Stephanie M. Noble

Understanding the Relationships Between Commitment and Voice Hypotheses, Empirical Evidence, and Directions for Future Research

This study aims to explicate why customers stay in service relationships, while additionally examining how different forms of commitment to these relationships affect customers voice, both within and outside of the relationship. Based on qualitative interviews and an extensive literature review, we provide and test a framework linking staying reasons to commitment to voice utilizing a survey of 685 online panelists in committed service relationships. Our results illustrate the differential effects of staying reasons on commitment and commitment on voice. Social balance theory, social influence theory, and escalation of commitment provide important theoretical bases for why individuals stay. We examine a number of unexamined or underexplored gaps in the literature, finding seven notable links relative to staying reasons and commitment (relational benefits and resistance to change to calculative commitment; subjective norms and sunk costs to affective commitment; procedural switching costs, avoidance of conflict, and resistance to change to normative commitment). Additionally, a number of less explored, as well as previously studied, findings between commitments and voice are noted, including the strong negative impacts of calculative commitment and silent endurance on voice. This suggests the importance of the service provider not locking the customer in too tightly.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto: Emergence of Automated Social Presence in Organizational Frontlines and Customers’ Service Experiences

Technology is rapidly changing the nature of service, customers’ service frontline experiences, and customers’ relationships with service providers. Based on the prediction that in the marketplace of 2025, technology (e.g., service-providing humanoid robots) will be melded into numerous service experiences, this article spotlights technology’s ability to engage customers on a social level as a critical advancement of technology infusions. Specifically, it introduces the novel concept of automated social presence (ASP; i.e., the extent to which technology makes customers feel the presence of another social entity) to the services literature. The authors develop a typology that highlights different combinations of automated and human social presence in organizational frontlines and indicates literature gaps, thereby emphasizing avenues for future research. Moreover, the article presents a conceptual framework that focuses on (a) how the relationship between ASP and several key service and customer outcomes is mediated by social cognition and perceptions of psychological ownership as well as (b) three customer-related factors that moderate the relationship between ASP and social cognition and psychological ownership (i.e., a customer’s relationship orientation, tendency to anthropomorphize, and technology readiness). Finally, propositions are presented that can be a catalyst for future work to enhance the understanding of how technology infusion, particularly service robots, influences customers’ frontline experiences in the future.

Why Customers Feel Locked Into Relationships: Using Qualitative Research to Uncover The Lock-in Factors

This research explores the lock-in phenomena in service relationships, using qualitative research to uncover the factors keeping customers in service relationships. We conducted 22 in-depth interviews, with 44 service relationships discussed. Four broad categories of service relationship lock-in factors emerge from the interviews, with 14 specific subcategories. The four broad categories of lock-in factors are relational benefits of staying, switching barriers, obligatory factors, and personality factors. All the categories appear across both positive and negative relationships, although interesting differences in category prevalence between positive and negative relationships are insightful and discussed. In the majority of service relationships, participants mention multiple factors in regard to lock-in, rather than just one factor or category. Researchers in marketing have paid little attention to obligatory factors and personality factors and yet these factors are present in the data in a substantial way and occur in conjunction with the more well-studied factors.

Open versus selective customer loyalty programmes

Purpose n n n n nThis paper aims to examine the impact of an open loyalty programme (anyone can join) versus a selective programme (requirements must be met) to show what types of loyalty programmes are most effective. In-group identification, gratitude, stage of relationship and visibility are additionally examined. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nTwo studies use experimental methodology to initially test the relationships. A third study uses survey and panel data. n n n n nFindings n n n n nOpen programmes lead to more in-group identification, while selective programmes lead to higher levels of gratitude, especially in mature stages. Visible programmes lead to more in-group identification. Industry differences are presented. n n n n nResearch limitations/implications n n n n nThe first two studies use a student sample (although Study 3 uses penal data). The research is limited to the variables examined. The findings add to theory by showing differences between open and selective loyalty programmes. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nThe findings show how different retailer offerings change the value and experience to the customer leading to loyalty intentions. Loyalty programme designers can tailor their programme structure to fit their customers and overall strategy. The findings also shed light on the strategic importance of tiered loyalty programmes. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe examination of how a customer enters a loyalty programme is not in current literature. The research shows how loyalty intentions are impacted by design of the programme, including how a customer signs up for a programme. The mechanisms through which the relationship works increase the understanding of loyalty programme effectiveness.

In-Store Mobile Phone Use and Customer Shopping Behavior: Evidence from the Field

This research examines consumers’ general in-store mobile phone use and shopping behavior. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that mobile phone use decreases point-of-purchase sales, but the results of the current study indicate instead that it can increase purchases overall. Using eye-tracking technology in both a field study and a field experiment, matched with sales receipts and survey responses, the authors show that mobile phone use (vs. nonuse) and actual mobile phone use patterns both lead to increased purchases, because consumers divert from their conventional shopping loop, spend more time in the store, and spend more time examining products and prices on shelves. Building on attention capacity theories, this study proposes and demonstrates that the underlying mechanism for these effects is distraction. This article also provides some insights into boundary conditions of the mobile phone use effect.

Man vs machine: Relational and performance outcomes of technology utilization in small business CRM support capabilities

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of this paper is to examine the use of technology in customer relationship management (CRM) support capabilities by using an environmental contingency perspective. By examining the moderating effects of micro- and macro-environmental characteristics in which CRM support capabilities are used, the authors seek to extend the literature on CRM technology effectiveness in both customer commitment and overall firm performance. The authors also seek to advance managerial knowledge about CRM support capability technology utilization strategies in various market offering and dynamic market settings. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nThe authors utilized a questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 276 small business CRM managers across a wide range of industries. Measures were adapted from the existing literature, and these were largely multiple-item measures of latent variables. The hypotheses were tested using a combination of Ridge regression and a bootstrapping test of mediation. In addition, residual centering was used to reduce multi-collinearity in the interaction analysis. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThe contingency/fit analysis performed in this research highlights the complex nature of the use of technology in CRM support capabilities. The benefits of a man vs a machine CRM support capability depend on the support function (whether marketing, sales, service, data access or data analysis), as well as upon the characteristics of the operating environment. Machine-based marketing support is positively related with customer commitment in turbulent markets, and machine-based service support is preferred in technologically turbulent markets. Sales support, on the other hand, is positively related to customer commitment in technologically turbulent markets when performed by man rather than machine. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nCRM support capabilities differ across firms and markets, thus a “one size fits all” approach is not appropriate. This research shows under what conditions a machine-based approach to CRM can be effective for small businesses. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThis research is the first to consider market offering and turbulence variables as moderators of the relationship between technology use in CRM support capabilities and customer commitment. Taking this contingency approach, the authors find that resource-based competitive advantage is obtainable based on the fit of the resources (e.g. CRM capabilities) to the environmental characteristics of the firm. Through this perspective that is unique to CRM research, the authors are able to provide both general and specific recommendations to managers and researchers.

Stuck like glue: the formation and consequences of brand attachments among salespeople

Although managers and researchers put utmost importance on uncovering factors that affect effort and performance of sales representatives, they have largely overlooked a key factor. This research aims to remedy this neglect by shedding light on salesperson brand attachment. A qualitative study first examines the prevalence of attachment and uncovers several potential antecedents. Two follow-up empirical studies show that identification and psychological ownership are significant predictors of salesperson brand attachment. Informed by this research, managers can encourage brand attachment, with the end goal of increasing salesperson effort and ultimately performance, by increasing feelings of identification and psychological ownership among salespeople. This impact is particularly notable among brands with low market share, which are often a key concern of managers. The findings provide novel insights into how attachment affects sales representatives, as well as potential methods to cultivate such an attachment.

The Effects of Different Types of Control in Co-production Experiences

Customer participation has become an important firm strategy (Bendapudi and Leone 2003; Vargo and Lusch 2004). Companies are designing their offering(s) to allow customers to participate to various degrees in the process of creating and delivering the offering(s). In this strategy, not only do providers select a level of customer co-production, but also the level of control available to customers. This study examines the effects of control types (cognitive, behavioral, and decisional) and their interaction on customers’ affective responses in service contexts with varying levels of co-production.

Why Customers Stay in Relationships: The Lock-in Factors

Customers stay in relationships for all sorts of reasons. Not all of these reasons are because of the strong satisfaction with the service or service provider (Colgate, Tong, Lee, and Farley 2007; Jones, Reynolds, Mothersbaugh, and Beatty 2007). According to Bendapudi and Berry (1997), some customers stay in relationships because of a sense of dedication (dedication-based relationships), while others stay because they feel they cannot easily get out of the relationship due to various constraints (constraint-based relationships). In this research, the authors explore both dedication-based and constraint-based relationships to determine the factors that make customers feel “locked into” service relationships. Twenty-two depth interviews were conducted in order to explore these factors. Four broad categories of service relationship lock-in factors emerged from the data: “Moral/Obligatory Factors,” “Personality Factors,” “Switching Costs and Lack of Alternatives,” and “Positive Benefits of Staying.” Two of these categories—Moral/Obligatory Factors and Personality Factors-have received little attention in the marketing literature in regards to staying in relationships. Moral/Obligatory Factors refer to reasons for staying that involve a sense of duty or responsibility to continue to do business with the service provider (reasons why an individual “should” stay). The Personality Factors, such as avoiding confrontation, forgiving nature, and resistance to change, are specific recurring traits that individuals talked about as reasons why they felt locked into service relationships. Up to this point, most of the marketing research looking at service provider-customer relationships has focused on relationship benefits (e.g. Gwinner, Gremler, and Bitner 1998; Reynolds and Beatty 1999) and switching costs (Bansal, Taylor, and St. James 2005; Bansal, Irving, and Taylor 2004; Burnam, Frels, and Mahajan 2003; Jones, Mothersbaugh, and Beatty 2002; Keaveney 1995). This research goes beyond these two areas, as the findings reveal that obligation and personality factors are important reasons why individuals stay in relationships.