Domestic versus offshore service providers

Abstract

Purpose -Prior research has determined that consumers are opposed to services offshoring. The purpose of this paper is to determine the likelihood that consumers would choose a domestic vs an offshore service provider if asked to pay more, wait longer, or sacrifice service quality. Design/methodology/approach -The cost, time to wait, and quality of services provided (for two different services: taxes and customer service) were varied to determine respondent likelihood to choose a domestic as opposed to an offshore service provider when asked to pay more, wait longer, or sacrifice the quality of the service in return for access to a domestic service provider. Data were collected via survey research, using an internet panel. Findings -Results of repeated measures analysis indicated that customer loyalty to the domestic service provider significantly decreased as the cost or time to interact with a domestic service provider increased or the quality of service provided by the offshore service provider increased.Research limitations/implications -The research results signify that while customers, in general, may be opposed to services offshoring, they will "defect" or show less loyalty to the domestic service provider when asked to sacrifice time or money for that access. Respondents were asked to react to each trade-off as individual factors. Future research might combine these factors to determine interrelated tradeoffs. Practical implications -The research results signify that while customers, in general, may be opposed to services offshoring, they will "defect" or show less loyalty to the domestic service provider when asked to sacrifice time or money for that access. Originality/value -The paper extends research with regard to consumer reaction to service offshoring and provides insight into the trade-offs consumers might be willing to incur in return for access to domestic service providers. The paper is of value to practitioners and academic researchers.

The Impact of the Service Provider and Тhe Service Recipient on the Quality of the Service in Different Service Systems

“…After the research was carried out, the authors found that macro factors in terms of information, cleanliness and services have the highest positive effect on the overall quality of service. Domestic, in relation to foreign service providers, with an emphasis on the impact of the cost, time and quality of the victim on the choice of consumers, is the research which was done by Andrej M. Forman et al (2015). The results support the idea that while consumers significantly prefer domestic, rather than foreign service providers, providers are not willing to accept a monetary or time-sacrifice to allow them access.…”

Investigation into waiting time, self‐service technology, and customer loyalty: The mediating role of waiting time in satisfaction

“…In the study of McGuire, Kimes, Lynn, Pullman, and Lloyd (2010), it was claimed that providing entertainment to customers during the period of waiting can reduce their boredom and produce a positive evaluation on their WTS. In another study, Forman, Thelen, and Shapiro (2015) investigated the customers' assessment of the off-shoring of services and established that there will be a decrease in the customers' loyalty towards the domestic service provider if the WT is longer and if their international counterpart provides the same service better and quicker.…”