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In the modern dynamic higher education landscape, the efficiency and effectiveness of frontline services have a significant impact on the student experience. Understanding first-time entry students' perspectives is critical in South African universities, where diverse challenges and opportunities intersect. These students begin their academic journey with a mixture of anticipation, expectations, and uncertainties, making their insights invaluable in assessing the efficiency of frontline services. By comprehending the perspectives of FTENs this paper seeks to uncover opportunities for improving frontline service delivery, enhancing student satisfaction, and fostering a supportive environment conducive to academic success. By addressing this research question: what insights and implications can be deduced regarding frontline service efficiency in the context of a South African university through an examination of FTENs experiences? Through a pluralistic research approach incorporating both qualitative and quantitative inquiry, employment of questionnaires and thematic content analysis, the study illuminates the nuanced challenges experienced by FTENs. The findings underscore a mixture of positive and negative implications, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement within the institution's service delivery framework. On one hand, a majority of participants reported positive service experiences, emphasizing the helpfulness, patience, and professionalism of the front-line administrative staff. The study also uncovered significant challenges faced by some students, including delayed responses, perceived staff frustration, and concerns regarding fairness and inclusivity. This research contributes to advancing a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between FTENs’ experiences and the institution’s effectiveness.

This study aims to obtain the results of the analysis of the influence of restaurant image on behavioural intention, with the mediating role of experience value and customer satisfaction on restaurant customers in Ternate City. A total of 127 restaurant customers were used as samples in this study. A purposive sampling approach was used. The analysis method used to test the hypothesis in this study was SEM-PLS. The study showed that restaurant image had no significant effect on behavioural intention. Further studies also showed that restaurant image positively and significantly affected experience value and customer satisfaction, and positively and significantly impacted behavioural intention. The variables experience value and customer satisfaction can mediate the influence of restaurant image on behavioural intention.

This study aims to analyze the effect of servicescape on revisit intention at fine dining restaurants in Malang City, by reviewing the mediating role of customer satisfaction and restaurant reputation. The restaurant industry, especially fine dining, faces major challenges due to tight competition triggered by the increasing number of restaurants in Indonesia. This phenomenon requires restaurants to offer more than just food and drinks, namely an exclusive dining experience, involving servicescape elements such as ambiance, functionality, and signs that affect customer satisfaction and restaurant reputation. This study found that servicescape has a positive and significant effect on revisit intention (?=0.379; p<0.001), customer satisfaction (?=0.156; p<0.001), and restaurant reputation (?=0.745; p<0.001). Elements such as interior design, lighting, aroma, cleanliness, and service create a memorable experience for customers, strengthen the restaurant's reputation, and increase customer loyalty. In addition, mediation by customer satisfaction and restaurant reputation showed significant results (p<0.001 and p=0.020), strengthening the relationship between servicescape and revisit intention. These results confirm that a good restaurant reputation not only increases consumer trust but also strengthens their perception of the quality of the experience offered. In the context of fine dining, servicescape is key to creating a high-end experience that meets customer expectations, thereby increasing return intentions and building loyalty. This study provides important insights for fine dining restaurant managers on how servicescape elements and restaurant reputation can be optimized to create a competitive advantage amidst increasingly fierce industry competition.