Emotional Dissonance and Customer Service

Emotional Dissonance and Customer Service: An Exploratory Study
Craig C. Julian

ABSTRACT. In this paper, the broad context for the study of emotional dissonance and its importance to marketing is set out. The relevant literature on emotional dissonance, its antecedents and outcomes are introduced together with the knowledge gap in the literature. The conceptual framework of emotional dissonance is expanded via exploratory research using case studies in order to identify the key issues and the managerial implications. The study 's findings extend the previous theoretical and empirical research on emotional dissonance in the workplace and customer service role internalization in high contact services involving face-to-face interactions between employees and customers. Specifically, the findings highlight the influence of customer service role internalization on emotional dissonance and further suggest examining the impact of emotional dissonance on key job outcome variables namely, customer oriented behaviours and job satisfaction.

Craig C. Julian, PhD, is affiliated with the School of Commerce and Management, Faculty of Business and Law, Southern Cross University, P.O. Box 42, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia, 2485. E-Mail: [e-mail] or [e-mail] The author gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Associate Professor Thomas Tan Tsu Wee of Singapore Management University and that of Brendan Phillips. The author further dedicates this paper to the memory and work of Thomas Tan Tsu Wee who passed away suddenly in 2006. Thomas was a respected and valued colleague. Services Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 29(3) 2008 Available online at http://smq.haworthpress.com © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved. doi: 10.1080/15332960802125882

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SERVICES MARKETING QUARTERLY KEYWORDS. Customer orientation, customer service, dissonance, emotional labor, job performance, job satisfaction, performance management

INTRODUCTION

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