The Dynamics of Service: Reflections on the Changing Nature of Customer/Provider Interactions.

Abstract

1. The Service Revolution: From Relationships to Encounters 2. Service Through Relationships: Creating Bonds of Trust 3. Service Through Encounters: Ensuring Speed, Efficiency, and Uniformity 4. Key Distinctions Between Relationships and Encounters 5. The Provider's Perspective 6. The Customer's Perspective 7. The Organization's Role: Creating the Context for Customer/Provider Interaction 8. The Pseudorelationship: Making Encounters Feel More Personal 9. Information Technology as Partner and Provider: Buying Services with the Help of Machines 10. Relationships, Encounters, and the Quality of Life 11. Implications for the Future