The influence of angry customer outbursts on service providers’ facial displays and affective states

Dallimore, Karen and Sparks, Beverley and Butcher, Ken (2007) The influence of angry customer outbursts on service providers’ facial displays and affective states. Journal of Service Research, 10 (1). pp. 78-92. ISSN 1094-6705

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Abstract

This article explores the existence and extent of emotional
contagion, as measured by facial displays and
reported affective states, in a service failure event. Using
video vignettes of customers complaining about a service
failure as stimulus material, the authors measured the
facial displays and affective states of service providers as
proxies for emotional contagion. Following a two-step
approach, service providers’ facial expressions were first
recorded and assessed, revealing that service providers’
facial displays matched those of the angry consumer.
Second, a mixed ANOVA revealed service providers
reported stronger negative affective states after exposure
to an angry complaint than prior to exposure. The results
demonstrated that during a complaint situation, angry
outbursts by consumers can initiate the emotional contagion
process, and service providers are susceptible to
“catch” consumer anger through emotional contagion.
Implications for complaint management and future
research are discussed.

Statistics for this ePrint Item

Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Deposited according to Publisher's requirements.
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - School of Management and Marketing (1 Apr 2007 - 31 Dec 2010)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - School of Management and Marketing (1 Apr 2007 - 31 Dec 2010)
Date Deposited:	11 Oct 2007 01:23
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2013 22:51
Uncontrolled Keywords:	emotional contagion; nonverbal communication; facial displays; complaints; service providers; service encounters
Fields of Research (2008):	17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1702 Cognitive Sciences > 170205 Neurocognitive Patterns and Neural Networks 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 1505 Marketing > 150503 Marketing Management (incl. Strategy and Customer Relations) 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170113 Social and Community Psychology
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008):	E Expanding Knowledge > 97 Expanding Knowledge > 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Identification Number or DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670507304694
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/3305

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