Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to study the service responses of service providers to the affective states of business clients and to test whether they have a positive effect on the client's job performance, as well as their satisfaction and bonding to the service provider. Design/methodology/approach -The results are based on a survey of 240 business travellers in Taiwan. Ordinary least square regression is applied to test the relationships. Findings -Statistical tests confirm that service responses to emotional states have a positive effect on customer satisfaction, job performance and bonding. While service responses aimed at easing customers' emotional problems increase satisfaction and job performance, true bonding is only facilitated through service responses that are centred on affection and social-emotional support.Research limitations/implications -The authors investigate the personal service encounter with business customers who are using the service to perform a task. The findings are applicable to services that deal with customers in a similar way. Practical implications -The paper shows that appropriate service responses to emotional states of customers, including business customers, can lead to higher satisfaction and bonding to the service provider. Service responses enable business customers to perform better. Originality/value -The authors apply the concept of pre-consumption emotions of customers to business clients. While pre-consumption emotional states of customers have been studied much less that the elicitation of customer emotions, in the business-to-business sector emotions are seldom addressed. However, the study demonstrates that emotions are an important input factor that clients bring into the service encounter, which service providers can deal with to their competitive advantage.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the essential abilities service employees need to deliver an exceptional service that delights customers and to identify effective methods to train exceptional service employees.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted in-depth interviews with seven senior butlers and three human resource managers from four of the most renowned five-star hotels in Taiwan. Interviews with the two groups of participants provided good triangulation and allowed us to gain different perspectives and to obtain a more holistic understanding of the research topic.
Findings
This study systematically organized the essential abilities required to deliver delightful service into three hierarchical levels: professionalism, the ability to respond to customers’ emotions and hidden needs and build bonds with them, and the ability to deliver one-stop service. The authors propose that the most effective training method is to develop a customer-oriented service climate. Such an environment will enable service employees to be naturally molded into exceptional service personnel. Several training methods are identified to build a customer-oriented service environment within a company.
Research limitations/implications
This study focused on the staff of five-star hotels. The proposed service standards and abilities may only be applicable to high-end service providers. Furthermore, this study used only a qualitative research method (in-depth interviews) to develop a preliminary training model to foster outstanding service employees. This model can be further verified using a quantitative method and a larger number of participants in a future study.
Originality/value
This research provides contributions to the literature on delightful service and human resources management.
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