Service Research that Matters

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Service Research that Matters

• Roland Rust
• University of Maryland

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Outline of Talk

• Overview of my research program
• 11 recommendations
• Summary
• QA

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Overview of My Research Program in Service
Research

• Financial impact of service
• Understanding customer satisfaction
• Customer-oriented strategy
• Customer Equity
• E-Service

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Financial Impact

• Patient satisfaction (JHCM 1992 with Nelson,
  Zahorik others)
• Financial impact (JR 1993 with Zahorik) best
  article award
• Return on Quality (Book 1994 with Zahorik
  Keiningham)

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Financial Impact, cont.

• Return on Quality (JM 1995 with Zahorik
  Keiningham) Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation Award
• Indirect financial benefits (QMJ 1996 with
  Danaher)
• Customer satisfaction, productivity
  profitability (Mktg Sci 1997 with Anderson
  Fornell) Best Services Article Award, Finalist
  for John D.C. Little Award

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Financial Impact, cont.

• ROQ at Chase Manhattan Bank (Interfaces 1999 with
  Keiningham, Clemens Zahorik)
• Quasi-experiments (JMR 2000 with Simester, Hauser
  Wernerfelt)
• Service quality data for competitive marketing
  decisions (IJSIM 2000 with Danaher Varki)
• Getting returns from service quality (under
  review, with Moorman Dickson)

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Understanding Customer Satisfaction

• Customer delight (JR 1997 with R.L. Oliver
  Varki) second place for best article
• Customer expectation distributions (Mktg Sci 1999
  with Inman, Jia Zahorik)
• Should We Delight the Customer? (JAMS 2000 with
  R.L. Oliver)

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Customer-Oriented Strategy

• Complaint management (Mktg Mgmt 1992 with
  Subramanian Wells)
• Improving quality (CMR 1993 with Kordupleski
  Zahorik)
• Technology optimal segment size (Mktg Letters
  1998 with Varki)

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Customer-Oriented Strategy, cont.

• The Role of Marketing (JM 1999 with Moorman
  Dickson)
• Core competence vs. customer responsiveness (HBR
  2002)
• The Locus of Customer Focus (under review, with
  Moorman Dickson)

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Customer Equity

• Driving Customer Equity (Book 2000 with Zeithaml
  Lemon)
• Customer Equity drivers (Mktg Mgmt 2001 with
  Lemon Zeithaml)
• Customer pyramid (CMR 2001 with Zeithaml Lemon)

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Customer Equity, cont.

• Resource allocation (Mktg Mgmt 2001 with Lemon
  Zeithaml)
• CE technical paper (under review, with Lemon
  Zeithaml)

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E-Service

• Video dial tone (JSM 1994 with R.W. Oliver)
• The Death of Advertising (JA 1994 with R.W.
  Oliver)
• The Dawn of Computer Behavior (Mktg Mgmt 1997)
• Real-time marketing (Mktg Mgmt 1998 with R.W.
  Oliver Varki)

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E-Service, cont.

• E-service the Consumer (IJEC 2000 with Lemon)
• E-Service (Book 2002 with Kannan)
• Internet privacy (JAMS 2002 with Kannan Peng)

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And Now 11 Unsolicited Pieces of Advice
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1. Follow the Technology

• Computing technology
• Internet

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Examples

• DSS ROQ Customer Equity
• E-Service

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2. Think Broadly

• Tie to other functions disciplines

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Examples

• Bayesian model of customer expectation updating
• ROQ
• Customer Equity

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3. Abandon Yesterdays News

• Best paper is one that starts a new research area

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4. Develop Technical Skills

• Experimental design
• Econometrics
• Psychometrics

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5. Niche, niche, niche

• Be the best.

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Examples

• E-service
• Customer equity

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6. Be Provocative

• Challenge a sacred cow
• Make someone mad!

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Examples

• ROQ
• Customer Equity

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7. Find Co-Authors with Complementary Skills

• Compensate for your weaknesses

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Examples

• Psychology Rich Oliver
• Experimental Design Jeff Inman
• Managerial Research Chris Moorman

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8. Talk to Managers

• Centers
• Executive programs
• Consulting
• Managerial conferences

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Examples

• Customer Equity
• Customer-oriented strategy

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9. Ignore Boundaries

• This is not service.
• This is not marketing.
• This is not business.

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10. Believe in Yourself

• The review process
• Learning and growing

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11. Sell Your Ideas

• Conferences (academic managerial)
• Send out papers (reprints)
• Think like a marketer

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Summary

• Follow the technology
• Think broadly
• Abandon yesterdays news
• Develop technical skills
• Niche, niche, niche
• Be provocative

• Find co-authors with complementary skills
• Talk to managers
• Ignore boundaries
• Believe in yourself
• Sell your ideas