As customer satisfaction is gaining the highest priority among the interest of corporate America′s constituent groups and the economy becomes service‐oriented, more jobs than ever before require customer contacts. Investigates the relationship between employee satisfaction, job tension, role clarity, role conflict and empathetic concern among customer service personnel. Finds that the traditional variables, i.e. role conflict, role clarity, and job tension, do influence job satisfaction as hypothesized. Additionally, identifies empathy, a previously overlooked dimension of employee‐job interactions, as a significant determinant of job tension. Discusses the managerial implications resulting from these relationships.

Develops a conceptual model of the antecedents of consumer expectations and firm image, based on past research in service, and empirically tested using the simultaneous equation procedures of LISREL 7. Data were collected and analyzed for four service industries (tax services, dental services, restaurants and video rental stores). Significant findings include: the image consumers have of a service firm has the strongest impact on their expectations; the relative saliences of the antecedents vary across industries; advertising has no significant impact on expectations or firm image in any of the four industries or in the aggregate analysis; and the level of customization and service provider judgment has an impact on the relative importance of each of the antecedents of consumer expectations.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of the visual element in a print advertisement to service quality expectations and to the source credibility score when a model or spokesperson is used in a service ad.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 230 college students at three different Midwestern universities using an experimental design. Three different ads were designed promoting a fictitious brand of automobile insurance, Top Tier. While the copy remained the same, the visual was changed to reflect three different types of visual strategies.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that both source credibility and service quality evaluations have a definite impact on attitude towards the ad and purchase intentions of a service and the type of visual element used is important in the ad evaluation process.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research needs to examine the relationship between source credibility and attitude towards the ad to determine which is the antecedent. Because of the student sample, use of only one creative message strategy, and one service industry, future research needs to replicate this study for additional creative message strategies and other service industries.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research are important for creatives in designing service ads. If a model or spokesperson is used in the print ad, then source credibility is an important factor. Further, it is important to embed service quality cues in the ad to increase viewers' expectations of the service, thus enhancing purchase intentions.Originality/valueThis paper provides valuable information to creatives and researchers in the role of the visual element in evaluation of service quality expectations and source credibility. The paper provides an initial foundation for future research and future exploration.

In recent years, professional service organizations have begun to successfully implement various sales promotion techniques, and potential customers are responding favorably to such promotions. This exploratory research examined the impact of sales promotions on consumer attitudes and intentions. More specifically, the influence of coupon face value on service quality expectations, perceived purchase risks, and purchase intentions was examined. The results indicate that while coupons positively impact the purchase intentions of dental services, the positive impact was negated by negative impacts on service quality expectations and perceived purchase risk. Further results and implications of the study for professional services are addressed.

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