Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine causal attribution in
interactional service experiences. The paper investigates how triggers
in the environment of a customer-employee interaction influence customer
behavioral response to employees' negative and positive affect.
Additionally, it studies the role of sympathy and authenticity as
underlying mechanisms of this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach - Two scenario-based experimental designs
(N1 = 162; N2 = 138) were used. Videotaped scenarios served as stimulus
material for the manipulation of two focal variables: the employee's
emotional display as either negative or positive and the availability of
an emotion trigger in the interaction environment to convey the
attribution dimension of cause uncontrollability. The emotion trigger's
visibility was varied in the two studies. Customer response was captured
by buying intentions.
Findings - Customer responses are more favorable for both positive and
negative interactional experiences when customers have access to
information on cause uncontrollability (i.e. notice triggers in the
interaction environment). Analyses reveal that these effects stem from
feelings of sympathy for negative experiences and authenticity for
positive experiences.
Originality/value - This research supports the relevance of causal
attribution research on interactional service experiences, which have
high-profit impact. Moreover, the findings underline the importance of
the experience of fact in service interactions and thereby provide a
more nuanced view on the discussion of whether service providers should
use impression management strategies to engender customer satisfaction
even when this behavior is ``faked.''
All authors contributed equally to the paper. The authors thank Michel
Pham, Donald R. Lehmann, Johannes Hattula, and Christian Schafer for
their helpful comments and suggestions for improvement. The authors also
thank Karina Schroter, Jan Weyerer, and Julian Wurth for research
assistance. The HORNBACH Group contributed to the realization of this
project with financial and technical support. The authors thank the
Autonomy Fund of the University of Mannheim for financially supporting
this research.
%0 Journal Article
%1 ISI:000387208000002
%A Albrecht, Carmen-Maria
%A Hattula, Stefan
%A Bornemann, Torsten
%A Hoyer, Wayne D.
%C HOWARD HOUSE, WAGON LANE, BINGLEY BD16 1WA, W YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND
%D 2016
%I EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
%J JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT
%K Customer-employee Interaction Positive and attribution; environment; experience} interaction; interactional negative service {Causal
%N 5
%P 704-729
%R 10.1108/JOSM-07-2015-0215
%T Customer response to interactional service experience The role of
interaction environment
%V 27
%X Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine causal attribution in
interactional service experiences. The paper investigates how triggers
in the environment of a customer-employee interaction influence customer
behavioral response to employees' negative and positive affect.
Additionally, it studies the role of sympathy and authenticity as
underlying mechanisms of this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach - Two scenario-based experimental designs
(N1 = 162; N2 = 138) were used. Videotaped scenarios served as stimulus
material for the manipulation of two focal variables: the employee's
emotional display as either negative or positive and the availability of
an emotion trigger in the interaction environment to convey the
attribution dimension of cause uncontrollability. The emotion trigger's
visibility was varied in the two studies. Customer response was captured
by buying intentions.
Findings - Customer responses are more favorable for both positive and
negative interactional experiences when customers have access to
information on cause uncontrollability (i.e. notice triggers in the
interaction environment). Analyses reveal that these effects stem from
feelings of sympathy for negative experiences and authenticity for
positive experiences.
Originality/value - This research supports the relevance of causal
attribution research on interactional service experiences, which have
high-profit impact. Moreover, the findings underline the importance of
the experience of fact in service interactions and thereby provide a
more nuanced view on the discussion of whether service providers should
use impression management strategies to engender customer satisfaction
even when this behavior is ``faked.''
@article{ISI:000387208000002,
abstract = {{Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine causal attribution in
interactional service experiences. The paper investigates how triggers
in the environment of a customer-employee interaction influence customer
behavioral response to employees' negative and positive affect.
Additionally, it studies the role of sympathy and authenticity as
underlying mechanisms of this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach - Two scenario-based experimental designs
(N1 = 162; N2 = 138) were used. Videotaped scenarios served as stimulus
material for the manipulation of two focal variables: the employee's
emotional display as either negative or positive and the availability of
an emotion trigger in the interaction environment to convey the
attribution dimension of cause uncontrollability. The emotion trigger's
visibility was varied in the two studies. Customer response was captured
by buying intentions.
Findings - Customer responses are more favorable for both positive and
negative interactional experiences when customers have access to
information on cause uncontrollability (i.e. notice triggers in the
interaction environment). Analyses reveal that these effects stem from
feelings of sympathy for negative experiences and authenticity for
positive experiences.
Originality/value - This research supports the relevance of causal
attribution research on interactional service experiences, which have
high-profit impact. Moreover, the findings underline the importance of
the experience of fact in service interactions and thereby provide a
more nuanced view on the discussion of whether service providers should
use impression management strategies to engender customer satisfaction
even when this behavior is ``faked.{''}}},
added-at = {2017-05-18T11:32:12.000+0200},
address = {{HOWARD HOUSE, WAGON LANE, BINGLEY BD16 1WA, W YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND}},
affiliation = {{Albrecht, CM (Reprint Author), Univ Mannheim, Dept Quantitat Mkt \& Consumer Analyt, Mannheim, Germany.
Albrecht, Carmen-Maria, Univ Mannheim, Dept Quantitat Mkt \& Consumer Analyt, Mannheim, Germany.
Hattula, Stefan; Bornemann, Torsten, Univ Stuttgart, Dept Mkt, Stuttgart, Germany.
Hoyer, Wayne D., Univ Texas Austin, Dept Mkt, Austin, TX 78712 USA.}},
author = {Albrecht, Carmen-Maria and Hattula, Stefan and Bornemann, Torsten and Hoyer, Wayne D.},
author-email = {{carmen-maria.albrecht@bwl.uni-mannheim.de}},
biburl = {https://puma.ub.uni-stuttgart.de/bibtex/24f8e185a09e73d08da02139e948495a5/hermann},
doi = {{10.1108/JOSM-07-2015-0215}},
eissn = {{1757-5826}},
funding-acknowledgement = {{HORNBACH Group; Autonomy Fund of the University of Mannheim}},
funding-text = {{All authors contributed equally to the paper. The authors thank Michel
Pham, Donald R. Lehmann, Johannes Hattula, and Christian Schafer for
their helpful comments and suggestions for improvement. The authors also
thank Karina Schroter, Jan Weyerer, and Julian Wurth for research
assistance. The HORNBACH Group contributed to the realization of this
project with financial and technical support. The authors thank the
Autonomy Fund of the University of Mannheim for financially supporting
this research.}},
interhash = {69c5919ca36c45aa3609a6adb908502c},
intrahash = {4f8e185a09e73d08da02139e948495a5},
issn = {{1757-5818}},
journal = {{JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT}},
keywords = {Customer-employee Interaction Positive and attribution; environment; experience} interaction; interactional negative service {Causal},
keywords-plus = {{EMOTIONAL CONTAGION; BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS; AFFECTIVE DELIVERY;
ATTRIBUTION THEORY; CONSUMER-BEHAVIOR; AUTHENTICITY; SATISFACTION;
PERCEPTIONS; FAILURE; ENCOUNTERS}},
language = {{English}},
number = {{5}},
number-of-cited-references = {{81}},
pages = {{704-729}},
publisher = {{EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD}},
research-areas = {{Business \& Economics}},
times-cited = {{0}},
timestamp = {2017-05-18T09:32:12.000+0200},
title = {{Customer response to interactional service experience The role of
interaction environment}},
type = {{Article}},
volume = {{27}},
web-of-science-categories = {{Management}},
year = {{2016}}
}
