Attributions of service switching: A study of consumers’ and providers’ perceptions of child-care service delivery

The quality of service delivery and maintenance of service performance relationships potentially depend on the extent to which service providers and service receivers share similar beliefs about a service and its delivery. Congruent expectations facilitate maintenance of service relationships, while disparate cognitions of expectations encumber and work toward terminating relationships (switching behavior). An empirical investigation of service switching in a child-care setting reveals that highly educated child-care consumers place more importance on the service encounter, and are more likely to engage in negative word-of-mouth about the service in the event of failure. However, in terms of service switching, the perceptions of child-care providers are significantly different from those of consumers when attributing causes of switching, and examining post-switching behavior. Provides practical implications for childcare providers, and service providers, in general.