Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

not eliminate it. Further, extreme segmentation has its own shortcomings. For
most of the businesses to grow, they have to attract diverse group of customers
and diversity inevitably results in some form of incompatibility. The emphasis,
therefore, has to be on managing on site compatibility.
Results of experimental design on the antecedents of incompatibility
indicated that only one of the three most important factors, perception of control
over outcome, was under the control of operating manages. Customers mood
was a beyond the control of managers, while customers prior expectations could
only be considered semi controllable. If two of the three most important factors
contributing to reaction towards incompatibility were beyond the control of
operating managers, then the next logical question is what can be done about
the impact of uncontrollable factors? Stated alternatively, what the optimal
combination controllable and uncontrollable factor levels that will minimize the
severity of customer reaction towards incompatibility?
The answer to this question was obtained by conducting a Taguchi
experiment. Results of Taguchi experiment suggested that if we provide
customers with an option to escape the incompatibility by moving them to
another section and alert them to the possibility of encountering incompatible
situation through effective communications then the adverse impact of bad mood,
conservatism and high involvement can be minimized. Enforcing the rules for
proper code of conduct – perceived control over activities — alone, without
moving customers to another section – perceived control over outcome – will not
minimize the severity of reaction to incompatibility.
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