A review, synthesis, and research agenda for the customer service experience, and an investigation of customer mistreatment dimensions

In this thesis, two studies are presented focusing on customer service between service employees and customers. In Study 1, 18 years of customer service literature published in key service research outlets since 2000 was reviewed. Specifically, a review and synthesis of key theoretical perspectives and empirical findings were completed for three research areas: (a) affect in customer service, including emotional labor and emotional contagion processes; (b) customer mistreatment; (c) customer service behaviors, including customer orientation and service-oriented citizenship behaviors. The culmination was a critical assessment of the 18 years literature and concluded a discussion of future research agendas and practical implications for service managers. Study 2 was an experimental study focusing on the effect of different facets of customer mistreatment on service employee’s well-being and work behavior. Previous research studies have examined customer mistreatment as a fairly broad and global construct, which does not capture the multidimensionality of customer mistreatment. To extend our understanding about the effects of customer mistreatment, Study 2 examined the effect of two customer mistreatment facets, intensity of customer mistreatment and target of customer mistreatment, on service employees’ feeling of emotional exhaustion and desire for revenge. Video-based methods were used to manipulate intensity and target of customer mistreatment. 220 undergraduates from an Australian university participated the study in exchange for course credits. Data analysis results showed that the relationship between different facets of customer mistreatment and service employee’s feelings of emotional exhaustion and desire for revenge is mediated by service employee’s negative emotions. Besides, when the intensity of customer mistreatment is high, the mediated relationship between customer mistreatment and its consequences on service employee’s feelings of emotional exhaustions and desire for revenge is more salient. When the customer mistreatment is employee-targeted, the mediated relationship between customer mistreatment and its consequences on service employee’s feelings of emotional exhaustions and customer mistreatment is more salient. Finally, theoretical contributions and practical implications were discussed. This thesis adopted positivist approach with journal article-based thesis format.

Grantor dc:publisher

UNSW, Sydney

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Wu, Yu

• Customer mistreatment
• Customer service
• Emotional labor

Statement dc:rights

• open access
• CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
• free_to_read

Licence

• https://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/

Language dc:language

EN

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/21251

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:unsworks.library.unsw.edu.au:1959.4/62232