Service Encounters Research Articles

Patients’ Problem Presentation in China’s Primary Care

ABSTRACT Identifying patients’ reasons for visiting is the central task at medical openings, the structure of which has been well studied in Western primary care, but much under-researched in China’s mainland. Drawing on conversation analysis of 91 audio-recorded primary care consultations in China, this study explores interactional features of patients’ problem presentation at medical openings in terms of sequential positions, forms, and contextual contingencies, which has implications for the model of medical service encounters in Chinese primary care openings. Although problem description is commonly solicited by doctors across cultures, Chinese patients’ problem presentation often takes forms other than problem description. Nearly two thirds of problem presentation in our data are designed as a request-making action (57/91 cases), being more often self-initiated than solicited. This blurs the boundary between medical visits for new and non-new problems. The analysis of Chinese patients’ problem presentation points to a high degree of patient agency in primary care in China, suggesting a strong orientation to the “provider-consumer” (vs. “professional-client”) model of service encounters in the opening structure of doctor-patient interaction.

Can Positive Emotions Predict Consumer Satisfaction in Adverse Services?

Background Managing emotions during hospital visits is important to enhance patient satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between patients’ happiness and satisfaction through patients’ mood and perceived service quality at a healthcare setup. Methods This study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital located in coastal Karnataka during the period from November to December 2021. Primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire from 227 respondents. “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 27.0” and “SmartPLS 3.0” software was used for data analysis. Results Hypotheses proposed in this study were examined by comparing the direct effect of patients’ happiness level on perceived service quality and the indirect effect of the level of patients’ happiness on patient satisfaction. The influence of all the exogenous latent variables namely, happiness, mood, perceived service quality, on the endogenous latent variable of patient satisfaction is estimated to be moderate (R2=62.5%). Conclusion This study empowers hospital managers to recognize how patient satisfaction is dependent on patients’ happiness. In order to enhance patient satisfaction, the quality of care provided by health services, human resources, and infrastructure must be improved. As a result, the entire service encounter can be made enjoyable to the customers by reducing the distress caused by adverse services. Managers can utilize the outcomes of the study to develop marketing strategies to influence patients’ emotions in the healthcare setup by modifying the servicescape elements.

Young Customer Responses to Service Robots vs. Humans in Luxury Retail: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Luxury retailers are increasingly considering the introduction of service robots in their stores to enhance the value proposition and reshape the dynamics of both the service encounter and the customer experience. Although the literature recognizes the social presence of robots in service encounters, little empirical research compares humans and service robots related to luxury. In addition, further research is needed to investigate the emotional responses of young customers, like Generation Z, to a technology-infused servicescape and to explore the value of service robots as a social presence in luxury stores. A 2×2 mixed methods experimental design was developed to test the research hypotheses. The study was conducted in a laboratory with 116 participants randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: approaching vs. non-approaching behavior with a service robot or a human sales assistant. Self-reports and neurophysiological responses (skin conductance) were collected to measure their responses during the service encounter. The results show that a human or a service robot approaching the customer can lead to greater positive affective states and emotional responses than a human or a service robot not approaching. In addition, we found that young customers do not differentiate between human sales assistants and service robots. However, the customers’ level of immersion in the flow, understanding of the message, and happiness are higher with a human sales assistant. Finally, the absence of any interaction (non-approaching) during the service encounter leads to a negative reaction to a human sales assistant compared to a service robot, showing the importance of personalized and deep connections in luxury service.

Cultural Intelligence and Sustainable Career Success in Intercultural Service Encounters

Scholars have explored individual, organisation and external factors impacting career sustainability and framed these as part of a career ecosystem. While productivity is considered pivotal for career sustainability according to conceptual frameworks, there remains a gap in understanding its practical implications for occupations involving Intercultural Service Encounters (ICSEs). Culture significantly influences the attitudes and behaviours of service employees and shapes customers’ perceptions of service quality, thereby making cultural intelligence (CQ) a key competency for employees working in ICSEs settings such as in cultural tourism and the airline industry. This paper adopts De Vos, Van der Heijden, and Akkermans (2020) conceptual framework to underscore the significance of CQ in ICSEs and its connection to performance, thus fostering career sustainability in such contexts. Data from an ethnographic case study in Thai Airways, comprising semi-structured interviews with cabin crew employees, observations, and company records, were collected. Our study highlights the significance of CQ competencies in expanding the understanding of sustainable careers in ICSEs settings and aligns with the Career Ecosystem theory by emphasising the interplay between individuals, organisations, and national culture in shaping sustainable careers in such settings.

Scale Development and Inferential Analysis of Service Quality in Higher Education: A Sequential Exploratory Mixed-Method Study

In response to the consumer-oriented shift in higher education, institutions are embracing technology and flexible delivery to enhance services. This is critical for student attraction, retention, and academic success. Consequently, the focus on service quality and student satisfaction has grown. This study investigates service quality expectations and perceptions of students in a local Caribbean -based tertiary institution. A novel scale, the “Service Quality Scale for Higher Education (SQSHE),” is developed using a sequential-exploratory mixed-method approach. The SERVQUAL-driven Disconfirmation framework informs this scale, measuring the gap between expected and perceived service encounters. Three focus group interviews generate a 53-item pool, refined to a 23-item scale with four dimensions: student well-being, service efficiency, social interaction, and value co-creation. The SQSHE demonstrates reliability, stability, and internal consistency. Data from 179 participants via an online questionnaire reveal four service quality dimensions, with two displaying significant negative gap scores. This culturally relevant four-factor scale contributes significantly to higher education research. By addressing student expectations, institutions can enhance strategies to elevate satisfaction and success rates.

Antecedents of consumers' brand switching behavior in mobile service provider

PurposeSwitching behavior is predominantly seen in the consumer buying behavior of the mobile industry. This research aims to identify the factors influencing consumers to switch from their present mobile service provider. The consumer of the mobile industry operates in a dynamic and ever-changing environment that is difficult to predict, so this paper aims to focus on these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe selection of factors was made with the help of qualitative study and quantitative research methods for further findings; with the help of a structured questionnaire, a total of 514 valuable responses were collected to get the results. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe finding shows that technology and edge-on-competition (TEC) and pricing have a negative influence on customer switching behavior. The switching cost (SC) is the most significant factor and has a positive impact, while service encounter failure (SEF) also positively impacts switching behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide important implications for consumers switching brands if they are finding alternative offers that are cost-effective and SEF from service providersPractical implicationsThe study of one of the largest mobile markets is learning lessons for other markets around the world. This study will be helpful for mobile service provider companies in their branding and marketing strategies. This study will also be helpful to practitioners, educators and researchers in understanding the consumer behavior of mobile users.Social implicationsThe learning of the largest mobile market will be a great learning lesson for other mobile markets around the world. Consumer behavior will help marketers follow ethical practices and make their strategy so a consumer does not switch brands and remain satisfied with the existing brand.Originality/valueThe study provides unique learning for practitioners, educators and researchers to understand the consumer behavior of mobile users. This will help marketers create factors that stop consumers from switching brands and develop strategies to retain customers.

Co-creation with service robots and employee wellbeing: a self-determination perspective

ABSTRACT Service robots have been widely utilised in service encounters to deliver human services. However, it is unclear whether co-creation with service robots increases or decreases employee wellbeing. Based on self-determination theory, this study aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of co-creation with service robots on employee wellbeing. An online survey was used to collect data from 332 employees working in the hospitality and tourism industry in China who had co-created with service robots at work. The results indicate that co-creation with service robots has an important autonomy-enhancing effect on employees. Furthermore, the relationship between co-creation with service robots and employee wellbeing through the need for competence and the need for relatedness is also mediated by the need for autonomy. This study extends self-determination theory to the domain of service robots by showing that employees’ basic psychological needs play an important role in shaping their wellbeing in the context of co-creation with service robots at work.

Service Agent Driven Co-Created Caring in Chat-Based Customer Service Encounters

This study explores the elements of caring and its relationship with customer-value co-creation in the context of chat-based service encounters. For this purpose, 123 chat conversations from the Visit Helsinki chat platform were analyzed using deductive content analysis. The findings reveal that customers played an active role in the value co-creation process. The elements of caring play an important role in customer-value co-creation and produce affective and emotional benefits, including cognitive, integrative and recognition benefits for the customer. A benevolent attitude, commitment and consideration, which includes creating situations wherein the customer-service agent and the customer solve problems together, strengthen and enable value co-creation. Language and customer-service expressions also enhance customer-value co-creation, while different statements of being present and interested in the customer create positive emotions and an atmosphere of caring. This demonstrates that caring about the customer could be the key to value co-creation. Further, this study discusses theoretical and managerial implications and recommendations for future research.

Front-desk workforce cultural diversity and its implications for service quality in the accommodation sector: a case from Australia

ObjetivoEl idioma y el dialecto, las costumbres y las actitudes de servicio son sólo algunas de las características que hacen que cada cultura sea única. En consecuencia, la presencia de personas de diferentes culturas durante un encuentro de servicio puede repercutir en la calidad del servicio, ya que lo que constituye una buena calidad de servicio se percibe de forma diferente en las distintas culturas. Como país con una sociedad multicultural, los inmigrantes culturalmente diversos de origen no angloparlante (NESB) desempeñan un papel cada vez más importante en el sector de la hostelería y el alojamiento en Australia. Dentro de este contexto regional, este estudio contribuye a una comprensión más sólida de la influencia de la diversidad cultural de la mano de obra en diferentes aspectos de la calidad del servicio de recepción en el sector del alojamiento.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEn este estudio cualitativo se realizaron 31 entrevistas en profundidad semiestructuradas a huéspedes, personal de recepción y gerentes de apartamentos en Australia Occidental, seguidas de entrevistas de validación con cinco expertos en gestión de recursos humanos del sector de la hostelería.ConclusionesLos resultados de las entrevistas sugieren que la diversidad cultural del personal de los NESB afecta a varios aspectos de los servicios de recepción de los alojamientos australianos, como la calidad de la comunicación, la interacción entre el personal y los huéspedes y la satisfacción de éstos. Los hallazgos señalan que el personal de recepción de los NESB culturalmente diverso puede (1) enfrentarse a barreras de comunicación intercultural debido a los diferentes acentos extranjeros y a la presencia de jerga local, (2) mejorar la interacción huésped-personal y la experiencia general del huésped en caso de tener antecedentes culturales similares con los huéspedes, y (3) proporcionar representaciones auténticas del multiculturalismo en Australia.Originalidad/valorEl estudio arroja nueva luz sobre las cambiantes percepciones y expectativas de autenticidad de los turistas, especialmente en Australia, donde la diversidad cultural ha cobrado mayor protagonismo. Además, en el servicio de alojamiento australiano, muchos empleados de NESB que han aprendido inglés americano/británico tienen dificultades para conversar con personas con acento australiano, sobre todo cuando también está presente la jerga australiana.

Retracted: Feelings and Scenes of Rural Homestay Inns in China: A Perspective of Service Encounter

Retracted: Feelings and Scenes of Rural Homestay Inns in China: A Perspective of Service Encounter

How to infuse mobile technologies in frontline service encounters? An experimental analysis of customer perceptions of service competence

ABSTRACT In technology-infused frontline service encounters, human-based service represents a high degree of uncertainty. However, understanding how technology can meet customer demands without undermining the importance of human interaction is crucial for retailers to remain competitive. However, empirical evidence comparing different types of service encounters (technology-facilitated vs. technology-assisted vs. technology-free) is lacking. Building on existing approaches to technology-enabled services, this study aims to extend the understanding of the optimal type of technology infusion and human interaction in the context of customer trust and willingness to pay. Drawing on social interaction theory, emphasizing that technology can influence the nature and quality of interactions between customers and frontline employees, this paper empirically examines different types of service encounters. A quasi-experimental online study (N = 944) was conducted.General results show that technology infusion within the service encounter has a negative impact on customers’ trust in the frontline employee, but a positive impact on customers’ willingness to pay. Furthermore, a mediating influence of customers’ perceptions of the competence of frontline employees can be demonstrated. The results show that customers place more value on a technology-facilitated encounter than on a technology-assisted service. Based on the findings, this paper derives implications for retail managers at various levels. Since the customer’s perception of the competence of front-line employees in using a technology is of high relevance to the customer, the retailer should pay more attention to training employees in the use of these technologies in their interactions with customers because of the perception of service competence and other relationship-building criteria such as trust. In addition, the competent use of these technologies and the customer’s perception of them can also affect the customer’s willingness to pay and thus the success of the business.

Non-verbal communication in the workplace: Perceptions of hospitality management Filipino student interns in the service encounters

Effective communication plays a crucial role in the hospitality industry's successful service encounter. Although verbal communication is significant for this role, non-verbal communication is just as significant. However, there's a relatively limited body of knowledge about non-verbal communication in the hospitality and tourism literature. Therefore, the study's objectives are to elucidate the perception of Filipino hospitality management student interns of the roles of non-verbal communication and how its dimensions assist in the service encounters. By achieving the abovementioned objectives, the findings have provided valuable insights to the inadequate knowledge. Using a qualitative approach, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), target students from Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) taking an internship in Tacloban City. Applying purposive convenience sampling, 18 selected participants who conformed to the criteria were interviewed (semi-structured). The data collected were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2021) thematic analysis, followed by Saldaña's (2015) manual coding for the emergence of themes imperative for final conclusions. Findings show that non-verbal communication is an important part of service encounters, promoting effective connections, improving customer satisfaction, and optimizing customer interaction. While the non-verbal dimensions including facial expressions, kinesics, paralinguistics, and proxemics greatly aids by creating exceptional customer experiences and enhancing overall service quality. While the student interns met the customer's demands and forged stronger bonds by effectively utilizing and understanding these non-verbal cues. Therefore, it concludes that non-verbal communication intervention and the assistance provided by its dimensions contribute to successful service encounters and create favorable experiences for both student interns and customers.

The impact of virtual reality on private value dimensions: a healthcare case study

ABSTRACT The digitalization of public services is a growing phenomenon that affects providers and users alike. However, the impact of digitalization on the Public Service Logic remains understudied. We aim to understand how virtual reality impacts private value dimensions in public healthcare. Drawn from a dual-perspective of providers’ and users’ interviews and personal diaries, we contribute to value-in-context by underlining nuances of the user needs and service outcomes. Similarly, value-in-use shows patients’ experimentations and experiences with the virtual reality service. This study contributes to value dimensions, capturing the phenomenological aspects of the public service encounter in a complex digital healthcare ecosystem.

관광산업의 특수목적영어(ESP) 교육프로그램이 직원의 영어역량, 직무만족 및 고객지향성에 미치는 영향

English language skills are required for tourism service employees to satisfy customers' needs and increase revenue from their customer service encounters. Particularly, employees in hotels and various tourism businesses should provide smooth and professional services to foreign tourists, and their English language skills are deeply related to job competency. However, tourism businesses often fail to provide sufficient task-related English education programs to employees, particularly ESP programs that can increase work efficiency. This study aims to understand the current status of employees’ English language skills and English education environments to emphasize the necessity of ESP programs and to provide a framework for developing and operating a curriculum accordingly. Also, the relationship among ESP programs, tourism employees' English language skills, job satisfaction, and customer orientation was examined. A total of 300 respondents completed a professional online survey. Results of the SEM analysis suggested that ESP programs positively influenced the English language skills of tourism employees, resulting in higher job satisfaction and strengthened customer orientation. This study systematically analyzed the structural impacts of in-house English language programs on customer orientation mediated by job satisfaction, a topic that has not been tapped much by tourism researchers. This study will make a meaningful contribution to the literature and also provide practical guidance for various sectors of the tourism industry in Korea.

A century of retail work training: changes in employers’ instructional video modelling of cashier work in service encounters

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how instructional videos produced by retail employers and tech companies have modelled cashier roles and skills in service encounters over time, providing insights into cashier training and job responsibility evolution across different retail eras.Design/methodology/approachOnline video research is used, with YouTube as data source and the theory of practice architectures and related concepts as analytical framework, to examine 50 instructional video narratives produced between 1917 and 2021.FindingsCashiers’ selling practice comprises transactions and customer service, which are often taught separately. Technology has explicitly influenced changes in cashier work and training at three points in history: mechanised checkout (1917), computerised checkout (1980) and connected checkout (2010). “New technology” involves a combination of arrangements with the potential to transform the semantic, physical and social dimensions of cashiers’ selling practice. However, despite technological advancements, employers’ cashier training videos have not evolved significantly since the 1990s and still focus on emotional labour skills.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate a need for transforming training for service work in the connected service encounter.Originality/valueThe relationship between technological innovations and changes in frontline service work and workplace learning is examined through the lens of instructional videos produced by retail employers and tech companies, giving rise to insights into limitations of current training methods for service workers. This paper suggests the need for a more holistic perspective on service encounters to understand service work and workplace learning changes.

Frontline service employee research: integration of systematic literature reviews and recommendations for future scholarship

PurposeThis paper integrates the findings of the articles included in the special issue (SI) on frontline employee (FLE) research. Articles included in this SI systematically review multiple research domains, including employee and customer engagement, FLE vulnerability, customer mistreatment, service teamwork and service encounters; provide instructions on effectively conducting meta-analyses and discuss the practical applications of FLE research. This paper also provides future directions for FLE scholarship with a focus on theoretical/methodological rigor and relevance.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that integrates and critically evaluates extant research and provides directions for future scholarship.FindingsAn integrative framework of extant FLE research is proposed consisting of situational predictors, psychological mechanisms, attitudinal/behavioral outcomes and boundary conditions/moderators. Further, three main areas for future scholarship are recommended including examining the transformative effects of technology on FLE work, focusing on decent work for FLEs and conducting practically relevant and impactful research.Originality/valueThis paper provides reflections, integration and future directions for scholarship based on systematic reviews of key domains of FLE research, a primer for conducting systematic reviews (specifically – meta-analysis) and practitioner perspectives on extant research.

It takes two to tango: a multidisciplinary bibliometric review across six decades of dyadic service encounter research

PurposeThe authors systematically review empirical dyadic service encounter research published in top-tier journals between 1972 and 2022.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed bibliometric techniques, co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling analysis to map schools of thought and research frontiers within the dyadic service encounter literature. In total, the authors analyzed 155 articles. To ensure inclusion of high-quality research, the authors screened articles from 139 journals with “4” or “4*” ratings on the 2021 Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS) journal list, in addition to articles published in three service sector-specific journals: Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing and Journal of Service Theory and Practice.FindingsThe authors' co-citation analysis identified four distinct clusters within the dyadic service encounter literature: (1) shaping and explaining service encounters; (2) emotions in service work; (3) modeling, manipulating and measuring encounter service quality and (4) emotional labor and regulation in dyadic service encounters. Furthermore, the authors' bibliographic coupling analysis generated three research clusters: (1) service encounter characteristics; (2) emotions and emotional labor and (3) service encounter interaction content.Originality/valueThe authors' comprehensive review synthesizes knowledge, summarizing similarities among research clusters within the service encounter realm. Noteworthy are research clusters that clarify the emotion-based underpinnings and reciprocal nature of behaviors and emotions within dyadic encounters. By conducting complementary bibliometric analyses, the authors trace the evolution of the service encounter literature, providing an overview of the present state of dyadic service encounter research. These analyses offer valuable insights into the current landscape of the field, identifying future dyadic service encounter research opportunities.

Heritage hotels: An exploration of staff experiences in these unique hospitality environments

Heritage hotels play a significant role in the hotel sector, preserving cultural heritage and delivering authentic and unique guest experiences and economic value to destinations. As such, they are an important but under-researched hotel operation. They range in size and star rating and can be boutique and/or upscale luxury hotels, independently owned and operated or managed by one of the large international hotel chains. There are three types of heritage hotels: original, simulated, and converted. The first are hotels whose purpose has remained unchanged since their inception and, despite modernization, retain their originality. The second are simulated heritage hotels, which are associated with symbolic heritage elements. The third are historic structures (castles, cathedrals, palaces, etc.) that have been repurposed and converted into hotels, imbuing them with new symbolic and economic meanings. This research note investigates the third type of heritage hotels. These are buildings rich in history, a sense of place and hold cultural meanings for their localities and communities. The note employs an exploratory, qualitative research strategy and reports data from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 16 customer-facing employees and managers in three independently owned and operated United Kingdom (UK) rural boutique heritage hotels. This qualitative approach provided an opportunity to attain depth in revealing the participants’ service experiences and encounters. The research note advances extant scholarship, which has examined employee interactions in small heritage accommodations as emotional and individualised guest experiences. It suggests that historic sites repurposed as heritage hotels have distinctive qualities, setting them apart from other hotels as hospitality environments. As such, their staff regard themselves as stewards and storytellers of local culture as much as receptionists, servers, etc. It concludes by advancing possibilities for further research on this conceptualization of heritage hotel employees.

Reconceptualizing host/tourist interactions: The connection between roles, power, and discourse in the service encounter

The purpose of this study is to provide a conceptual view of the host/tourist relationship in the service encounter by providing a reconstructed account of how roles, power, and discourse are enacted from the lens of the host. This argument relies on Jackson and Mazzei’s (2013, 2018, 2022) “plugging in” notion of thinking with theory to simultaneously consider power as described by Foucault using the role theory of Merton and linking them with Lukes’ three dimensions of power. Through the progression of thinking/interpreting with each theoretical perspective while being conscious of the others, we provide a conceptualization of the impact discourse choices have on roles and power structures that emerge in tourism and hospitality businesses. This new view of the service encounter explains tourist dominance where the host willingly takes a compliance role due to discourse choices.

Exploring the interplay between frontline employees’ humour styles in service encounters

ABSTRACT One question that needs to be asked in understanding the consequences of humour in service encounters is whether the prevalent bivariate approaches capture the full range of humour consequences. Therefore, this study examines the influence of frontline employees’ (FLEs) combined use of affiliative and self-defeating humour on customers’ perceptions of service quality in 268 service encounters. Bivariate results show that the positive effect of affiliative humour is much stronger than the negative effect of self-defeating humour. On the contrary, response surface analyses show that bad may be stronger than good. FLEs’ humour use is particularly advantageous with customers who appreciate humour, while for those who do not, there is an optimal margin effect when affiliative humour exceeds self-defeating humour.