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

Abstract

Given that customer voice behaviors are confused with customer complaint behaviors in usage, this study thoroughly explains the essential differences between the two constructs. On that basis, this study investigates how employee–customer interaction (ECI) quality affects customers’ prohibitive voice behaviors, which is an crucial type of customer voice behaviors, by examining customer trust and identification as mediators. Data from 395 restaurant customers are collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that ECI quality positively affects customers’ prohibitive voice behaviors. In this effect, customer trust and identification play direct and sequential mediating roles. This study contributes theoretically to the current knowledge by clearly distinguishing customer voice behaviors from customer complaint behaviors and by providing new insights into the mechanism of customers’ prohibitive voice behaviors from the perspectives of service interaction and relational benefit enhancement. The practical implications of this study can help pointedly foster customers’ prohibitive voice behaviors.

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“…Three items adapted from Lee et al ( 2014 ) were used to measure gratitude toward the employee. Customer–company identification was assessed using four items developed by Yang et al ( 2017 ), which were also adopted by Chen and Li ( 2021 ). Service friendship was assessed with four items from Butcher et al ( 2001 ).…”

“…Three items measuring positive feedback, three items measuring tolerance, and three items measuring advocacy were derived from the scale developed by Yi and Gong ( 2013 ). We assessed prohibitive voice using three items modified by Chen and Li ( 2021 ). Participants were asked to describe whether they agreed with the description of their employee–customer interaction, applying a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree).…”

“…Furthermore, they are inclined to support it with a series of actions (Ahearne et al, 2005). Several empirical studies also found that customercompany identification is positively related to customer loyalty, customer in-role behavior, and extra-role behavior (Chen and Li, 2021;Mohan et al, 2021).…”

“…Also, being psychologically attached to the enterprise, customers might be glad to show more patience and tolerance during the service delivery process. In addition, since customers who identify with a specific enterprise care about the company, they are more likely to engage in prohibitive voice behavior to help the company address the shortcomings and corresponding improvement strategies (Ran and Zhou, 2020 ; Chen and Li, 2021 ).…”

“…Thus, there might be more positive emotions and behavioral outcomes beyond the normal reactions based on an equal exchange. More importantly, it is the frontline employees who have direct contact with customers, and many service processes are achieved by frontline employees independently (Chen and Li, 2021 ). Compared with the service provider–receiver dyadic interaction (Wang and Lang, 2019 ), the relationship between the customer and the organization might be of a more indirect nature.…”