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Citation: Huang, T.-C.; Ho, C.-T. Are
Customers Always Right? The
Importance of Sincerity and
Keenness in Creating Retail
Sustainable Development.
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065579
Academic Editors: Chia-Huei Wu
and Yu-Hsi Yuan
Received: 20 February 2023
Revised: 20 March 2023
Accepted: 21 March 2023
Published: 22 March 2023
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
sustainability
Article
Are Customers Always Right? The Importance of Sincerity and
Keenness in Creating Retail Sustainable Development
Ting-Chung Huang * and Chien-Ta Ho
Graduate Institute of Technology Management, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 40227, Taiwan
*Correspondence: master.h608@gmail.com; Tel.: +886-908-550688
Abstract:
In recent years, sustainability has become one of the essential elements of corporate
management. There are many ways retailers can influence and develop a sustainable environment.
The Taiwanese retail sector accounts for 10% of GDP. The capital city Taipei has the world’s highest
department store density (per capita). This study encapsulates retail expertise to generate ten
dimensions from 46 retail service quality scale indicators: SNAKE ROSES. The study first adopts
qualitative analysis by conducting semi-structured interviews with five experts in the industry.
Fifteen Delphi technique experts were then consulted for both qualitative and quantitative analysis
of the indicators. Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the most important aspects
of customer service were ranked. The study shows that service quality dimensions are Sincerity,
Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Empathy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness, Expertise, and
Store Policy. Sincerity and Keenness are the most crucial globally. Although numerous researchers
have examined the broader topic of perceived service quality, studies have yet to explore the critical
role of Eastern culture, and therefore this study introduces an innovative framework. Implications
include a conceptual framework for the key factors influencing customer satisfaction, one of the most
critical dimensions of perceived service quality and customer satisfaction in the Taiwanese retail
industry. A specification for retailers is delivered, intending to improve their sustainability strategies.
Keywords: Online Merge Offline (OMO); customer service; service quality; physical retail; AHP
1. Introduction
The cultural differences between East and West affect how customers respond to the
customer services provided [
1
]. To gain a competitive advantage in the market, retailers
must provide a style of service that caters to customers [
2
]. Sustainability can be an essential
source of competitive advantage for the retail sector [3]. Online Merge Offline (OMO) is a
new retail marketing concept that combines the benefits of both online sales and physical
stores [
4
]. There is a strong focus on moving towards this business model in Asia. However,
as there is no direct interaction between customers and retailers in the online shopping
model, brick-and-mortar retail remains the dominant retail move in Asia [5].
Taiwan ranks first in Asia in terms of financial assets per capita, according to the
Allianz Global Wealth Report 2022 [
6
]. Its capital, Taipei, has the highest density of
department stores in the world (88,000 people per store), making the Taiwanese retail
industry a fertile ground for the study of brand development and various services. In
2021, there were ten department stores in Taiwan with a revenue of over $10 billion NTD.
Therefore, a thriving face-to-face retail sector still emphasizes physical interaction between
frontline salespersons and customers [7].
There is no better demonstration of the Chinese aphorism, “the river can sail a boat,
but it can also sink it”. Product differentiation is inextricably linked to the service attitudes
provided by the frontline salesperson [
8
–
10
]. Previously, sales training has been needed
to pay more attention to the perceived attitudes of salespeople [
11
]. Attitude is one of the
main determinants of purchase intention [
12
]. More and more organizations are integrating
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065579 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 2 of 14
sustainability into their businesses to gain a competitive advantage [
13
,
14
]. Therefore, we
have developed a new strategic framework and recommendations for practice, investi-
gating the attitudes of frontline salespeople, as defined by the ten service quality scales
(SNAKE ROSES).
This study aims to address two significant research gaps: first, to develop a service
innovation quality framework suitable for cultural retailing in the East; second, to validate
the intangible service quality indicators of the OMO business environment and their
importance in physical channels.
This study fills a service quality gap concerning the physical channel of OMO in the
retail industry and provides a key for decision-making. Thus, we hypothesize that a service
quality framework should be related to Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Em-
pathy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness, Expertise, and Store Policy as ten dimensions.
We analyze each indicator’s importance in strengthening retail training, and providing
reinforcement via behavioral psychology [15] and behavior shaping [16].
1.1. Literature Review
Customer satisfaction is the top priority for most business ventures and is the interface
bridging customers and the business [
17
,
18
]. Customer service is of particular interest
to the retail industry [
19
]. Competition in the retail sector is growing increasingly fierce,
because products often have significant similarities [
20
,
21
]. To this end, good customer
service is often seen as winning competitive advantage [
22
]. The last few decades have
seen rapid changes in the retail sector’s business model and marketing strategy, driven by
online retailing: in 1984, the English Videotex started the first all-day shopping channel on
television; in 1995, the Amazon online bookshop and eBay online stores heralded the age
of the E-Commerce Platform. At the time, e-commerce retailing had a limited impact on
traditional physical retailing. Nevertheless, a new business model was born [20,23,24].
COVID-19 accelerated digitization and changed business operations, but abnormal
e-commerce trends may decline after the pandemic. People may revert to old buying habits,
particularly for food and groceries [
21
]. Therefore, businesses need to adapt commercial
models to keep up with changing customer behavior. Some international online retailers
have complemented their online presence with physical stores, such as 7-ELEVEN’s ac-
quisition of American Speed Way, Lotte Group’s heavy investment in the Japanese SEIYU
supermarket, and PX Mart’s acquisition of RT-MART for $11.5 billion. This rediscovery
of traditional physical stores’ value and potential is evident in Taiwan’s growing OMO
development. This paper aims to identify the theoretical qualities of customer service in
staff training, and highlights that standardization can strengthen responsibility and reduce
the costs of sustainable retailing [3,25].
1.1.1. Frontline Salesperson
There is a wealth of research on the importance of the frontline salesperson to a re-
tailer’s success [
26
–
29
]. Consumers are 60% more likely to accept new products as a direct
result of the frontline salesperson [
30
]. When an organization invests in frontline sales-
person training, it can improve staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes [
1
], along with staff
knowledge, skills, and philosophy. Furthering better performance and customer service,
the literature on employee education and training has proven the strategic relationship
between exercise and organizational performance [
1
]. This movement also results in better
customer service and satisfaction, reflecting sales figures. An attitude is a psychological
disposition that can be taught and learned [
12
,
13
]. Both emotional and factual messaging
should be used when promoting a product. Emotional appeals motivate purchases, while
information that is true reduces perceived risk [31].
1.1.2. Online-Merge-Offline Service Features
Online-Merge-Offline is a new retail concept that means what it says: linking physical
retail stores to an online shopping website. OMO combines a powerful online presence with
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 3 of 14
the appeal of material shopping. Dr. Kai-Fu Lee proposed the OMO concept in September
2017 in China [
32
]. The OMO model is a business model that connects online e-commerce
with offline physical stores, directs the passenger flow from the online platform to offline
physical stores, and transforms the passenger flow of these offline physical stores via the
dual advantages of online user operation [
4
]. The effective integration of online and offline
channels is the new foundation for the modern retail industry. Many traditional retailers
are catching up with this trend in order to meet current customers’ increasing complexities
and needs [
33
–
35
]. Scholars [
36
] have found that, in cross-border e-commerce, eight factors
(training, performance, user-friendliness, trust, usability, security, quality, and design)
significantly affect e-service satisfaction. Improving these factors can enhance e-commerce
performance and benefit physical stores.
1.1.3. The SNAKE ROSES Illusion
A ‘more live’ relationship in traditional commerce may mean better product cus-
tomization, which is why improved customer service can lead to increased customer
satisfaction [
37
].There are considerable cultural differences between the West and the East.
These affect consumer behavior, experiences, customer attitudes, and satisfaction [
1
]. In
the current literature, there is a deficit of research on Asian retail expertise. To investigate
the impact on service quality of the various intangible service qualities in the context of
OMO offline physical stores, the SNAKE ROSES indicators were constructed to measure
the service quality and attitude of the frontline salesperson. An anagram was formed by the
first letters of the ten dimensions: Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Empathy,
Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness, Expertise, and Store policy. This is a framework for
sustainable and measurable service indicators. It is expected that the frontline salesperson
will behave like a “snake”, with a keen sense of perception and a self-transformation
mentality, treating customers with care and passion as if they were “roses”, establishing a
unique corporate culture for brand positioning and differentiation.
1.1.4. The Service Quality Model
In a competitive industry, consumer service quality is a critical success factor
[1,38]
.
The quality of customer service can both be affected by tangible and intangible attributes [
39
];
these attributes make up the attitudes of the frontline salesperson. Improving the quality
of customer service has a direct positive impact on customer loyalty and profitability.
Therefore, accurate measurement of customer service quality is an essential concern for
management [40].
The SERVQUAL scale [
20
] is the most widely used and respected. Focus Group Inter-
views analyzed the original 1985 PZB [
41
] model, the proposed service quality model. In
1988, the model was consolidated into five significant dimensions and 22 questions [
20
].
Most subsequent research scholars use the modified scale as their benchmark to improve
service quality. The five major components are Assurance, Empathy, Tangibles, Responsive-
ness, and Reliability. SERVQUAL is a broad scale that applies to industries that provide
goods and services. However, it has yet to be validated for use in other countries.
Since then, service quality-related issues have attracted various experts and schol-
ars [
10
,
42
–
45
], but some have questioned the SERVQUAL scale and its suitability for the
retail industry as a whole [
46
–
50
]. Subsequently, three scholars proposed the Retail Service
Quality Scale (RSQS) [
49
]. RSQS uses qualitative research to determine the main factors
that consumers use to evaluate service quality in the retail industry. This has proven
useful in the experience of department stores, but still needs to capture the differences in
Eastern cultures.
In 2009, James [
50
] conducted an in-depth case study investigating the differences in
consumption patterns between Asian and Western cultures. Despite this, the study was
only run by a single wholesaler, so its finding could only be extrapolated to some retail
sectors. In [
51
], the SOR framework was used to understand the impact of live-streaming
e-commerce on consumers’ real-time online shopping behavior. Organism factors, such as
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 4 of 14
personal characteristics, psychological states, knowledge and emotions, can significantly
affect consumers’ emotional and cognitive states, influencing their purchasing behavior.
Balázs et al. [
37
] proposed an e-commerce supply chain management model that includes
customer-oriented marketing strategies, alignment with supply chain partners, and real-
time monitoring. These principles also apply to physical stores, helping businesses stay
competitive.
SNAKE ROSES is based on expert opinions from across the Taiwanese retail industry
in the context of offline sales, which may improve the guidance of customer interactions in
a physical face-to-face retail service. Attitude is centered on knowledge about the evaluated
entity and gradually accumulates specific detail; as such, it is a predictor of behavior.
We can presume that attitudes are tendencies manifested in purchase options [
24
]. As
mentioned above, it can be inferred that this study hypothesizes that the SNAKE ROSES
service quality framework consists of the dimensions of Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness,
Keenness, Empathy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness, Expertise, and Store Policy. The
framework is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. SNAKE ROSES Literature Reference.
Dimensions Description Reference
Sincerity
The most critical aspect of customer service is genuine friendliness.
A sincere greeting, considered approach, and pleasant demeanor in
interacting with customers.
[36,50,52,53]
Neat Frontline salespersons should approach customers with a courteous
attitude, giving a warm and welcome feeling. [41,49,50,54]
Attentiveness
Treat each customer as a VIP and proactively and thoughtfully assist
to meet their needs. [49,50,55]
Keenness To identify customers’ needs and understand their key preferences
quickly and early, so the interaction can focus on value generation. [54,56–60]
Empathy
Attentiveness: aim to provide customers with a personalized service,
focusing on suitable products and advice. [20,37,59]
Reliability Service the process quickly and with commitment, accurately
documenting customer preferences. [20,49,53,61]
Optimism
Entrepreneurs consider optimism an important factor in customer
orientation and job satisfaction, leading to emotionally
responsive behavior.
[31,62,63]
Steadfast
Demonstrate a high level of teamwork when selling, not attacking
competitors’ products, being able to identify primary customers
readily, and provide differentiated services.
[1,41,51,64,65]
Expertise Good professional skills and knowledge; do not exaggerate the
product; provide suitable products. [41,50,53]
Store Policy
Do not be forced to sell products. Prioritize the interests of customers
when there is a conflict with company policy. [49,50,53]
1.1.5. The Knowledge Gap and Research Questions
Retailers must adopt a sustainable strategy to guide customers to become loyal [
24
] and
create strong differentiations and a greater willingness to buy their products [
66
–
69
]. To this
extent, in order to implement business strategies to create a competitive advantage, special
attention must be paid to the benefits and consequences of a frontline salesperson’s service
attitude and to customer loyalty. To this extent, to implement business strategies in order
to create a competitive advantage, special attention must be paid to the antecedents and
consequences of a frontline salesperson’s service attitude and customer loyalty. In addition,
the other side of the gap will be presented differently in the current study by focusing on
Eastern cultural influences that lead to service attitude indicators. This knowledge gap has
led to the development of the main research question, as follows.
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 5 of 14
•
What service quality indicators illustrate the sustainability of the retail industry from
the perspective of Eastern culture after the retail sector has entered the OMO marketing
model? What is the importance of these indicators?
Answering this question will deliver more insights and create the capability of building
a hypothesis for a critical study.
2. Materials and Methods
The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches, qualitative research
through expert interviews using Delphi techniques. Constructing innovative service indi-
cators for the sustainable development of the retail industry, AHP was used to present the
conclusion and analysis. After an extensive literature review, a semi-structured question-
naire was developed. Five industry experts first confirmed the validity of the questionnaire,
each with more than 25 years of experience in the retail industry. A panel of 15 Delphi
technique experts and scholars was then invited to form the Expert Panel to conduct three
rounds of the Delphi Technique Expert Questionnaire, with the primary goal of construct-
ing a SNAKE ROSES framework based on appropriateness and consistency. The weights of
the 46 indicators were analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process.
This study improves the validity of the questionnaire via industry experts, and the
successive use of the Delphi Technique is used to improve the content quality of decision
making by building consensus, through the expertise and experience of a group of experts,
for the evaluation and planning of future policies [
70
,
71
]. This study invited a Delphi panel
of 15 experts to conduct three rounds of questionnaires. The members preferably held
different philosophies and social backgrounds [
72
]. Traditionally, small samples are used
for Delphi technique membership. It is suggested that, if the Delphi technique expert group
is less homogeneous, the number of members should be between five and ten [
14
]. When
there are at least 10 members, the group’s errors are minimized and reliability is highest [
70
].
Therefore, five experts from the industry, five from nonprofit organizations, and five from
academia were selected to form the AHP. The appropriateness (M, Mo) and consistency
(SD, Q) of the constructed SNAKE ROSES framework using a Likert five-point scale and
SPSS 20.0 software were examined, and AHP calculated the weights of the indicators.
Thomas developed the AHP in 1971, which was mainly applied to decision problems
under uncertainty and with multiple evaluation criteria [
73
]. To assess the importance of
each indicator, an AHP was conducted. A nine-point scale to compare the significance
of each indicator was used, and the scale was divided into five factors: “Absolute Impor-
tance”, “Very Strong Importance”, “Essential Importance”, “Weak Importance”, and “Equal
Importance”. Fifteen Delphi experts were invited to fill out the questionnaire, and Expert
Choice software was selected for the analysis.
The expert respondent’s judgment must exclude subjectivity, which would result
in the questionnaire failing to meet the consistency option. Therefore, the consistency
index (CI) and consistency ratio (CR) were used to check the consistency of the pairwise
comparison questionnaire, which can show the respondent’s judgment before and after the
question [73].
The overall framework is categorized into: (1) Sincerity; (2) Neatness; (3) Attentiveness;
(4) Keenness; (5) Empathy; (6) Reliability; (7) Optimism; (8) Steadfastness; (9) Expertise; and
(10) Store Policy, with ten dimensions and 46 indicators to explore. Conducting a literature
review can be summarized into three main phases: planning, conducting the review, and
reporting the study [
74
]. The five stages of the research methodology in this paper are
shown in Figure 1. Finally, expert opinions are rated and the SNAKE ROSES dimensions
are weighted.
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 6 of 14
Sustainability 2023, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 of 15
comparison questionnaire, which can show the respondent’s judgment before and after
the question [73].
The overall framework is categorized into: (1) Sincerity; (2) Neatness; (3) Aentive-
ness; (4) Keenness; (5) Empathy; (6) Reliability; (7) Optimism; (8) Steadfastness; (9) Exper-
tise; and (10) Store Policy, with ten dimensions and 46 indicators to explore. Conducting
a literature review can be summarized into three main phases: planning, conducting the
review, and reporting the study [74]. The five stages of the research methodology in this
paper are shown in Figure 1. Finally, expert opinions are rated and the SNAKE ROSES
dimensions are weighted.
Figure 1. Five stages of the research method.
This study used a purposive sampling method to conduct the questionnaire. The pro-
cess was completed in two stages, firstly with five industry experts and secondly with f15
Delphi technique experts. Responses were coded to ensure anonymity. The study was
conducted over three months, from February to May 2022. In the industry expert inter-
view part, five experts were contacted by phone or email to explain the purpose and use
of this research. One-on-one interviews were conducted after obtaining the consent of the
interviewees. Due to concerns about the pandemic virus (COVID-19), the three experts
used communication software (Microsoft Teams version 1.6), and two experts communi-
cated via email.
The results from the Delphi technique experts panel were published anonymously to
avoid the influence of a few authoritative experts and to build consensus. Surveys by leer
or email were repeated until 15 experts reached agreement. The study was completed in
January 2023, and respondents were invited to request summaries of the results by con-
tacting the authors.
3. Results
From the literature review, 49 indicators were compiled to capture the aributes of
frontline retail services. Five industry experts were invited to assist in ensuring content
validity, making corrections, or adding explanations. Upon discussion with experts, two
were deleted, and ten were revised, leaving 47 final indicators in the analysis.
Concerning the 47 indicators revised by the industry experts, 15 experts in the Delphi
Technique conducted a three-round survey. SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the relevance
and consistency of the data.
(1) Selection criteria: Appropriateness: M ≥ 3.5 or Mo ≥ 3; Consistency: SD ≤ 1 or Q < 1.
(2) Deletion criteria: Appropriateness: M < 3.5 or Mo < 3; Consistency: SD > 1 or Q ≥ 1.
First, we used the Delphi method to conduct qualitative analysis (with four indicator
modifications); in the first round of quantitative analysis, we removed one question from
the questionnaire due to duplication and amended the questions to 46 indicators. The sta-
tistical results for appropriateness and consistency were M = 3.93~5.00 ≥ 3.5, Mo = 4~5 ≥ 3,
SD = 0.000~0.748 ≤ 1, and Q = 0.000~0.500 < 1.
The second round of Delphi Technique expert questionnaires was based on the anal-
ysis results of the First round of questionnaires, and the importance of the indicators was
Figure 1. Five stages of the research method.
This study used a purposive sampling method to conduct the questionnaire. The
process was completed in two stages, firstly with five industry experts and secondly with
f15 Delphi technique experts. Responses were coded to ensure anonymity. The study was
conducted over three months, from February to May 2022. In the industry expert interview
part, five experts were contacted by phone or email to explain the purpose and use of
this research. One-on-one interviews were conducted after obtaining the consent of the
interviewees. Due to concerns about the pandemic virus (COVID-19), the three experts used
communication software (Microsoft Teams version 1.6), and two experts communicated
via email.
The results from the Delphi technique experts panel were published anonymously
to avoid the influence of a few authoritative experts and to build consensus. Surveys by
letter or email were repeated until 15 experts reached agreement. The study was completed
in January 2023, and respondents were invited to request summaries of the results by
contacting the authors.
3. Results
From the literature review, 49 indicators were compiled to capture the attributes of
frontline retail services. Five industry experts were invited to assist in ensuring content
validity, making corrections, or adding explanations. Upon discussion with experts, two
were deleted, and ten were revised, leaving 47 final indicators in the analysis.
Concerning the 47 indicators revised by the industry experts, 15 experts in the Delphi
Technique conducted a three-round survey. SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the relevance
and consistency of the data.
(1)
Selection criteria: Appropriateness: M
≥
3.5 or Mo
≥
3; Consistency: SD
≤
1 or Q < 1.
(2)
Deletion criteria: Appropriateness: M < 3.5 or Mo < 3; Consistency: SD > 1 or Q ≥1.
First, we used the Delphi method to conduct qualitative analysis (with four indicator
modifications); in the first round of quantitative analysis, we removed one question from the
questionnaire due to duplication and amended the questions to 46 indicators. The statistical
results for appropriateness and consistency were M = 3.93~5.00
≥
3.5,
Mo = 4~5 ≥3
,
SD = 0.000~0.748 ≤1, and Q = 0.000~0.500 < 1.
The second round of Delphi Technique expert questionnaires was based on the analysis
results of the First round of questionnaires, and the importance of the indicators was
checked. The questionnaire is divided into two parts. The first part is based on the
statistical analysis and correction results of the first round of questionnaires, a reference for
experts to use in filling in the second round.
The second part consists of the new questionnaire for the Second round. Delphi
Technique experts are asked to select the importance of the SNAKE ROSES indicators. The
statistical results for suitability and consistency are M = 4.23~5.00
≥
3.5 (where M = 5 has
three indicators: Sincerity in customer service, Proper time to swallow your pride, and
respond to customer questions promptly). Mo = 4~5
≥
3 (Mo = 5, total 41 indicators),
SD = 0.000~0.799 ≤1,
Q = 0.000~0.500 < 1, Remarks = all are reserved. Furthermore, a
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 7 of 14
consensus was reached for qualitative analysis (Second round). Appropriateness and
consistency were also within the scope for selection.
The total mean of the mean is 4.64, which means that the concentration of agreement
for the indicators is high and the importance of each indicator tends to be influential; the
mean of the standard deviation is 0.461, which means that the dispersion of the opinions of
the group members is small, indicating that the experts tend to agree on the questions; the
more significant the mode, the higher the importance of the indicators, indicating that each
indicator has reached the level of importance, as in Table 2.
Table 2. Delphi technique second round data analysis.
Indicators Appropriateness Consistency Remarks
M Mo SD Q
1. Sincerity in customer service 5.00 5 0.000 0.000 reserve
2. Maintaining a happy mood at work 4.98 5 0.362 0.000 reserve
3. Smile always on your face 4.74 5 0.676 0.000 reserve
4. Smiling and body language coordination 4.56 4 0.594 0.500 reserve
5. See the advantages of customers at first glance 4.56 5 0.354 0.000 reserve
6. Praise customers generously 4.55 5 0.258 0.000 reserve
7. Sincerely care about customers 4.27 5 0.516 0.500 reserve
8. Speak humorously 4.55 5 0.424 0.000 reserve
9. Proper time up, swallow your pride 5.00 5 0.000 0.000 reserve
10. Listen attentively to customer questions 4.73 5 0.594 0.000 reserve
11. Try to meet customer needs 4.64 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
12. Warm greetings and gratitude 4.61 5 0.640 0.500 reserve
13. Know how to resolve customer’s emotions 4.62 5 0.511 0.500 reserve
14. Observe customer behavior appropriately 4.55 5 0.414 0.500 reserve
15. Understanding customer motivation to purchase 4.72 5 0.458 0.500 reserve
16. Guiding the preferences of main buyers 4.77 5 0.516 0.000 reserve
17. Respond to customer questions promptly 5.00 5 0.000 0.000 reserve
18. Customer first 4.70 5 0.548 0.000 reserve
19. Thinking of our customers from the heart 4.49 5 0.464 0.000 reserve
20. Introduce the company’s products truthfully 4.41 5 0.312 0.000 reserve
21. Keep the conversation in a good tone 4.74 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
22. Focus on customer service 4.60 5 0.507 0.000 reserve
23. Be organized 4.27 4 0.799 0.500 reserve
24. Familiar with the workflow 4.77 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
25. The service process can be done quickly 4.68 5 0.643 0.500 reserve
26. Good communication skills 4.43 5 0.728 0.500 reserve
27. Correctly recording customer preferences 4.23 4 0.640 0.500 reserve
28. Be able to control negative emotions 4.83 5 0.516 0.000 reserve
29. Maintain a suitable attitude when serving 4.58 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
30. Take care of customer self-esteem 4.98 5 0.148 0.000 reserve
31. Think positively 4.35 5 0.724 0.500 reserve
32. Tolerance of bad emotions among customers 4.73 5 0.458 0.500 reserve
33. Identify VIP promptly 4.59 5 0.414 0.500 reserve
34. Customized Service 4.53 5 0.632 0.500 reserve
35. Teamwork 4.23 4 0.673 0.500 reserve
36. Do not attack opponent products 4.97 5 0.258 0.000 reserve
37. No exaggeration of product benefits 4.67 5 0.488 0.500 reserve
38. Spearing professional terminology when appropriate 4.46 5 0.640 0.500 reserve
39. Market Sensitivity 4.13 4 0.640 0.500 reserve
40. Provide customers with suitable products 4.85 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
41. Enhance your expertise 4.63 5 0.458 0.500 reserve
42. Prioritize customer interests 4.87 5 0.352 0.000 reserve
43. Delivering the brand concept 4.76 5 0.516 0.500 reserve
44. Handle issues flexibly 4.47 5 0.640 0.500 reserve
45. Don’t push customers to buy 4.80 5 0.458 0.500 reserve
46. Implementation of company policies 4.67 5 0.478 0.500 reserve
Overall Average 4.64 0.461
Since the experts agreed on the second round of Delphi expert questionnaires without
additional comments, a third round of expert questionnaires will not occur. The final
questionnaire will be based on the second round of Delphi questionnaires. In this study,
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 8 of 14
we again conducted a consistency check on the suitability of the questionnaire, i.e., we
calculated the Dimensions Consistency Index (CI) and Consistency Ratio (CR). As indicators
of the Consistency Ratio Hierarchy (CRH), as Thomas [
73
] suggested, the CI and CR must
be less than 0.1 to be acceptable. Otherwise, the association of stratified factors would
become problematic, and all elements and connections should be reanalyzed.
The results show that Dimensions’ CI = 0.01 < 0.1, CR = 0.02 < 0.1, and the experts
agree on the ten Dimension indexes. Indicators CRH = 0.098 < 0.1, which means that
the experts have improved consistency in filling out the 46 Indicators for SNAKE ROSES.
Indicator Overall Average was M = 4.64, which means that the concentration of agreement
is high and tends towards the necessary. SD = 0.461. This means that the dispersion of
opinions in the group members is small, and their views on the issues tend to be consistent.
The larger the Mo value, the higher the importance of the indicators. In this study, as many
as 41 indicators have an Mo value of 5, which means that all indicators have reached the
importance level. Thus, the SNAKE ROSES framework was established, as Table 3shows.
Table 3. SNAKE ROSES framework.
Dimensions Sub-Dimensions Indicators
SSincerity
Friendly 1. Sincerity in customer service
Friendly 2. Maintaining a happy mood at work
Smile 3. Smile always on your face
Smile 4. Smiling and body language coordination
N Neat
approachable 5. See the advantages of customers at first glance
Courtesy 6. Praise customers generously
Courtesy 7. Sincerely care about customers
approachable 8. Speak humorously
AAttentiveness
Helpful 9. Proper time up, swallow your pride
Helpful 10. Listen attentively to customer questions
Enthusiasm 11. Try to meet customer needs
Enthusiasm 12. Warm greetings and gratitude
Enthusiasm 13. Know how to resolve customer’s emotions
KKeenness
Observation 14. Observe customer behavior appropriately
Observation 15. Understanding customer motivation to purchase
Promptness 16. Guiding the preferences of main buyers
Promptness 17. Respond to customer questions promptly
EEmpathy
Respect 18. Customer first
Communication 19. Thinking of our customers from the heart
Communication 20. Introduce the company’s products truthfully
Communication 21. Keep the conversation in a good tone
Respect 22. Focus on customer service
RReliability
Reaction 23. Be organized
Doing it Right 24. Familiar with the workflow
Reaction 25. The service process can be done quickly
Reaction 26. Good communication skills
Doing it Right 27. Correctly recording customer preferences
OOptimism
Positive Thinking 28. Be able to control negative emotions
Tolerant 29. Maintain a suitable attitude when serving
Tolerant 30. Take care of customer self-esteem
Positive Thinking 31. Think positively
Tolerant 32. Tolerance of bad emotions among customers
SSteadfast None
33. Identify VIP promptly
34. Customized Service
35. Teamwork
36. Do not attack opponent products
EExpertise
Professional Expression 37. No exaggeration of product benefits
Professional Expression 38. Spearing professional terminology when appropriate
Learning Skill 39. Market Sensitivity
Professional Expression 40. Provide customers with suitable products
Learning Skill 41. Enhance your expertise
SStore Policy None
42. Prioritize customer interests
43. Delivering the brand concept
44. Handle issues flexibly
45. Don’t push customers to buy
46. Implementation of company policies
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 9 of 14
To assess the relative importance of each SNAKE ROSES indicator, we used AHP, a
nine-point scale, and Expert Choice software to find a weighted close relationship between
the indicators. Fifteen project experts checked the relative importance of the questions for
the two criteria and selected the importance scale.
The most critical Dimensions were Sincerity (0.232), followed by Keenness (0.151),
Attentiveness (0.150), Store Policy (0.125), and the least important were Neatness (0.047)
and Reliability (0.047). The most important indicators were sincerity in customer service
(0.085) and responding to customer questions promptly (0.085), followed by Proper use
of time, Swallow your pride (0.084) and Maintaining a happy mood at work (0.057). The
least important are Market Sensitivity (0.005) and Do not push customers to buy (0.006), as
shown in Table 4.
Table 4. AHP index weights and ranking.
Dimensions
(Weight) Ranking Sub-Dimensions Indicators Weight Ranking
Sincerity
(0.232) 1
Friendly 1. Sincerity in customer service 0.085 1
Friendly 2. Maintaining a happy mood at work 0.057 4
Smile 3. Smile always on your face 0.019 15
Smile 4. Smiling and body language coordination 0.008 31
Neat
(0.047) 9
approachable 5. See the advantages of customers at first glance 0.035 8
Courtesy 6. Praise customers generously 0.035 8
Courtesy 7. Sincerely care about customers 0.006 42
approachable 8. Speak humorously 0.008 32
Attentiveness
(0.150) 3
Helpful 9. Proper time up swallow your pride 0.084 3
Helpful 10. Listen attentively to customer questions 0.017 18
Enthusiasm 11. Try to meet customer needs 0.017 19
Enthusiasm 12. Warm greetings and gratitude 0.010 28
Enthusiasm 13. Know how to resolve customer’s emotions 0.010 27
Keenness
(0.151) 2
Observation 14. Observe customer behavior appropriately 0.008 32
Observation 15. Understanding customer motivation to purchase 0.044 5
Promptness 16. Guiding the preferences of main buyers 0.031 13
Promptness 17. Respond to customer questions promptly 0.085 1
Empathy
(0.067) 6
Respect 18. Customer first 0.012 19
Communication 19. Thinking of our customers from the heart 0.007 36
Communication 20. Introduce the company’s products truthfully 0.008 35
Communication 21. Keep the conversation in a good tone 0.017 17
Respect 22. Focus on customer service 0.017 26
Reliability
(0.047) 9
Reaction 23. Be organized 0.006 41
Doing it Right 24. Familiar with the workflow 0.020 14
Reaction 25. The service process can be done quickly 0.014 23
Reaction 26. Good communication skills 0.031 12
Doing it Right 27. Correctly recording customer preferences 0.006 40
Optimism
(0.069) 5
Positive Thinking 28. Be able to control negative emotions 0.008 34
Tolerant 29. Maintain a suitable attitude when serving 0.007 37
Tolerant 30. Take care of customer self-esteem 0.017 19
Positive Thinking 31. Think positively 0.006 44
Tolerant 32. Tolerance of bad emotions among customers 0.017 19
Steadfast
(0.063) 7None
33. Identify VIP promptly 0.035 8
34. Customized Service 0.010 30
35. Teamwork 0.006 43
36. Do not attack opponent products 0.035 8
Expertise
(0.058) 8
Professional
Expression 37. No exaggeration of product benefits 0.014 24
Professional
Expression 38. Spearing professional terminology when appropriate 0.007 39
Learning Skill 39. Market Sensitivity 0.005 46
Professional
Expression 40. Provide customers with suitable products 0.041 6
Learning Skill 41. Enhance your expertise 0.010 28
Store Policy
(0.123) 4None
42. Prioritize customer interests 0.040 7
43. Delivering the brand concept 0.019 15
44. Handle issues flexibly 0.007 38
45. Don’t push customers to buy 0.006 45
46. Implementation of company policies 0.014 24
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 10 of 14
4. Discussion
Sustainability in retail is an emerging topic, along with knowing how to communicate
retailers’ sustainability initiatives to different audiences [
3
]. Michael Porter said, “Do
not do operationally competitive, do Differentiation Competitive” [
75
]. A differentiation
strategy uses factors other than price to make customers feel different. Therefore, this
study constructs an innovative retail service framework (SNAKE ROSES) to strengthen the
service attitude of frontline salespeople and enhance corporate differentiation, in order to
achieve the goals of sustainable business operation.
This study presents a practical methodology for validating a framework for service
quality. Based on a thorough literature review, the study postulated ten dimensions of
the service quality framework. Reliability analysis was conducted via industry expert
interviews, and validity analysis using the Delphi method was employed to assess the
hypothesis. After thorough data analysis and statistical testing, it was determined that
the ten dimensions of the framework effectively explain service quality. Based on these
findings, we conclude that the ten dimensions of the service quality framework, namely
Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Empathy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness,
Expertise, and Store Policy, are supported. This study provides empirical evidence that
validates the research hypothesis.
In the past, sales training has rarely explicitly focused on the perceived attitudes
of salespeople [
11
], and most scholars exploring retailing scales have not specifically
emphasized service attitudes; most have adopted qualitative research methods (e.g.,
SERVQUAL [
20
,
41
], RSQS [
49
]). Some scholars have considered Eastern culture, but the
research object has been a single outlet, which cannot show the whole picture of the retail
industry (e.g., [
50
]). For consumers, in addition to the condition of the goods themselves,
the quality of physical goods also includes intangible feelings about the service process [
76
].
In the micro-profit competition environment, high-quality service delivery is an essential
strategy for the survival and competition of enterprises, and consumers’ judgment of
service quality depends partly on the performance of service personnel [
20
,
38
,
41
,
49
]. So
far, much of the literature still needs an innovation framework for retail, consistent with
Eastern culture and intangible service quality. Therefore, this study is essential for the
Eastern brick-and-mortar retail industry.
The purpose of this study is to propose Eastern Culture as an innovative framework
related to customer value and sustainable business operations. The study consulted in-
dustry and Delphi technique experts to construct the SNAKE ROSES indicators. It used
AHP to confirm the ranking of the indicators. According to the experts, the SNAKE ROSES
framework dimensions index, in order of importance, consists of: Sincerity, Keenness,
Attentiveness, Store Policy, Optimism, Empathy, Steadfastness, Expertise, and the least es-
sential Reliability and Neatness indicators. The results showed that Sincerity and Keenness
equally were the most critical dimensions. These findings expand the previous understand-
ing in this field [
41
,
61
]. The top five indices of importance for 46 indicators are “Sincerity
in customer service”, “Responding to customer questions promptly”, “Proper time up
swallow your pride”, “Maintaining a happy mood at work”, and “See the advantages of
customers at first glance.” Many service industries worldwide have embraced the con-
cept of “the customer is always right” over many years. However, facing unreasonable
customer demands can sometimes be difficult for frontline employees. This study found
that “Sincerity in customer service” and “Responding to customer questions promptly” are
more likely to win the hearts and minds of customers. The present study not only extends
the research of past scholars but also enriches the expansion of research methodologies and
contributes to the sustainable operation of the retail industry.
5. Conclusions
Use your heart rather than your mouth to convince people. To win customer satisfac-
tion, you must move consumers with a sincere service attitude and behavior and make
them feel the advantage of service quality [
41
]. This study selects the brick-and-mortar
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 11 of 14
retail industry as the background, analyzes the factors affecting customer service quality,
and initially uses interviews with industry experts to construct a framework for the SNAKE
ROSES Service Quality Index. Using Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Empa-
thy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness, Expertise, Store Policy as yhe ten indicators, a
measurable and consistent service quality rating index framework is constructed. Finally,
the Analytic Hierarchy Process was used to comprehensively measure customer service
quality in the retail industry. The SNAKE ROSES service indicator framework is expected
to achieve sustainable business operations, especially for the Eastern retail industry.
5.1. Theoretical Contributions
With the expansion of retail scale, the retail industry is constantly encountering new
challenges in service management. For the retail sector, how to do a better job in offline
service quality management and how to retain customers with a high degree of loyalty has
become one of the critical factors in the retail industry in obtaining sustainable business
operations. Therefore, the retail sector needs to identify the influencing factors on Physical
Retail service quality and determine the relevant weights to improve service quality. The
SNAKE ROSES Framework is an innovative, practical, and teachable business model
that improves upon the original Retail Business Scale, focusing on Eastern cultures. The
framework (46 indicators, as in Table 3) also creates a measurable, consistent indicator for
sustainability performance assessment, providing companies and frontline salespersons
with clear goals and guidelines with regards to customer service quality.
5.2. Practical Implications
Peter Drucker stated, “The purpose of business is to create customers [
77
]”. In frontline
customer service, positive attitudes from the salesperson have a more substantial impact
on customers than negative attitudes [
78
]. PZB (1985) [
41
] confirmed that the frontline
salesperson’s sincere and friendly attitude is essential in determining service quality. Draw-
ing from the Taiwanese retail experience, this study found that the intangible indicators,
sincerity and keenness, can better cater to customer needs than blindly following the axiom
“the customers are always right”. This study focuses on the impact of intangible service
quality on business sustainability and treats the SNAKE ROSES indicators as a framework
for measurability and sustainability; the training of frontline salespersons is strengthened in
order to improve their service and customer interaction skills; more emphasis is placed on
Sincerity, Neatness, Attentiveness, Keenness, Empathy, Reliability, Optimism, Steadfastness,
Expertise, and Store Policy in the formation process.
5.3. Limitations
We consulted 20 experts in the frontline retail industry to construct our framework,
designed to be practical and teachable to a frontline salesperson. However, the experiences
included in this study may reflect something other than the frontline salesperson. In a
follow-up study, we interviewed 700 frontline salespersons regarding their expertise to
validate the SNAKE ROSES framework. We recommend refining SNAKE ROSES to the
particular context before implementation.
5.4. Directions for Future Research
The framework was constructed with expert input. We recommend that further re-
search include front-line salespeople and “on-the-ground” retail experience and is imported
into actual corporate operations to analyze the different perceptions of companies and
employees. This will allow further refinement of the SNAKE ROSES framework.
Author Contributions:
Conceptualization, T.-C.H.; methodology, C.-T.H.; validation, T.-C.H. and
C.-T.H.; formal analysis, T.-C.H.; data curation, T.-C.H.; writing—original draft preparation, T.-C.H.
and C.-T.H.; writing—review and editing, T.-C.H. and C.-T.H.; visualization, T.-C.H.; supervision,
C.-T.H.; project administration, T.-C.H. and C.-T.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published
version of the manuscript.
Sustainability 2023,15, 5579 12 of 14
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement:
Ethical review and approval were waived for this study due
to the nature of the study, that did not concern or expose any personal information.
Informed Consent Statement:
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement: Data is contained within the article.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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