ABSTRACT
Front line service employees play an important role in the marketing of their organizations, given that in many instances they are the proverbial ‘face’ of the organization. Consumer interactions with them, therefore, provide the possibility for enhancement of the brand image and reputation (in the case of favorable interactions) or for degradation of the brand (in the case of unfavorable interactions). Traditionally, front line service employee interactions with consumers have been face-to-face. However, as more and more consumers use social media for customer-to-customer communication as well as to communicate with businesses, this has added another dimension to the traditional in-person front line service employee–consumer interaction. Interactions can now take place online, including via internet websites and social media platforms. In addition, there are some service providers that deliver services purely online, whereas other service providers deliver their services primarily in person. The goal of this chapter is to investigate the role of front line service employees in customer engagement, regardless of channel of service delivery. A primary aim is to understand who front line service employees are, as well as the functions they perform in both environments, offline or online, and how they engender customer engagement. The chapter proposes a model of front line service employee involvement in customer engagement and customer relationship management, taking into account the channel of service delivery as a moderator, and providing implications.
