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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
How consumers self-manage service interaction vulnerability to autonomously improve satisfaction modes
Journal of Services Marketing, Vol.39(6), pp.614-626
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to better understand the relationships between consumer expectation-experience mismatches, the dissonance-induced service interaction vulnerability that arises from these mismatches, and the strategies consumers experiencing vulnerability autonomously enact to self-manage their satisfaction modes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper qualitatively (n = 20) explores the role of gist representations, being the essence of services marketing information that is used to generate an abstract mental picture. Specifically, this research explores the influence of gist representations in creating pre-commencement expectations among consumers experiencing vulnerability. It exposes how unmet gist-informed expectations induce consumer service interaction vulnerability and trigger autonomous vulnerability responses to elicit Oliver’s (1989) various modes of satisfaction. Three research propositions are tested in a complex multi-touchpoint service ecosystem.
Findings
Data revealed that unmet expectations triggered a two-phased autonomous inaction-then-action response, with inaction resulting in either tolerance or regret satisfaction modes, followed by action, which results in either pleasure or relief satisfaction modes.
Originality/value
Growing research into service interaction vulnerability seeks to understand the role consumers experiencing vulnerability play in improving their experience within service ecosystems. These findings provide insights to strategically shape service ecosystem design to mitigate interaction vulnerability by applying a strengths-based lens that foregrounds consumers’ capacity for autonomous dissonance responses to self-manage service interaction vulnerability and self-improve their consumer satisfaction modes.
Details
- Title
- How consumers self-manage service interaction vulnerability to autonomously improve satisfaction modes
- Authors
- Courtney Geritz (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesMaria Raciti (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Publication details
- Journal of Services Marketing, Vol.39(6), pp.614-626
- Publisher
- Emerald Publishing Limited
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1108/JSM-04-2024-0193
- ISSN
- 0887-6045
- Copyright note
- © Courtney Geritz and Maria M. Raciti. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991110345902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
19 Record Views
InCites Highlights
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- Web Of Science research areas
- Business