دانلود رایگان مقاله درک رابطه بین شکاف کارکنان خط مقدم و جهت گیری مشتری

abstract

Customer-oriented behavior provides an important means to achieve satisfied and loyal customers and thus sustainable competitive advantages. Although a rich stream of research has examined enablers of customer-oriented behaviors, its impediments, such as a lack of challenges at the customer interface, have been neglected. Relying on a qualitative study with 37 frontline employees (FLEs) and on conservation of resources theory, this research examines FLEs' individual responses to boreout at the service encounter. Boreout is a negative psychological state of low work-related arousal, manifested in three main forms: job boredom, a crisis of meaning at work, and crisis of growth at work. This study examines the effect of these individual responses on customer-oriented behavior, using data from 147 FLEs and a validation study with customers. The results indicate that all three boreout dimensions consistently harm customer-oriented behavior; job autonomy, whether induced by the firm or customers, moderates these relationships differently though.

7. Discussion

Because scholars generally assume that a FLE's customer orientation helps to drive firm success (e.g., Franke & Park, 2006), extensive research has addressed the antecedents of customer-oriented behavior, such as employee characteristics and attitudes (Brown et al., 2002; Grizzle et al., 2009; Stock & Hoyer, 2005). However, this rich stream of research has remained largely silent regarding low strain at the service encounter and its potential effects on customer-oriented behaviors. This gap is surprising, because in business practice, ongoing debates center on how to assign FLEs efficiently, to ensure they are available for customers but avoid overstaffing. Against this background, this study introduces a new conceptual phenomenon at the service encounter—boreout. The results offer valuable insights for academics and practitioners alike.