Social media's contribution to customer satisfaction with services

Mary Beth Pinto

The Service Industries Journal, 2015, vol. 35, issue 11-12, 573-590

Abstract: An important recent initiative in the effective transmission of healthcare services is the establishment of the patient-centered medicine (PCM) philosophy as a mechanism for enhancing customer satisfaction. Although the goals of PCM are important, there is less understanding of the means by which service providers can promote this philosophy.This study examines the relationship between customers' attitude toward and use of social media, PCM, and their satisfaction with healthcare services. Data were collected from a large, urban-based pediatric office in the northeast. The sample consisted of 234 respondents who were classified as 'e-Patients' - that is, they reported having access to the Internet and going online for health information. A three-stage regression analysis, conducted to establish the path coefficients for each stage in the model, shows that customers' (patients') attitude toward social media can be an effective method to enhance PCM and, ultimately, satisfaction. The findings contribute to theory in services by exploring the challenges of managing service delivery at the interface between customer satisfaction and the role and usefulness of adopting and effectively using social media.

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:servic:v:35:y:2015:i:11-12:p:573-590

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DOI: 10.1080/02642069.2015.1062881

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The Service Industries Journal is currently edited by Eileen Bridges, Professor Domingo Ribeiro, Ronald Goldsmith, Barry Howcroft and Youjae Yi

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