Key drivers of frontline employee generation of ideas for customer service improvement

Lages, C. R. and Piercy, N. F. (2012) Key drivers of frontline employee generation of ideas for customer service improvement. Journal of Service Research, 15 (2). pp. 215-230. ISSN 1552-7379 doi: 10.1177/1094670511436005

Abstract/Summary

Anchored in the service-dominant logic and service innovation literature, this study investigates the drivers of employee generation of ideas for service improvement (GISI). Employee GISI focuses on customer needs and providing the exact service wanted by customers. GISI should enhance competitive advantage and organizational success (cf. Berry et al. 2006; Wang and Netemeyer 2004). Despite its importance, there is little research on the idea generation stage of the service development process (Chai, Zhang, and Tan 2005). This study contributes to the service field by providing the first empirical evaluation of the drivers of GISI. It also investigates a new explanatory determinant of reading of customer needs, namely, perceived organizational support (POS), and an outcome of POS, in the form of emotional exhaustion. Results show that the major driver of GISI is reading of customer needs by employees followed by affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction. This research provides several new and important insights for service management practice by suggesting that special care should be put into selecting and recruiting employees who have the ability to read customer needs. Additionally, organizations should invest in creating work environments that encourage and reward the flow of ideas for service improvement

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/34927
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Henley Business School > Marketing and Reputation
Uncontrolled Keywords	reading of customer needs; perceived organizational support; generation of ideas for service improvement; frontline employees
Publisher	Sage
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item