There is no dark side of customer aggression − It’s all dark

ABSTRACT

Customer mistreatment is a daily experience of service employees, with a considerable accumulating adverse impact reflected in distress, reduced performance and withdrawal. This paper builds on research addressing the universality of customer aggression and the I3 model which is used to explain aggression, to describe how the combined impact of norms of perfectionism and intensified customer–employee power differentials engender prevalent customer aggression. It is suggested that constant violation of unrealistic expectations threatens customers’ inflated sense of worth. Additionally, because service employees are prevented from both the ‘fight’ and the ‘fight’ reactions to customer aggression, social exchange in the service context does not involve any sanctions for customers. It is recommended that, similar to sexual harassment and organisational bullying, customer aggression should be addressed through legislation requiring organisations to protect their employees.     

Understanding the user satisfaction and loyalty of customer service chatbots

The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is emerging as a significant corporate customer-facing application, potentially increasin customer service efficiency while reducing costs. However, little work has sought to assess the quality of service they provide consumers. This study applies the e-service quality by incorporating conversational AI quality to predict users' satisfaction and loyalty to customer service chatbots. The proposed model was empirically evaluated using survey data collected from 219 users responding about their perceptions of customer service chatbots. The findings indicate that AI chatbot service recovery quality and AI chatbot conversational quality significantly influence user satisfaction. On the other hand, core AI chatbot service quality and satisfaction significantly influenced chatbot user loyalty. This study contributes to researchers and practitioners by proposing and evaluating a more comprehensive chatbot e-service quality that combines both fundamental (core service and service recovery qualities) and human-like (conversational quality) aspects of e-service. The results are of value in devising future AI chatbot services and related strategies.     

Exploring the role of extrovert-introvert customers’ personality prototype as a driver of customer engagement: Does relationship duration matter?

Drawing on social exchange theory, the current study examines new drivers and their associated processes of customer engagement. In spirit, the study tests the direct and indirect impacts of the extraversion–introversion personality trait on customer engagement. The study takes into consideration the contingency role of time by testing the moderating role of relationship duration. Results demonstrate that the more extraverted customers are, the more they are likely to engage with service firms. Further, extraversion is positively related to customer–employee interaction, which in turn leads to more utilitarian and hedonic values perceived by customers. Both types of value, then, induce higher customer engagement behaviors in terms of customer referrals, knowledge sharing, and social-influence. Findings demonstrate that relationship duration moderates some of the examined relationships. The current study contributes to the literature by extending the knowledge on customer engagement's predisposition and social causes.     

Engaging and retaining customers with AI and employee service

Artificial intelligence (AI) permeates in service organisations as a tool to enhance operational efficiency and improve customer experience. Reports show that most consumers prefer human interactions with service employees. Drawing on this observation, the current study examines how customers' service experiences with employees and AI influence customer engagement and loyalty. Customers’ emotional intelligence is proposed as a moderator between service experience and customer engagement. The study was conducted with hotel customers in Australia. The results show that whilst both service experience with employees and AI are significantly related to customer engagement and loyalty, only certain dimensions make significant unique variances in the outcome variables. The findings indicate that customers prefer employee service. These service experiences also have significant partial mediation effects on customer loyalty. Emotional intelligence has a significant moderation effect on customer engagement. Discussion of these findings and implications derived from this study concludes this paper.     

Achieving favourable customer outcomes through employee deviance

This study advances current knowledge by examining how employee deviance and customer participation during a single employee–customer exchange generate favourable customer responses. This work bridges the employee deviance stream with the service encounter literature and illustrates the importance of equity theory in deviant service exchanges between customers and employees. Moreover, results add to the ongoing debate on service nepotism by canvassing the consequences from the customer’s active participation in deviant exchanges which appears to enhance customer perceptions of the exchange. A 3?×?2 between-subjects experimental design was adopted which manipulates three types of pro-customer deviance along with customer’s participation (or not) to the exchange. The dependent variables capture three types of perceived customer justice (cognitive outcomes) and customer’s affective state (affective outcome). Findings illustrate that customers approve employees’ deviance for their own benefit while also indicate favourable outcomes from deviant exchanges with employees such as higher perceived justice and a more positive affective state. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications, limitations and research directions that emerge from this study.     

Employee versus supervisor ratings of performance in the retail customer service sector: Differences in predictive validity for customer outcomes

Based on data from Maxham and Netemeyer [Maxham, J. G. and R. G. Netemeyer (2003). “Firms Reap What They Sow: The Effects of Employee Shared Values and Perceived Organizational Justice on Customer Evaluations of Complaint Handling,” Journal of Marketing, 67, 46-62], the authors present two field samples to examine predictive validity differences of service employee ratings of their performance versus supervisor ratings of employee performance with respect to customer satisfaction and customer likelihood of spreading positive word-of-mouth (WOM) after a service recovery attempt. The results generally show that supervisor ratings are more strongly positively related to customer satisfaction and WOM than are employee ratings of their own performances. The results also show that both supervisor ratings and employee ratings are related to customer satisfaction and WOM in a curvilinear fashion (as well as linear fashion). Employee extra-role performances (toward customers and the firm) show increasing returns at the higher levels of performance, and employee in-role customer performance generally shows a decreasing return at the higher level of customer in-role performance.These results suggest two managerial implications. First, supervisor ratings of customer service employee performances may be the preferred form of measurement for predicting customer outcomes. Second, maximizing in-role performance inputs may have decreasing returns for customer evaluations in the service recovery context; but maximizing extra-role performance inputs may actually “delight” customers, i.e., increasing returns for customer evaluations.     

It is not merely a chat: Transforming chatbot affordances into dual identification and loyalty

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered service chatbot functionality is changing to more effectively connect with customers in the era of digital marketing. As such, an understanding of how to enhance user perceptions and behaviors through interface design has become crucial. Using affordance actualization theory and social identity theory as a theoretical lens, this study explored how chatbot affordances affect consumer brand loyalty. Data were collected from 369 respondents who had at least one conversation with AI chatbots from a predetermined list of banks in Taiwan; the collected data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that anytime–anyplace connectivity, information association, visibility, and interactivity affordances provided by chatbots positively influenced chatbot exploitation, which in turn affected perceived brand competence and perceived brand warmth. Furthermore, perceived brand competence influenced customer–chatbot identification and customer–brand identification, whereas brand warmth influenced customer–brand identification. Customer–chatbot identification also influenced brand loyalty both indirectly—through customer–brand identification—and directly. These findings are useful for assisting managers in various industries in the application of AI technologies to implement digital transformation strategies and improve customer services.     

Customer value and customer loyalty: Is competition a missing link?

This study is aimed at providing an insight into the effects of competition on customer value delivery for customer loyalty. Data were collected using a questionnaire on dyads of service employees and customers. The techniques of ANOVA, ordinary least squares, and logistic regression were used to analyze the dyad data in terms of research purposes. Results show that competition is a moderator of the relationship between customer value and customer loyalty from the consumer perspective. Also, competition is a predictor of customer loyalty from the employee perspective. Insights into this asymmetry in the view on competition between employees and consumers are found. Findings of the moderating effects of competition on the customer value-customer loyalty relationship suggest the significance of competition in the service encounter. In addition, this study found that the predictive validity of the loyalty model for consumers is significantly higher than that for employees. This finding suggests that the factors driving customer loyalty are better captured from the consumer perspective. Findings of the impact of competition on the consumer’s experience of different types of value provide insights as to where to invest in generating customer value to achieve desired customer loyalty. This study also suggests to managers how service employees could be recruited and managed to achieve a service competitive advantage. This study extends our understanding of the customer value–customer loyalty relationship by uncovering the significant role of competition from a dyadic viewpoint.     

Customer participation and citizenship behavioral influences on employee performance, satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intention

Despite increasing awareness of the importance of customer behaviors in service delivery, understanding consequences relating to employees receives little attention. Therefore, using data from a large electronic firm relating to customers, employees, and managers, this study examines the effects of customer participation and citizenship behavior on employee performance, satisfaction and commitment, as well as indirect effects on turnover intention. Furthermore, the study examines how similarity and likeability moderate the effects of customer participation and citizenship behavior on employee satisfaction. The study also includes a laboratory experiment and provides further support for causal direction. The article discusses marketing implications of the results.     

Does emotional labor moderate customer participation and buying?

Two studies examined whether employees’ emotional labor as perceived by customers, moderates the relationship between customers’ participation and money spent. In Study I, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted with customers to examine participation during shopping as well as customers’ awareness of their service employees’ behaviors. The interviews revealed two types of customer participation: emotional engagement and physical effort. Based on Study I, Study II investigated 114 customers, and the moderating role of perceived employees’ emotional labor on the relationships between customer participation and spending money. Even when customers were highly involved in the purchasing process, they spent less money when they observed employee inauthenticity as manifested in Surface Acting. However, Deep Acting positively moderated the relationship between customer participation and spending money. These findings help shed light on the circumstances in which customer participation is strengthened (leading to greater spending) or weakened.     

Matching the Personal Initiative Capabilities of FLEs to Their Self-Regulatory Processes and the Firm's Initiative Climate

Frontline employees (FLEs) — the people behind the counter, on the phone, or walking the shop floor — can profoundly affect the customer experience. Harnessing the capability of FLEs to positively shape customer experiences is critical for service firms.However, placing the right employee in the right frontline role is not an easy task. To deliver positive service experiences, FLEs must be customer-oriented, placing customers’ interests first. In addition, FLEs need to demonstrate personal initiative by going beyond prescribed job roles to find solutions to customer problems. We propose that personal initiative is an important mediating variable in the relationship between customer orientation and FLE performance. Further, we examine whether this relationship is strengthened or weakened when a firm’s climate encourages initiative-taking behavior and FLEs have a prove or avoid orientation, or engage in deep or surface acting. We test the model across two studies using a multi-respondent data collection procedure within the retail banking sector. Our findings demonstrate that personal initiative mediates the relationship between customer orientation and FLE performance. Notably, this effect is stronger when a firm’s climate encourages initiative-taking and when FLEs have a prove orientation or engage in deep acting, and that the effect is weaker when FLEs have an avoid orientation or engage in surface acting. Our findings underscore that it is only when the fit between FLEs, their roles, and the work climate is right that firms will get the best out of their employees (c.f., Arthur et al. 2006; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005).     

The consequences of customer-oriented constructive deviance in luxury-hotel restaurants

Prior research has illustrated the antecedents of customer-oriented constructive deviance. However, research on their consequences has been limited. To clarify the relationship between customer-oriented constructive deviance and its outcome, the present study is based on affective event theory and posits that customer-oriented constructive deviance predicts customer gratitude and employee guilt, which in turn lead to customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty, respectively. This research also investigates how service and ethical climates moderate these relationships. Based on a dataset comprising 223 matched employee–customer pairs collected from luxury hotel restaurants, we found that customer-oriented constructive deviance is positively related to customer loyalty, but negatively related to employee loyalty. Furthermore, service and ethical climates are found to have disparate impacts on these relationships. Our findings call attention to a potential risk that managers should be aware of when they manage customer-oriented constructive deviance to achieve greater customer service.     

Reaching the boiling point: Consumers' negative affective reactions to firm-attributed service failures

While anger is the dominant affective reaction following service failure, little research focused on its potentially damaging effects. Our study examines the impact of anger and related negative affective states on evaluations and behavior following firm-attributed service failure. Gender's moderating role in shaping these consequences is also studied. Scenarios involving failures in a bank and a retail store are used. Overall, angry customers are less satisfied, give lower service evaluations, have higher perceptions of injustice, and give weaker ratings of corporate image. Angry customers also less likely spread positive word of mouth and more likely complain, exhibit negative repurchase intentions, and engage in third-party action. Related negative states differentially impact cognitive evaluations and post-purchase behavior with anger (rage) being the most important predictor in a bank (retail) setting. As the intensity of the negative affective state increases, customers more likely engage in effortful consequences. Gender of the customer and the service employee play minimal roles influencing evaluative and behavioral outcomes.     

Customer perceptions of frontline employee service delivery: A study of Russian bank customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions

This study examines the nature of relationships between customer perceptions of frontline employee service delivery (core and relational), satisfaction and selected behavioural intentions by using customers of a commercial retail bank in Russia as its setting. Contrary to findings from North American-Western research, the study findings show that relational service delivery only significantly impacts customer satisfaction for Russian males whereas core service delivery only impacts this affective outcome for Russian female customers. Implications of the results are discussed and future research avenues are offered.     

Non-normal simultaneous regression models for customer linkage analysis

Simultaneous systems of equations with non-normal errors are developed to study the relationship between customer and employee satisfaction. Customers interact with many employees, and employees serve many customers, such that a one-to-one mapping between customers and employees is not possible. Analysis proceeds by relating, or linking, distribution percentiles among variables. Such analysis is commonly encountered in marketing when data are from independently collected samples. We demonstrate our model in the context of retail banking, where drivers of customer and employee satisfaction are shown to be percentile-dependent.      

Customer's angry voice: Targeting employees or the organization?

Poor service encounters have the potential to leave customers feeling angry at the frontline service employee who serves them, angry at the organization, or angry at both parties. The 25 in-depth interviews (Study 1) and experimental work (Study 2) demonstrate how distributive (outcome fairness), procedural (response time) and interactional (treatment received) justice dimensions differentially affect where the customer targets her or his anger, either at the frontline employee or at the organization as a whole. Further investigation reveals sins-of-omission (when the service provider failed to act) and interactional justice mediate the effect of response time on anger at the employee. Interactional justice also partially mediates the effect of outcome fairness on anger at the organization whereas sins-of-omission do not.     

A neurophysiological exploration of the dynamic nature of emotions during the customer experience

This paper explores the benefits of measuring emotions and their dynamic nature during the customer experience with neurophysiological measures. In this study, emotions are measured during a service interaction (with self-service technology or a human employee) going through a series of touchpoints, including a service failure. We show that creating a loyalty card with the help of a service employee or self-service technology did not impact customers’ perceived service satisfaction and their behavioral intentions. This paper demonstrates that neurophysiological measures such as Galvanic Skin Response might be better equipped to unveil the dynamic nature of emotions (e.g., arousal) during the customer experience and that valence measured by neurophysiological tools (using electroencephalography) better reconciles with the effect found for satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Our findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners who want to understand and bolster customer experiences, thereby taking customer emotions and its appropriate measurement tools into consideration.     

Enhancing Customer Engagement Through Consciousness

Firms and academics recognize the importance of creating an engaged customer base, though an in-depth understanding of how to achieve it is limited. This article proposes that firms that use consciousness as a foundational philosophy can create a more engaging and meaningful customer experience. A retailer or service provider with foundations in consciousness has a higher purpose and values that get espoused and fulfilled throughout the organization, working in a way to optimize benefits to its multiple stakeholders (investors, employees, customers, suppliers, the environment, the community). Building on these foundations, retailers can achieve deeper engagement with customers, deliver outstanding customer experiences, create emotional connections with customers, and establish a shared identity based on a clear purpose and values.     

The Importance of Hotel Employee Service Attitude and the Satisfaction of International Tourists

Although there have been numerous studies dealing with service attitude and customer satisfaction, they have not specifically addressed international hotel customers. Moreover, most of them have discussed the subject from the viewpoint of the employee. This study takes a customer perception approach and emphasises critical factors (elements) of service attitude affecting the satisfaction of international tourists. It has been found that the importance of employee attitudes to service and the level of satisfaction with the service vary significantly among customers of different nationalities. For example, American travellers emphasise elements such as employees being able to solve their problems, and so are dissatisfied with the service when employees lack an adequate command of English. Taiwanese customers stress the importance of employees treating customers politely regardless of their attire. They feel that they are treated unfairly because of employee expectations of tips from well-dressed customers. These findings could furnish managers with useful information for planning marketing and personnel training.     

Does educating customers create positive word of mouth?

This research theorizes and empirically examines whether and how educating customers—a brand's efforts to enhance customers' product-related knowledge—affects customer word of mouth (WOM). In two lab experiments across service and retailing contexts, we find that educating customers enhances customers' positive WOM for a brand. Customer satisfaction and perceived expertise mediate this effect. Critically, the positive impact on WOM is stronger for customers who have less prior knowledge regarding the educational topic and are more amenable to knowledge sharing. The current findings add to the literature on customer education and WOM and offer managerial insights for improving brands' WOM campaigns.