Title: K–C model of three customer-contact dimensions: an exploratory hospital field test

Authors: William L. Smith, Mohammad Chowdhury

Addresses: BAE Department, School of Business, Emporia State University, 1200 Commercial, Campus Box 4058, Emporia, KS 66801, USA. ' BAE Department, School of Business, Emporia State University, 1200 Commercial, Campus Box 4058, Emporia, KS 66801, USA

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an exploratory empirical field test of the K–C (Kellogg–Chase) model of customer-contact (Kellogg, 1991; Kellogg and Chase, 1995) in a hospital setting. Seventy service workers in seven departments of a regional hospital were surveyed regarding the elements of the K–C model based on their perceptions of a |typical| service encounter with a customer/patient. Service worker SCORE results ranged roughly equivalent to the Contact Scores used by Kellogg (1991). Both the process and the results raise important questions concerning each element of the K–C model which are discussed. Implications for future research and practice are examined.

Keywords: customer-contact dimensions; hospitals; information-richness; intimacy; perceptual measures; services; service encounters; service workers; time of communication; standards.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSS.2007.013751

International Journal of Services and Standards, 2007 Vol.3 No.3, pp.299 - 311

Published online: 25 May 2007 *

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