Examining the Impact of Perceived Cultural Distance on the Pragmatic Choices of Saudi Customers in Service Encounters

This study examines service encounters in Saudi Arabia from a pragmatic perspective. Its aim is to investigate the possible impact of perceived cultural distance between customers and service providers on pragmatic choices. It specifically examines how Saudi customers construct their service encounters when talking to service providers of the same (versus different) cultural/ethnic background in terms of discourse structure; strategies of request and internal modifications, and stylistic strategies. Three cafés with service providers of three different ethnic/cultural backgrounds are chosen. One has Saudi service providers, the second café has Arab (non-Saudi) service providers, and the third café has non-Arab service providers. Forty socially minimal service encounter interactions that take place in each café are observed and manually recorded. The study uses the framework of ‘rapport management’ by Spencer-Oatey (2002) as its approach for data analysis. The findings indicate that there are differences among the three sets of data in terms of discourse structure, the realization of the speech act of request, and the stylistic aspect of interactions. According to the special nature of service encounters, customers’ pragmatic choices are explained in terms of expressing certain degrees of social distance rather than politeness. More specifically, the closer cultural distance between customers and service providers, the more pragmatic strategies functioning to achieve more closeness and solidarity are employed.

Examining the Impact of Perceived Cultural Distance on the Pragmatic Choices of Saudi Customers in Service Encounters

This study examines service encounters in Saudi Arabia from a pragmatic perspective. Its aim is to investigate the possible impact of perceived cultural distance between customers and service providers on pragmatic choices. It specifically examines how Saudi customers construct their service encounters when talking to service providers of the same (versus different) cultural/ethnic background in terms of discourse structure; strategies of request and internal modifications, and stylistic strategies. Three cafés with service providers of three different ethnic/cultural backgrounds are chosen. One has Saudi service providers, the second café has Arab (non-Saudi) service providers, and the third café has non-Arab service providers. Forty socially minimal service encounter interactions that take place in each café are observed and manually recorded. The study uses the framework of ‘rapport management’ by Spencer-Oatey (2002) as its approach for data analysis. The findings indicate that there are differences among the three sets of data in terms of discourse structure, the realization of the speech act of request, and the stylistic aspect of interactions. According to the special nature of service encounters, customers’ pragmatic choices are explained in terms of expressing certain degrees of social distance rather than politeness. More specifically, the closer cultural distance between customers and service providers, the more pragmatic strategies functioning to achieve more closeness and solidarity are employed.

It Went Downhill From There: The Spillover Effect from Previous Customer Mistreatment on Frontline Employees’ Service Delivery

Research indicates that a customer’s service experience is shaped by their past experiences with the firm. However, the extent to which past experiences with customers shape frontline service employees’ delivery of services has not been examined. We propose that the analysis of service encounters as discrete, independent units ignores possible linkages between customer experiences via frontline employees. Adopting a resource spill-over perspective across two studies, we find that employees’ experience of customer mistreatment compromised their subsequent service delivery. Using an experiment in Study 1, we find that these effects are mediated by changes in the employee’s self-control capacity. Using a field sample in Study 2, we find that these effects are moderated by the employee’s dispositional self-control capacity and their motivation to commit to display rules. Our findings show how service encounter outcomes can be shaped by distal service events and call for a more holistic understanding of the forces that shape service encounter outcomes. In particular, by highlighting the potential consequences, our findings challenge conventional work protocols that compel employees to persevere despite their experience of mistreatment. By detailing the mediating and moderating mechanisms of mistreatment spill-over in service organizations, we highlight the recovery mechanisms and practices that enable FLEs to remain resilient despite negative encounters with customers.

Impact of Service Encounter Elements on Experiential Value and Customer Loyalty: An Empirical Investigation in the Coffee Shop Context

The unprecedented dynamism in marketing has led to the transition of economy from service economy to experience economy. Modern age consumers give more emphasis to the hedonic attributes of offerings than to functional attributes. Consequently, the present study aims to provide a deeper understanding of experiential value, its antecedents, and consequences in the context of coffee shops. More specifically, this study examines the effect of service encounter elements on experiential value and the consequent effect of experiential value on customer loyalty. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 387 customers of coffee shops using a questionnaire survey which was later analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results reveal positive linkages between service encounter, experiential value, and customer loyalty. Positive cognition of service encounters have positive effects on experiential value and customer loyalty. Besides, experiential value also has a positive effect on customer loyalty. Lastly, experiential value partially mediates the relationship between service encounters and customer loyalty.

Pengaruh Service Encounter Quality, Brand Attitude, Image, Trust Terhadap Customer Loyalty Di Garuda Indonesia

The purpose of this study is to test the effect of service encounter quality, brand attitude, image, trust towards customer loyalty at Garuda Indonesia. Study as many as 100 respondents who knew and have used Garuda Indonesia flight services in Jakarta. Sampling was carried out using a non-probability sampling method with a purposive sampling approach. Data collection is done by distributing questionnaires online (Google Form) to the respondents selected in the study. The analysis used in this study is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 3 software as a tool to analyze data. The results of this study are service encounter quality doesn’t have a significant positive effect on customer loyalty. Brand attitude doesn’t have a significant positive effect on customer loyalty. Image doesn’t have a significant positive effect on customer loyalty and trust has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty. Thus the results of the study are expected to provide input for Garuda Indonesia in increasing customer loyalty. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji pengaruh kualitas pertemuan layanan, sikap merek, citra, kepercayaan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan Garuda Indonesia. Diteliti sebanyak 100 responden yang merupakan pelanggan yang mengetahui dan pernah menggunakan jasa penerbangan Garuda Indonesia di Jakarta. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode non-probability sampling dengan teknik pendekatan purposive sampling. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menyebarkan kuesioner secara online (Google Form) pada responden yang terpilih dalam penelitian. Analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) dengan menggunakan software SmartPLS 3 sebagai alat untuk menganalisis data. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kualitas pertemuan layanan tidak memiliki pengaruh positif terhadap loyalitas pelanggan, sikap merek tidak memiliki pengaruh yang positif terhadap loyalitas pelanggan, citra tidak memiliki pengaruh yang positif terhadap loyalitas pelanggan jadi dari ketiga variabel tersebut tidak mampu memberi pengaruh terhadap loyalitas pelanggan sedangkan untuk variabel kepercayaan memiliki pengaruh yang positif terhadap loyalitas pelanggan. Dengan demikian hasil penelitian diharapkan dapat memberikan masukan bagi Garuda Indonesia dalam meningkatkan loyalitas pelanggan.

Accommodating ethnic minority consumers during service encounters: the fine line

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of intercultural accommodation efforts on service quality perceptions among ethnic minority consumers. Specifically, the paper postulates that during an intercultural service encounter, the impact of the service provider’s language and ethnicity on the consumer’s service quality perceptions is moderated by the level of service involvement, consumer acculturation and perceived discrimination, which, in turn, influence purchase intent. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with an online nationwide consumer panel of Hispanic consumers was conducted where 377 participants were randomly assigned to a series of service encounter scenarios in the banking service context to manipulate accommodation efforts (yes vs no) and the level of involvement with the service (high vs low). Findings When such language and ethnicity accommodations were offered, highly acculturated minority consumers regarded the service encounter less favorably than low acculturated minority consumers. Moreover, during low-involvement service encounters, intercultural accommodations positively impacted consumer’s service quality perceptions compared to situations involving high-involvement services. Also, minority consumers with perceptions of past discrimination had less favorable evaluations of the service quality than when such perceptions were nonexistent when intercultural accommodation efforts were made by the service provider. Research limitations/implications The findings add to the sparse literature that examines the effectiveness of intercultural accommodation and focuses on the combined use of service provider’s language and ethnicity as a means to enhance service quality. Practical implications The study delivers cautions for service firms not to generalize the receptivity of intercultural accommodation efforts. Given the increasingly sizable segments of minority customers, this study offers insights for service providers to develop suitable recruitment strategies and training programs when devising effective ethnic targeting strategies. Originality/value This research is among the first to explain why the effect of target marketing is not homogenous by expanding the research on intercultural accommodations toward a new context considering service involvement levels among varied minority consumer groups.

From a Literature Review to a Conceptual Framework for Customer-To-Customer Value Co-Creation

Albeit customer-to-customer interaction (CCI) is something inevitable in a socially dense interaction-rich service setup, there has not been any review in this area of literature. However, a considerable amount of extant research has highlighted the importance of inter-customer encounters during a service encounter. Customer-to-customer value co-creation during collective consumption is gaining relevance in the field of contemporary services marketing research. This review deals with searching articles through the Scopus database and systematically reviewing 115 articles related to customer-to-customer value co-creation and CCI. While highlighting their contribution to the services marketing literature and various theories, methodologies followed by the authors, it paves the way for developing the proposed conceptual framework for the process of customer-to-customer value co-creation. This way, the article adds up to the extant multi-approach research area revolving around customer-to-customer interactions/relationships, customer engagement, and value co-creation among the customers during a service encounter. The study recommends practitioners analyze and monitor the aspects proposed through a practical implication.