to assess service transactions, although they, too, were unlikely to remember only outstandingly good or poor service. In general, employees in the front office and the restaurant used their own personal philosophies or specific approaches to service delivery. Four individuals who were identified as outstanding servers considered service to be a sort of calling. Their approach was to create a sense of a relationship even in momentary encounter by attempting to determine in advance what the guest wants and fulfilling that desire before the guest even articulates the need.
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- A Service Conundrum: Can Outstanding Service Be Too Good? By: Kate Walsh Ph.D.
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