Customer perceptions of frontline employees' extra-role helping behaviors

Wang, X; Keh, HT; Yan, L

Customer perceptions of frontline employees' extra-role helping behaviors

Wang, X Keh, HT Yan, L

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Publisher:: EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, 2020, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
Issue Date:: 2020-07-02

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Wang, X
dc.contributor.author	Keh, HT
dc.contributor.author	Yan, L https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8392-7009
dc.date.accessioned	2020-11-09T03:09:21Z
dc.date.available	2020-11-09T03:09:21Z
dc.date.issued	2020-07-02
dc.identifier.citation	JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING, 2020, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
dc.identifier.issn	0887-6045
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143859
dc.description.abstract	<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Frontline employees (FLEs) play a pivotal role in service delivery. Beyond their expected in-role behaviors, FLEs often have to perform extra-role behaviors such as providing additional help to customers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how customers’ power distance belief (PDB) influences their perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence when FLEs perform extra-role helping behaviors.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>Four experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. The first three experiments used a one factor two-level (PDB: low vs high) between-participants design. The fourth one used a 2 (PDB: low vs high) × 2 (firm reputation: low vs high) between-participants design.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The results indicate that, compared to high-PDB customers, low-PDB customers perceive greater warmth in FLEs’ extra-role helping behaviors but no significant difference in FLEs’ perceived competence. Importantly, these effects are mediated by customer gratitude. Moreover, these effects are moderated by firm reputation such that customers’ perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence are both enhanced when the firm has a favorable reputation.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is the first to identify the differential effects of PDB on customer perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence in the context of FLEs’ extra-role helping behaviors and to reveal the mediating role of gratitude. These findings contribute to the literatures on FLEs’ extra-role behaviors and social perceptions of both warmth and competence.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	JOURNAL OF SERVICES MARKETING
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/JSM-08-2019-0298
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1504 Commercial Services, 1505 Marketing, 1506 Tourism
dc.subject.classification	Marketing
dc.title	Customer perceptions of frontline employees' extra-role helping behaviors
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.for	1504 Commercial Services
utslib.for	1505 Marketing
utslib.for	1506 Tourism
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Marketing Discipline
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-11-09T03:09:16Z
pubs.issue	ahead-of-print
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.citation.issue	ahead-of-print

Abstract:

Purpose Frontline employees (FLEs) play a pivotal role in service delivery. Beyond their expected in-role behaviors, FLEs often have to perform extra-role behaviors such as providing additional help to customers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how customers’ power distance belief (PDB) influences their perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence when FLEs perform extra-role helping behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Four experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. The first three experiments used a one factor two-level (PDB: low vs high) between-participants design. The fourth one used a 2 (PDB: low vs high) × 2 (firm reputation: low vs high) between-participants design. Findings The results indicate that, compared to high-PDB customers, low-PDB customers perceive greater warmth in FLEs’ extra-role helping behaviors but no significant difference in FLEs’ perceived competence. Importantly, these effects are mediated by customer gratitude. Moreover, these effects are moderated by firm reputation such that customers’ perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence are both enhanced when the firm has a favorable reputation. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is the first to identify the differential effects of PDB on customer perceptions of FLEs’ warmth and competence in the context of FLEs’ extra-role helping behaviors and to reveal the mediating role of gratitude. These findings contribute to the literatures on FLEs’ extra-role behaviors and social perceptions of both warmth and competence.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143859