Experience qualities are qualities such as taste that customers can evaluate only after purchase or consumption. Pure services such as legal advice are high in credence qualities , qualities that customers can't easily evaluate even after purchase. In the absence of tangible features to examine, service customers rely more on marketing cues, word of mouth, and other factors. Service marketers must offer information about benefits, quality, price, and other aspects that customers weigh in the purchase decision. Although price is a key factor, quality is usually more important for expensive services high in credence qualities.
Quality is especially critical when a customer perceives high risk in making the purchase.
How Customers Judge Service Quality 1. The customer makes the purchase with an expectation of service quality. After buying and consuming the service, the customer compares the actual quality of the service to the expected quality. A discrepancy, or service gap , may be noticed between the provider's performance and the customer's expectations. Inadequate standards for service delivery.