Exploring customer stewardship behaviors in service firms

Abstract

PurposeThe existing literature has emphasized the importance of frontline service employees developing a sense of ownership for the overall well-being of customers. However, studies into why frontline service employees develop ownership and responsibility for customers are still lacking. The purpose of this paper is to address the question, “Why do frontline service employees engage in responsible customer service behaviors and protect the interests of customers in Ghana?"Design/methodology/approachA semistructured interview with 61 frontline service employees was used in the study. This study used a thematic analysis technique to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings show that frontline service employees develop a sense of customer stewardship because of organizational values, human resource management initiatives (rewards and in-service training) and ownership and accountability.Originality/valueStudies on why frontline service employees engage in responsible customer service behaviors and protect the interests of customers is limited. This study addresses this gap in the literature.