ServiceFriday: How Much is Too Much? Helicopter Employees Might Bring You Crashing Down

Just as children might feel smothered by overprotective parents, recent research published in the Journal of Service Research has identified that there are similar effects on the relationship between customers and front line employees. “Our findings suggest a ‘latitude of acceptance’ for employee extra effort. Extra effort, exemplified in employee extra-role behavior, can elicit the positive reaction of customer gratitude when the employee behavior is perceived as appropriate and upholding norms. Nonetheless, when employee behavior becomes excessive, such as engaging in too much effort by going outside of the norm, the behavior fosters a threatening encounter by eliciting indebtedness.”  

What the researchers found is that a customer’s feelings of gratitude at the point of a front line service encounter, while considered positive, can tip over into the customer feeling a sense of indebtedness, which brings about negative emotions for the customer. “In gratitude experiences, participants explained that employees were ‘looking out’ for the participants’ best interests with ‘no expectation of return’.” However, when an employee’s actions are perceived as going too far by the customer, this brings about negative feelings related to he employee and the encounter.  

From a managerial perspective, it is important to understand the ways in which to coach front line employees in order for their behaviors and actions not to illicit a negative reaction in their customers. “Our findings indicate that managers may want to implement employee training programs, perhaps using modeling or role-playing techniques, aimed toward demonstrating employee benevolent intentions and attenuating displays of selfish intentions and excessive extra-role behavior.”

The research also highlights the benefits of providing a “service script” to assist front line employees with service interactions. This can help to offset or mitigate the negative effects of indebtedness, and promote the desired effect of gratitude. 

To access the article in the Journal of Service Research, visit this link at Sage Publications: https://bit.ly/2vo9lYx (A fee may apply.)