Classifying services from a consumer perspective

Services research to date has focussed mainly on utilitarian service encounters of relatively short duration. Leisure services, on the other hand, generally require customers to spend extended periods of time in the physical surroundings of the service provider (i.e. the “servicescape”). In such cases, the servicescape may have a significant effect on the extent to which customers are satisfied, which in turn will influence how long they will desire to stay at the leisure service, and whether they will want to repatronize the service provider. Shows that specific servicescape elements (facility aesthetics, layout, seating comfort, electronic equipment, and cleanliness) influence customers’ perceived quality and satisfaction with the servicescape. The servicescape model was tested across three different leisure services: major college football, minor league baseball and casinos. Knowing how consumers perceive the servicescape can guide management in renovation and day-to-day facility management decisions.