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Purpose – The main purpose of the study is to examine the relationships between e-listening and customers’ perceptions of interpersonal service quality and utilitarian value during e-contact center interactions. Design/methodology/approach – Participants completed an online survey about their service experiences with e-contact centers. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – This study found that e-listening is highly related to interpersonal service quality and utilitarian value. Interpersonal service quality is positively related to e-satisfaction and e-loyalty, both with e-contact centers and e-retailers. Research limitations/implications – The study utilizes general active empathetic listening (AEL) constructs identified in previous research. Although these constructs provide a way to differentiate the cognitive aspects of AEL, and therefore, a mechanism for discerning utilitarian value, further qualitative studies on nonverbal cues in online communications would develop insights into more granular, behavioral dimensions and effects of e-listening. In addition, the study is based on general e-retailing processes, and is not focused on a specific business or sector. The magnitude of the effects of e-listening on the different factors related to customer relationships may vary with different sectors. Practical implications – E-contact centers should provide interpersonal interactions that emphasize utilitarian value. The centers should be staffed by employees who are well trained in AEL and who are provided with appropriate resources. The interactions of these e-contact centers can provide significant input to e-retailers about the improvement of service quality and resulting customer e-loyalty. Originality/value – The research provides an original view of service quality in e-contact center contexts and makes a valuable contribution to understanding the evolving service offerings of multi-channel e-retailing. The study provides support for the argument that value and quality in interpersonal interactions with e-contact centers lead to satisfaction and consequently to customer loyalty.

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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate patterns in the social construction of occupational jurisdiction and related professional career identity. It examines the agency associated with framing messages that influence perceptions about the professional nature and value of retail management careers. The aim is to identify sources which produce influential messages about perceptions about retail management careers and the content of these messages.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilises a qualitative research methodology (focus-group interviews) to explore the observations of people involved with the monitoring and management of career messages. Two focus groups were conducted with a) nine Canadian retail practitioners and b) seven post-secondary educators from retail management education programmes.FindingsThe focus groups identify five sources of influential messages including (1) part-time retail work experience, (2) educational institutions, (3) parents, (4) retail industry/practitioners and (5) media. They also identify three content themes presented by these sources including (1) the importance of educational requirements, (2) the nature of occupational roles and (3) the value of the career.Research limitations/implicationsThe significance and generalisability of the results are limited by the size and nature of the sample.Practical implicationsThis study makes a practical contribution by identifying potential career awareness strategies.Originality/valueThis research makes a theoretical contribution by expanding understanding of the role of communication with career perceptions and with the related constitution of career professionalisation.

We examined consumer complaining behavior on a third-party website at different times during a 1-year period, with a focus on seasonal differences in complaints made during the year. We collected 1,799 complaints as data from the website and applied both content analysis and critical incident technique to identify whether or not there were seasonal differences in reasons for reporting complaints and the frequency of complaints. Results showed that there were differences in frequency and type of complaint between the nonholiday shopping season and the holiday shopping season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Our findings contribute to a topic on which there is a paucity of empirical research.