Can emotional scaling methods improve quality in services?

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role that deep emotional feelings play in relation to process/service re-design and process/service improvement. It suggests that attention to these dimensions may be vital for successful and sustainable outcomes. It investigates whether these dimensions are accommodated within popular change methods such as the European business excellence model (EBEM) and the balanced scorecard (BS). Design/methodology/approach – An emotional value (EMVAL) scale is tested and applied using survey methods on a large sample of staff engaged in change and improvement initiatives. For the purposes of comparison, two separate business units are selected; one unit following EBEM/BS methods; one unit following EMVAL. Findings – The findings show that significant improvement in employee perceptions of successful outcomes occurs when applying EMVAL methods. There is also evidence of tangible performance improvement in the form of customer satisfaction, reduced cost, and efficiency gains. Practical implications – The findings are significant for academics and practitioners concerned with quality improvement programmes, suggesting that emotional scaling methods can improve outcomes. An emotional scaling method is presented along with a methodology for implementation. Originality/value – Whilst the role of understanding deeper emotions in customer relationships is becoming more prominent within the marketing literature, little research to date has explored quality and internal marketing aspects which this paper seeks to address.