Alexander Rossmann

Purpose - This paper conceptualizes and empirically tests the determinants of service interaction quality (SIQ) as attitude, behavior, and expertise of service provider (SP). Further, the individual and simultaneous effects of SIQ and its dimensions on important marketing outcomes are tested. Design/methodology/approach - The narrative review of extant research helps formulate a conceptual model of SIQ, which is investigated using univariate and multivariate meta-analysis. Findings - There are interdependencies between drivers of SIQ that underlines the need to (a) conceptualize service interaction as a dyadic phenomenon, (b) use contemporary multilevel models, dyadic models, non-linear SEMs, and process studies, and (c) study new and diverse services contexts. Meta-analysis illustrates the relative importance of the three drivers of SIQ and, in turn, their impact on consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Research limitations/implications - The meta-analysis is based on existing research, which unfortunately has not examined critical services or exigency situations where SIQ is of paramount importance. Future research will be tasked with diversifying to several important domains where SIQ is a critical aspect of perceived service quality. Practical implications - This study emphasizes that, although the expertise of SP is important, firms would be surprised to learn that the attitude and behavior of their employees are equally important antecedents. In fact, there is a delicate balance that needs to be found; otherwise, attitudinal factors can have an overall counterproductive effect on consumer satisfaction. Originality/value - This paper provides an empirical synthesis of SIQ and opens up interesting areas for further research. Keywords: Service interaction quality, Attitude, Behavior, Expertise, Meta-analysis, Review Paper type: Research paper

In recent years, marketing scholars have invested heavily in exploring the role of social media in marketing theory and practice. Whereas, traditional channels have been long utilized to provide consumer services, one emergent strategy is the use of social media in service delivery. This paper evaluates a) the concept of perceived complaint handling quality across traditional and modern channel when firms use multiple channels, and b) the subsequent implications of these differences, on outcomes such as customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and cross-purchase preferences. The framework presented here is tested against data collected from two different channels - hotline and social media - of a large German telecommunication service provider. The result elucidates the effectiveness of customer service strategies in different channels, and sets the ground to frame tractable channel migration metrics.

The generation of electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) has received significant attention in social media research. However, the theory of antecedents for user engagement with eWoM communication is less developed. In an investigation of 576 unique user postings across independent Facebook (FB) communities of two German firms, we complement existing knowledge about the user engagement with eWoM in three different ways. First, we conceptualize user engagement and measure this construct as a weighted combination of Likes and Comments. The results show a positive effect of senders' prior usage experience and the extent of their acquaintance with other community members on user engagement. Second, the type of community moderates these main effects. In service communities, experience has a stronger impact on user engagement; whereas, in product communities, acquaintance plays a more important role. Third, post-hoc analysis highlights the impact of acquaintance and experience if and when Likes and Comments as constituents of user engagement are weighted differently. Managerial and theoretical implications for fostering user engagement and optimizing eWoM communication are discussed.

In recent years, the rise of social media received significant importance in marketing research. Social media applications now provide executives with a raft of new options. Consequently, interfaces to social media platforms have also been integrated into Business-to-Business (B2B) salesforce applications, although very little is as yet known about their usage and gen-eral impact on B2B sales performance. This paper evaluates 1) the conceptualization of social media usage in a dyadic B2B relationship; 2) the effects of a more differentiated usage con-struct on customer satisfaction; 3) antecedents of social media usage on multiple levels; and 4) the effectiveness of social media usage for different types of customers. The framework presented here is tested cross-industry against data collected from dyadic buyer-seller rela-tionships in the IT service industry. The results elucidate the preconditions and the impact of social media usage strategies in B2B sales relations.

Word of Mouth communication has gained renewed prominence with the proliferation of electronic Word of Mouth (eWoM). Both types are customer generated sources of information, which are considered more credible, empathetic, and relevant than a marketer's communication efforts. While the generation of eWoM has received significant attention in existing research, the nomology of what causes engagement with eWoM is less developed. This research complements our current understanding by investigating the consumer-to-consumer context of two different online communities on Facebook. We examine the simultaneous effect of senders' prior experience of products and services and the extent of their acquaintance with other members on user engagement. The results offer significant insights into community strategies in order to foster user engagement and optimize eWoM communication.

In recent years, marketing scholars have invested heavily in exploring the role of social media in marketing theory and practice. One valuable strategy for using social media in marketing communication is to provide customer services in applications like Facebook or Twitter. This paper evaluates a) the concept of perceived service quality in different service channels and b) the impact customer service strategies have on customer loyalty, word of mouth com-munication, and cross-sell preferences. The framework presented here is tested cross-channel against data collected from the customer service department of a large telecommunication provider. The results elucidate the effectiveness of customer service strategies in different channels.

In recent years, marketing scholars have invested heavily in exploring the role of social media in marketing theory and practice. One valuable strategy for using social media in marketing communication is to provide customer services in applications like Facebook or Twitter. This paper evaluates a) the concept of service quality in social media channels and b) the impact customer service strategies have on customer loyalty, word of mouth communication, and cross-sell preferences. The framework presented here is tested cross-channel against data collected from the customer service department of a large telecommunication provider. The results elucidate the effectiveness of customer service strategies in different channels.