ABSTRACT
Service providers play a central role in organizations. This chapter integrates research on communication behaviors engaged in by providers in customer service interactions. Providers’ customer service styles may reflect a combination of courteous, personalized, and manipulative communication behaviors. The exact behaviors demonstrated in any given service interaction are greatly influenced by the provider’s status, the customer’s status, and time pressure. Providers may engage in courteous service behaviors, including phatic speech, nonverbal immediacy, and verbal immediacy. They may also offer personalized service by demonstrating a customer orientation, interaction involvement, information sharing, and social support. In addition, they may engage in manipulative service through such behaviors as bureaucratization, interaction control, compliance gaining, and emotion management. Whereas courteous and personalized service practices appear to contribute to customer satisfaction and compliance as well as provider job satisfaction, manipulative service practices have been more strongly linked to sales and tips as well as provider burnout. Future research is necessary to heighten our awareness of the role and impact of communication in customer service interactions.
