The Impact of Healthscape on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Public and Private Healthcare Institutions

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 81 - 96, 25.12.2017

Arif Emre Akmaz Tuğçe Ozansoy Çadırcı

Abstract

The evaluation of services is highly
dependable on consumers’ experiences and emotions toward the service encounter.
The service environment (the servicescape) has an influential aspect on
customers’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions including customer
loyalty.  This study aims to define the
possible effects of the healthcare service environment (healthscape) on consumer
experience, satisfaction and loyalty. The data was collected from patients that
has visited an outpatient clinic, ER, laboratory or had an operation from a
private or public hospital within the last 30 days. A questionnaire was
administrated to collect data on helathscape perceptions, emotional responses
toward the healthscape, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty including
both re-purchase and WOM intentions. The study has yielded that the physical
dimension of the healthscape to be the most influential antecedent of consumers’
emotional responses.

Keywords

helathscape, consumer emotions, customer experience, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty

The Impact of Healthscape on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Public and Private Healthcare Institutions

Abstract

The evaluation of services is highly dependable on consumers’ experiences and emotions toward the service encounter. The service environment (the servicescape) has an influential aspect on customers’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions including customer loyalty.  This study aims to define the possible effects of the healthcare service environment (healthscape) on consumer experience, satisfaction and loyalty. The data was collected from patients that has visited an outpatient clinic, ER, laboratory or had an operation from a private or public hospital within the last 30 days. A questionnaire was administrated to collect data on helathscape perceptions, emotional responses toward the healthscape, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty including both re-purchase and WOM intentions. The study has yielded that the physical dimension of the healthscape to be the most influential antecedent of consumers’ emotional responses.

Keywords

helathscape, customer emotions, customer experience, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty

References

• • Amin, S. H. M., Wahid, S. D. M., & Ismail, M. (2016). Observing the Natural Dimension of Hospital Servicescape on Patient Satisfaction. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37, 58-64.
• • Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. The Journal of Marketing, 57-71.
• • Bonfanti, A., Bonfanti, A., Vigolo, V., Vigolo, V., Douglas, J., Douglas, J.,& Baccarani, C. (2017). Servicescape navigation: A customer typology based on the wayfinding ability of Italian hospital visitors. The TQM Journal, 29(4), 546-563.
• • Dong, P., & Siu, N. Y. M. (2013). Servicescape elements, customer predispositions and service experience: The case of theme park visitors. Tourism Management, 36, 541-551.
• • Fottler, M. D., Ford, R. C., Roberts, V., & Ford, E. W. (2000). Creating a Healing Environment: The Importance of the Service Setting in the New Consumer‐Oriented Healthcare System. Journal of Healthcare Management, 45(2), 91-106.
• • Harris, L. C., & Ezeh, C. (2008). Servicescape and loyalty intentions: an empirical investigation. European Journal of Marketing, 42(3/4), 390-422.
• • Hill, F. M., & McCrory, M. L. (1997). An attempt to measure service quality at a Belfast maternity hospital: some methodological issues and some results. Total Quality Management, 8(5), 229-242.
• • Holder, M., & Berndt, A. (2011). The effect of changes in servicescape and service quality perceptions in a maternity unit. International journal of health care quality assurance, 24(5), 389-405.
• • Hutton, J. D., & Richardson, L. D. (1995a). Healthscapes: the role of the facility and physical environment on consumer attitudes, satisfaction, quality assessments, and behaviors. Health Care Management Review, 20(2), 48-61.
• • Hutton, J. D., & Richardson, L. D. (1995b). Healthscapes: the importance of place. Marketing Health Services, 15(1), 10.
• • Ghosh, T., & Sahoo, D. (2016). Exploring the Emerging Role of Healthscape in Determining Patient Satisfaction: An Empirical Study in the Indian Private Healthcare Industry. Amity Global Business Review, 11.
• • Ismail, M.B.M. & Velnampy, T.(2013). Determinants of Patient Satisfaction (PS) in Public Health Service Organizations (PHSO) in Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. THE USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration, 13(2), 135-45.
• • Joon Choi, B., & Sik Kim, H. (2013). The impact of outcome quality, interaction quality, and peer-to-peer quality on customer satisfaction with a hospital service. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 23(3), 188-204.
• • Ladhari, R., Souiden, N., & Dufour, B. (2017). The role of emotions in utilitarian service settings: The effects of emotional satisfaction on product perception and behavioral intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 34, 10-18.
• • Lucas, A. F. (2003). The determinants and effects of slot servicescape satisfaction in a Las Vegas hotel casino. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 7(1), 1.
• • Mari, M., & Poggesi, S. (2013). Servicescape cues and customer behavior: a systematic literature review and research agenda. The Service Industries Journal, 33(2), 171-199.
• • Mekoth, N., Babu, G. P., Dalvi, V., Rajanala, N., & Nizomadinov, K. (2011). Service Encounter Related Process Quality, Patient Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intention. Management (18544223), 6(4).
• • Miaoulis Jr, G., Gutman, J., & Snow, M. M. (2009). Closing the gap: the patient-physician disconnect. Health marketing quarterly, 26(1), 56-68.
• • Newman, A. J. (2007). Uncovering dimensionality in the servicescape: Towards legibility. The Service Industries Journal, 27(1), 15-28.
• • Pai, Y. P., & Chary, S. T. (2016). Measuring patient-perceived hospital service quality: a conceptual framework. International journal of health care quality assurance, 29(3), 300-323.
• • Reimer, A., & Kuehn, R. (2005). The impact of servicescape on quality perception. European Journal of Marketing, 39(7/8), 785-808.
• • Rosenbaum, M. S., & Smallwood, J. A. (2011a). Cancer resource centres: transformational services and restorative servicescapes. Journal of Marketing Management, 27(13-14), 1404-1425.
• • Rosenbaum, M. S., Sweeney, J., & Smallwood, J. (2011b). Restorative cancer resource center servicescapes. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 21(6), 599-616.
• • Sahoo, D., & Ghosh, T. (2016). Healthscape role towards customer satisfaction in private healthcare. International journal of health care quality assurance, 29(6), 600-613.
• • Samah, Z. A., Ibrahim, N., & Amir, J. S. (2013). Translating quality care factors to quality space: design criteria for outpatient facility. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 105, 265-272.
• • Vilnai-Yavetz, I., & Gilboa, S. (2010). The effect of servicescape cleanliness on customer reactions. Services Marketing Quarterly, 31(2), 213-234.
• • Wakefield, K. L., & Blodgett, J. G. (1996). The effect of the servicescape on customers’ behavioral intentions in leisure service settings. Journal of Services Marketing, 10(6), 45-61.
• • Waterman, B., & Faulkner, K. M. (2010). How Patient Reactions to Hospital Care Attributes Affect the Evaluation of Overall Quality of Care, Willingness to Recommend, and Willingness to Return/PRACTITIONER APPLICATION. Journal of Healthcare Management, 55(1), 25.