Customer variability is a problem for service providers because it can have a significant adverse affect on service quality, and hence on customer loyalty. Drawing on the work of Frei [Breaking the trade-off between efficiency and service. <italic>Harvard Business Review</italic>, <italic>84</italic>(11), 92--101 (2006)] and...

Many firms conduct satisfaction surveys of their customers, with a view to using the analyzed results to identify areas of potential improvement. The weakness in this approach is that attributes with a lower satisfaction level might not be in need of improvement. They might merely be of little...

If a service organisation is to ensure continuous growth, long-term profitability, and ongoing competitiveness, it needs to develop new services to attract and satisfy customers. Service development is thus a key challenge for any service organisation. Such service development requires a...