Customer Care in Service Organisations

Abstract

The quality of service and customer care in the context of the marketing of services are considered. The focus is on distinguishing characteristics of services, definitions of service quality and the use of consumer research to assess expectations of and satisfactions with service quality — providing examples from a variety of organisations. Particular attention is given to the interpersonal interactions between contact personnel in service companies and customers, and the need for internal marketing, a consumer orientation, and the consequent provision of customer care, with reference to a number of examples in the tourism and financial service sectors.