Between a rock and a hard place

Service businesses are increasingly facing more demanding customers as a result of a shift in power from the service providers' side to the customers' side. Related literature predominantly examines the negative side of this ongoing trend, while overlooking the positive side. The major aim...

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Main Author: Itani, Omar S. (author)
Other Authors: Jaramillo, Fernando (author), Paesbrugghe, Bert (author)
Format: article
Published: 2020
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10725/11862
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101978
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919306113
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author Itani, Omar S.
author2 Jaramillo, Fernando
Paesbrugghe, Bert
author2_role author
author
author_facet Itani, Omar S.
Jaramillo, Fernando
Paesbrugghe, Bert
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Itani, Omar S.
Jaramillo, Fernando
Paesbrugghe, Bert
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2020-03-11T12:53:12Z
2020-03-11T12:53:12Z
2020
2020-03-11
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 0969-6989
http://hdl.handle.net/10725/11862
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101978
Itani, O. S., Jaramillo, F., & Paesbrugghe, B. (2020). Between a rock and a hard place: Seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101978.
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919306113
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Between a rock and a hard place
seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
description Service businesses are increasingly facing more demanding customers as a result of a shift in power from the service providers' side to the customers' side. Related literature predominantly examines the negative side of this ongoing trend, while overlooking the positive side. The major aim of this paper is to examine how frontline employees — investment account managers — deal with the ongoing increase in customer demandingness. To address this, we draw on adaptability performance theory to test the facilitating effect of frontline employees' post-transaction service behaviors (SBs) — diligence, inducements, information communication, sportsmanship, and empathy — as a means of adaptation to higher levels of customer demand. Findings indicate that frontline employees adapt most of their SBs' intensities to match customers' demands. The results show that some SBs actually increase the effectiveness and efficiency of frontline employees' service performance, leading to an increase in customer value and satisfaction. Customer value is found as a mediator in some of the relationships between SBs and customer satisfaction. Contrary to the conception of the negative outcomes of customer demandingness, service firms need to consider taking advantage of customer demandingness by stressing the role of frontline employees in adapting to customers’ demands.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
id LAURepo_7a03759cf84cc1896d3ee3cda2b56ba6
identifier_str_mv 0969-6989
Itani, O. S., Jaramillo, F., & Paesbrugghe, B. (2020). Between a rock and a hard place: Seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101978.
language_invalid_str_mv en
network_acronym_str LAURepo
network_name_str Lebanese American University repository
oai_identifier_str oai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/11862
publishDate 2020
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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spelling Between a rock and a hard placeseizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviorsItani, Omar S.Jaramillo, FernandoPaesbrugghe, BertService businesses are increasingly facing more demanding customers as a result of a shift in power from the service providers' side to the customers' side. Related literature predominantly examines the negative side of this ongoing trend, while overlooking the positive side. The major aim of this paper is to examine how frontline employees — investment account managers — deal with the ongoing increase in customer demandingness. To address this, we draw on adaptability performance theory to test the facilitating effect of frontline employees' post-transaction service behaviors (SBs) — diligence, inducements, information communication, sportsmanship, and empathy — as a means of adaptation to higher levels of customer demand. Findings indicate that frontline employees adapt most of their SBs' intensities to match customers' demands. The results show that some SBs actually increase the effectiveness and efficiency of frontline employees' service performance, leading to an increase in customer value and satisfaction. Customer value is found as a mediator in some of the relationships between SBs and customer satisfaction. Contrary to the conception of the negative outcomes of customer demandingness, service firms need to consider taking advantage of customer demandingness by stressing the role of frontline employees in adapting to customers’ demands.PublishedN/A2020-03-11T12:53:12Z2020-03-11T12:53:12Z20202020-03-11Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/article0969-6989http://hdl.handle.net/10725/11862https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101978Itani, O. S., Jaramillo, F., & Paesbrugghe, B. (2020). Between a rock and a hard place: Seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101978.http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.phphttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919306113enJournal of Retailing and Consumer Servicesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/118622022-02-17T14:25:55Z
spellingShingle Between a rock and a hard place
Itani, Omar S.
status_str publishedVersion
title Between a rock and a hard place
title_full Between a rock and a hard place
title_fullStr Between a rock and a hard place
title_full_unstemmed Between a rock and a hard place
title_short Between a rock and a hard place
title_sort Between a rock and a hard place
url http://hdl.handle.net/10725/11862
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101978
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919306113