Managing customer misbehavior: challenges and strategies

Abstract

Purpose -In this study the authors aim to explore the impact of customer misbehavior on frontline employees and managers and to elucidate the management tactics and strategies that managers employ in an attempt to minimize the impact of customer misbehavior on the workplace. Design/methodology/approach -Following a discussion of the research design and methodology employed, the findings of 88 in-depth interviews are presented. Findings -These data suggest that customer misbehavior impacts on frontline employees, managers, and managerial strategies. Three main effects of customer misbehavior on customer-contact employees are uncovered: physiological, cognitive, and attitudinal. These are connected with four main management challenges: conflicting pressures, recruitment and retention, counseling and motivation, and time expenditure. Finally, data analysis finds evidence of six main ways in which managers attempted to reduce or to alleviate harmful customer misbehavior: selective recruitment, changes to training and induction procedures, enhanced rewards, work-team design, increase counseling, and alterations to the servicescape. Practical implications -The authors recommend that practitioners undertake a misbehavior audit that explores not only the extent of customer misbehavior but also the mechanisms, systems, and procedures the organization has for identifying, recording, and attempting to minimize the effects of dysfunctional customer behavior. Originality/value -This study contributes insights into how customer-contact personnel and managers are both affected and cope with customer misbehavior. These insights are helpful for service managers faced with customer misbehavior and academicians interested in how employees respond to contemporary customers.

Customer misbehavior and store managers' work‐to‐family enrichment: The moderated mediation effect of work meaningfulness and organizational affective commitment

“…Harris and Daunt () found in their study that customer misbehavior places store managers under conflicting pressures. On one hand, store managers need to follow the service norm and company's guideline that “the customer is always right.” On the other hand, the encounter of customer misbehavior makes them feel “real customers are not very nice” (Harris & Daunt, , pp. 286–287).…”

“…Furthermore, committed store managers should find it rewarding to engage in more mentoring activities (Loi et al, ), which can support their staff to meet the challenges of customer misbehavior. Instead of focusing on the negative consequences brought to their staff by badly behaved customers, they would take initiative to communicate with their staff to reinforce organizational visions, goals, and values, and equip their staff with special techniques to improve interactions with misbehaving customers (Harris & Daunt, ). Accordingly, they are less likely to perceive that they are not making greater good for others.…”

“…When customers misbehave, they may question the significance and the positive meaning attached to their work, which may hinder their subsequent work-to-family enrichment. Harris and Daunt (2013) found in their study that customer misbehavior places store managers under conflicting pressures. On one hand, store managers need to follow the service norm and company's guideline that "the customer is always right."…”

Who Approves Fraudulence? Configurational Causes of Consumers’ Unethical Judgments

“…The phenomenon of consumer misbehavior can take various forms ranging from verbal or physical abuse of employees to vandalism, consumer theft, or financial fraud (Fisk et al 2010;Harris and Daunt 2013). The aggregate impact of such misbehaviors is often substantial and manifests in negative externalities for organizations, frontline employees, other consumers, and sometimes even society at large (Fullerton and Punj 2004).…”

Concept, Motives and Channels of Digital Shadow Economy: Consumers’ Attitude

“…The term digital piracy (or e-piracy) is defined as the illegal or unauthorized copying/downloading of particular copyrighted content (Castro et al 2009;Camarero et al 2014). Finally, the term dysfunctional consumer behaviour online means consumers' actions in the Internet that violate the generally accepted norms of conduct in trade (Harris, Daunt 2013), for instance, purchasing of a product with the intention to return it for reimbursement, making a fraudulent or illegitimate claim for financial gain, etc. (Vlachos et al 2011;Amasiatu, Shah 2014).…”