Introduction
The article “Bias in Consumer Expectations of Services: Implications for Customer Satisfaction Measures” tells about the possible ways of studying the impact of consumer needs in the current market (Clow and Seshadri 391). The paper is taken from the proceedings of the 1994 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference. It also presents various ways to improve the situation and potential factors that contribute to the empowerment of producers. The topic is revealed through the research of responses from consumers about products from different manufacturers and the experience of different clients concerning specific goods and services. Also, the authors offer several theories that help measure customer satisfaction.
Possible Research Methodology
As a possible technique for studying the suggested phenomenon, Clow and Seshadri propose to consider customer expectations before rendering any services and review their opinions on the quality of sales after that (392). According to the authors of the research, the use of this technique will eliminate the bias on the part of clients, and any prejudices caused by primary assumptions (Clow and Seshadri 392). Using this method of research will make it possible to compare people’s expectations at the initial stage and their opinions after buying or considering a particular product or service. The researchers introduce three main hypotheses, which are likely to confirm their theory and prove the relevance of introducing such methodology.
Research Hypotheses
The first hypothesis proposes to study the responses of consumers to a particular product or service before its purchase. According to the authors, the distribution of responses among consumers can positively influence the evaluation of the stated research topic (Clow and Seshadri 392). This approach provides an opportunity to consider consumer demand in more detail and conclude about the interest of clients in specific issues.
The essence of the second hypothesis is to assess the experience of customers’ as a result of the acquisition of a particular product or service. Clow and Seshadri believe that this measure will evaluate clients’ satisfaction with the services provided and will give a chance to understand whether the interest of a particular product is biased or not (393). This measure of research is a rather good way to find out how people react to actual services if they anticipate the possible outcome of the purchase.
The third hypothesis proposes subtracting the scores calculated at the stage of clients’ expectations from those that were obtained after the evaluation of the goods and the experience gained. According to the authors, it will give an approximate picture of how much consumers’ expectations differ from actual thoughts about a particular purchase (Clow and Seshadri 395). All three hypotheses are entirely justified and help to study the attitude of people to the proposals of the market in detail.
Personal Evaluation
In my opinion, the information presented in the article is quite relevant and necessary in the current market conditions and competition. As Schmitz and Ganesan note, it is the task of managers to adapt their behavior to present circumstances to increase sales efficiency (60). The described hypotheses are quite acceptable for implementation in various sales areas and can be applied to different market segments. The information of the article may be useful not only for sales professionals and managers but also for governing bodies monitoring the volume of interested consumers and studying general sales data.
Works Cited
Clow, Kenneth, and Seshadri, Srivatsa. “Bias in Consumer Expectations of Services: Implications for Customer Satisfaction Measures.” Proceedings of the 1994 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference, edited by Elizabeth Wilson and William Black, Springer, 2015, pp. 391-396.
Schmitz, Christian, and Ganesan, Shankar. “Managing Customer and Organizational Complexity in Sales Organizations.” Journal of Marketing, vol. 78, no. 6, 2014, pp. 59-77.