Four Realms of a Customer Service

Abstract or Introduction

Technological innovations and the shifting needs of customers have increased competition in the hospitality and tourism industry demanding the tourism enterprises to concentrate on offering personalized experiences that customers can participate. In regards to this, Pine and Gilmore (1999) provided a basis for comprehending and assessing customer experiences as it is the major product in the tourism industry. The authors theorized the fundamental elements of customer experiences as 4Es: Educational, Esthetic, Escapist, and Entertainment experiences. These proposed 4Es are based on the active or passive participation of a customer and on immersion or absorption in the experience. Active participation portrays Escapist and Educational experiences while passive participation exemplifies the Esthetic and Entertainment experiences. An active customer normally takes in educational and entertainment experiences and engages in escapist and esthetic experiences. On the other hand, a passive customer does not directly influence these experiences.