Cocreation of the hospitality brand experience: A triadic interaction model

Abstract

Although dyadic interactions among customers have widely been acknowledged to impact customer experience, the interdependence between customers and the service provider may form a symbiotic force that attenuates how an experience is cocreated. This study focuses on triadic interactions among casino patrons by modeling employee-to-customer (E2C) interactions as a boundary condition that may moderate the effect of customer-to-customer interactions (C2C) and customer-to-companion (Cu2Co) interaction quality on brand experience. Data were collected among patrons from 30 casino establishments using a two-step sampling approach. Findings suggest that E2C interaction moderates the relationship between customer interactions and the brand experience, such that the C2C interaction quality effect is more salient under the high E2C interaction condition. Implications for both practice and theory as well as limitations and future directions are further discussed.

A quarantined lodging stay: The buffering effect of service quality

“…There are propositions and evidence to suggest that customers may be keener on high tech than on high touch in the service encounter ( Zeng et al, 2020 ). In other words, given the fact that conventional hospitality services rely heavily on employee–customer interactions in order to reach a high level of service and customer satisfaction ( Lin and Wong, 2020 ), the role of employees in the service delivery process is often emphasized and accentuated. However, the outbreak sets a new protocol for hospitality in which high touch (i.e., physical interactions with guests and employees) may not be desirable, at least from a temporal perspective during the pandemic.…”

Effect of Employee–Customer Interaction Quality on Customers’ Prohibitive Voice Behaviors: Mediating Roles of Customer Trust and Identification

“…Multiple-item 5-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) were applied to measure all constructs. ECI quality was measured with three items obtained from Lin and Wong (2020) . Customer trust was assessed with a three-item scale drawn from Morgan and Hunt (1994) .…”

“…From the customer perspective, ECI quality is defined as customer perceptions of the superiority of their interactions with employees. High-quality ECI are characterized as customers’ sense of effectiveness, helpfulness, and comfort regarding their interactions with employees ( Lin and Wong, 2020 ). Customers generally deal with employees when receiving services in a hospitality setting.…”

“…Thus, the roles of employees in improving customer experience must not be underestimated. Employee–customer interaction quality is conductive to improving customer–employee connections and customer satisfaction and loyalty ( So et al, 2013 ; Ranjan et al, 2015 ; Kaminakis et al, 2019 ; Wang and Lang, 2019 ), and moderates the positive effect of customer–to–customer interactions on brand experience ( Lin and Wong, 2020 ). Nonetheless, scant research empirically explores the effect of ECI quality on customers’ extra-role behaviors (customers’ prohibitive voice behaviors).…”

Delivering warmth and expediting love: just-in-time CSR in the midst of COVID-19 mega disruption

“…Following the methodological approach from prior literature (Wan et al , 2013), employees were further asked to play a reflecting role with both customers/tourists and community members through voice calls. The service setting is highly interaction-based, in that employee-customer interfaces are the most frequently occurring and most influential factor during the excursion, and hence, employees possess the necessary knowledge and experience in understanding patrons’ needs (Lin and Wong, 2020). Participants were approached by the means of the judgmental sampling approach to ensure their domain knowledge in comprehending the questions.…”