| How Customer-initiated Positive Interactions Influence Service Providers’ Proactive Service and Life Satisfaction: An Experience Sampling Study |
Received:October 16, 2017 Revised:October 16, 2017 |
Key Words: customer-initiated positive interactions, motivation, proactive service, life satisfaction |
| Author Name | Affiliation | | Nan Wang* | Lingnan University (Hong Kong) | | Zhaoli Song0 | National University of Singapore | | Jinlong Zhu0 | Renmin University of China | | Wendong Li0 | Chinese University of Hong Kong |
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Abstract: |
| Social context critically shapes the behaviors and experiences of employees, and this is especially true for service workers. Although customers are important component of the social context, previous research predominantly focus on the negative interactions with customers and consequences of such interactions. In contrast, we propose that customer-initiated positive interactions also have profound influence on service workers’ behaviors and experiences. Using experience-sampling data with a nurse sample, we found that customer (patient) -initiated positive interactions received during the first half work period significantly influences nurses’ prosocial motivation and intrinsic motivation. Prosocial motivation further led to proactive service behaviors in the second half work period, and intrinsic motivation further led to life satisfaction off work. Our findings indicate that other than bringing about exhaustive experiences to service workers, customers also play important agentic roles in co-producing the service delivery process, as well as promoting the wellbeing of service workers. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. |
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