ABSTRACT
Service as a social and psychological phenomenon between two or more people is related to the concept of the moment of truth, which Richard Normann suggests is critical for the successful provision of service.1 A metaphor of bullfighting is often used to illustrate the meeting between the provider of a service and the customer. While hopefully service encounters are less confrontational than a bullfight, the sense of engagement (particularly in a symbiotic relationship of mutual dependency) is aptly conveyed. Perceived service quality is realized at this moment of truth. The outcome of this moment depends upon the skill, motivation, and situational creativity of the individual service provider with the customer contributing to the service outcome. A service encounter tends to be outside the control and influence of the service provider’s manager or immediate supervisor. In this perspective, it is also difficult and many times even impossible to preprogram the service.
The term moment of truth refers to encounters between customers and service providers. The moment of truth is that instant when consumers experience and judge service quality-in modern-day parlance, “when the rubber meets the road.” This instant (or rather series of instances) often decides service success or failure. Richard Normann writes that the concept of the moment of truth is from bullfighting, where the phrase “el momento de verdad” refers to the climax of the spectacle when the matador kills the bull. Since its introduction, many commentators have used the concept of the moment of truth as a metaphor to describe encounters between customers and service providers.2
