Who's got my back? Comparing consumers' reactions to peer-provided and firm-provided customer support |
| |
Authors: | Lan Jiang Matthew O'Hern Sara Hanson |
| |
Institution: | 1. Menlo College, Atherton, California;2. Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire;3. Robins School of Business, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia |
| |
Abstract: | This study demonstrates that when an individual encounters a product-related problem, fellow consumers (i.e., one's peers) have a unique advantage in providing social support to the affected consumer. Specifically, we find that social support can be a dominant driver of consumer satisfaction when the risk of customer defection is at its highest (i.e., following an unsuccessful attempt to solve the consumer's problem). Using real-world data from an online support community, a pilot study finds that if the problem that a consumer faces goes unsolved, satisfaction is greater when consumers receive peer-provided versus firm-provided support. Study 1 replicates this finding in a controlled experiment that realistically simulates an actual customer support incident in real-time. Study 2 identifies social support as the mechanism that underlies this effect and investigates whether firm employees can take steps to appear more customer-like and thereby replicate the advantage of peer-provided support. Finally, Study 3 reveals an alternative strategy (i.e., utilizing multiple employees) that firms can use to enhance social support and provides evidence that peer-provided support not only enhances satisfaction but also positively influences consumers' behavioral intentions. |
| |
Keywords: | cocreation customer support problem-solving satisfaction social support |
|
|