Mood versus Service Quality Effects on Customers’ Responses to Service Organizations and Service Encounters

• Published in: Journal of service research : JSR Vol. 2; no. 2; pp. 187 - 199
• Main Authors: Knowles, Patricia A., Grove, Stephen J., Pickett, Gregory M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.11.1999
• ISSN: 1094-6705; 1552-7379
• DOI: 10.1177/109467059922006

This article examines the impact of customers’ moods (positive or negative) and various conditions of service excellence (positive, neutral, negative, or mixed) on recall, evaluation, and behavioral intentions regarding a service provider. Results indicate that mood plays a less significant role than the nature of the service encounter itself when it comes to individuals’cognitive, affective, and conative responses. Furthermore, it appears that encounters containing positive aspects have the potential to overcome a negative mood state that customers may bring to a service interaction. A number of managerial implications are also noted. These include recommendations that services managers (a) pay close attention to service quality; (b) realize that performing well on some dimensions of the service encounter may overcome poor performance on others; (c) work to create more neutral rather than positive mood-evoking conditions in their customers; and (d) actively promote the positive aspects of service encounters to their customers.