Modelling an Empirically Derived Measure for Customer Contact in Service Operation Environments:a Case Study of University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services' Arziki Restaurants

Abstract

The importance of Customer Contact as an important component of service operations is widely acknowledged by operations management practitioners and researchers. Various approaches have been undertaken aimed at defining and linking, in a scientific way, the relationship between customer contact and service quality for various service episodes. This study used the Multiple Linear Regression model to establish a model for Customer Contact in the context of a restaurant setting. It considered three main variables of total Communication Time between the Service Worker and the Customer, the degree to which the service received is judged to be Intimate, and the Feedback Time elapsing between the giving of the service order and receiving of the response. The study found that total Communication Time is the most significant dimensionalizing variable in deriving a measure of Customer Contact. The other two variables were not significant. The study established a model for Customer Contact which practitioners can use as a diagnostic tool for various service environments. The derived model can also be used to benchmark various service metrics and thereby achieve organizational strategic objectives and goals.