Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The zone of tolerance is usually defined as the range of customer perceptions of a service between desired and minimum acceptable standards ( Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman, 1993 ). In essence it is the range of service performance that a customer considers satisfactory. Performance below the zone is seen as dissatisfying and performance above the zone is seen as delighting. The importance of this zone of tolerance is that customers may accept variation within a range of performance, and any increase or decrease in performance within this area will only have a marginal effect on perceptions. Only when performance moves outside this range will it have any real effect on perceived service quality. If a customer's zone of tolerance is narrow, then he or she may be highly sensitive to the service experience, with a greater likelihood of dissatisfying or delighting outcomes. Conversely, if a customer has a wide zone of tolerance, then he or she may be much less sensitive to the service experience, thus increasing the likelihood of a satisfactory or acceptable outcome. The width of the zone of tolerance may vary from customer to customer and from situation to situation. There are three things that might affect the width of a customer's zone of tolerance: (1) the customer's involvement with the service; (2) the importance of individual quality factors ( see quality characteristics ); ... log in or subscribe to read full text