Service Firm Performance Transparency: How, When, and Why Does It Pay Off?
File(s)
Author(s)
Liu, Y
Eisingerich, AB
Auh, S
Merlo, O
Chun, HEH
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Calls for increased transparency and reduced information asymmetry between service firms and their customers are getting louder in the marketplace. Yet, it remains unclear what exactly constitutes transparency in the eyes of customers and how, if at all, service firms benefit from it. This research contributes to extant knowledge by articulating the key properties of service firms’ performance transparency and by developing and validating a parsimonious scale to measure it. We show that through a reduction in customer uncertainty, the provision of accessible and objective information about a firm’s service offering is positively associated with customers’ intention to purchase and willingness to pay a price premium for its service. Furthermore, we find that the positive effect of performance transparency is influenced by customers’ perceptions of a firm’s ability to deliver on its service promise. An important managerial implication of the current research is that performance transparency benefits customers by lowering uncertainty, and hence service firms should proactively consider it as a critical measure that helps differentiate their services from competitive offerings, even when customer perceptions of a service firm’s ability are low.
Date Issued
2015-11-01
Date Acceptance
2015-05-08
Citation
Journal of Service Research, 2015, 18 (4), pp.451-467
ISSN
1552-7379
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Start Page
451
End Page
467
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Service Research
Volume
18
Issue
4
Subjects
Social Sciences
Business
Business & Economics
transparency
customer reviews
uncertainty
customer relationships
price premium
WORD-OF-MOUTH
CONSUMER PRODUCT RESPONSES
BUYER-SELLER RELATIONSHIPS
INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY
CORPORATE ASSOCIATIONS
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
MODERATING ROLE
IMPACT
QUALITY
KNOWLEDGE
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2015-05-08