Initiative for Managing Services
Article Abstracts
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Article Abstracts
Please contact Lisa Faiello at faiello_1@fisher.osu.edu to receive a complimentary copy of any of these articles. Most articles are available in hard copy or by electronic file.
Article:
Donovan, Todd, Xiang Fang, Neeli Bendapudi and Surendra N. Singh, "Applying Interactional Psychology to Salesforce Management: a Socialization Illustration." Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal; 2/01/2004, Vol.7 Issue 2, p 139, 14p
Abstract:
- Modern interactionism asserts that both the P (person) and the E (environment or situation) should be considered simultaneously in predicting attitudes and behaviors. In this paper, we apply the interactionist view to salesforce research. Specifically, we use salesforce socialization as an example to illustrate how interactionist concepts from psychology can be effectively applied to salesforce research. The role of qualitative research in this context is explored.
Article:
Berry, Leonard L. and Neeli Bendapudi, "Clueing in Customers," Harvard Business Review; February 2003, Vol. 81 Issue 2, p100, 7p, 3c.
Abstract:
- The article discusses research conducted at Mayo Clinic, in which evidence reveals that the patient comes first. Mayo offers patients and their families concrete and convincing evidence of its strengths and values. The result is an exceptionally positive word of mouth and abiding customer loyalty. This has allowed Mayo Clinic to build what is arguably the most powerful brand in health care--with very little advertising--in an industry where few institutions have any brand recognition beyond their local markets. It is called 'evidence management': an organized, explicit approach to presenting customers with coherent, honest evidence of your abilities. During the authors' extensive study of the Mayo organization, they saw evidence-management practices that rival or surpass anything they've seen in the corporate sector, practices that are applicable outside of health care.
Article:
Bendapudi, Neeli and Robert P. Leone, "Psychological Implications of Customer Participation in Co-Production," Journal of Marketing; January 2003, Vol. 67 Issue 1, p14, 15p.
Abstract:
- Customer participation in the production of goods and services appears to be growing. The marketing literature has largely focused on the economic implications of this trend and has not addressed customers' potential psychological responses to participation. The authors draw on the social psychological literature on the self-serving bias and conduct two studies to examine the effects of participation on customer satisfaction. Study 1 shows that consistent with the self-serving bias, given an identical outcome, customer satisfaction with a firm differs depending on whether a customer participates in production. Study 2 shows that providing customers a choice in whether to participate mitigates the self-serving bias when the outcome is worse than expected. The authors present theoretical and practical implications and provide directions for further research.
Article:
Bendapudi, Neeli and Robert P. Leone, Managing Business-to-Business Customer Relationships Following Key Contact Employee Turnover in a Vendor Firm, Journal of Marketing; April 2002, Vol. 66 Issue 2, p83, 19p.
Abstract:
- Customers form relationships with the employees who serve them as well as with the vendor firms these employees represent. In many cases, a customer's relationship with an employee who is closest to them, a key contact employee, may be stronger than the customer's relationship with the vendor firm. If the key contact employee is no longer available to serve that customer, the vendor firm's relationship with the customer may become vulnerable. In this article, the authors present the results of two studies that examine what business-to-business customers value in their relationships with key contact employees, what customers' concerns are when a favored key contact employee is no longer available to serve them, and what vendor firms can do to alleviate these concerns and to retain employee knowledge even if they cannot retain the employee in that position. The studies are based on a discovery-oriented approach and integrate input from business-to-business customers, key contact employees, and managers from a broad cross-section of companies to develop testable propositions. The authors discuss managerial and theoretical implications for further research.
Article:
Bendapudi, Neeli and Robert P. Leone, How to Lose Your Star Performer without Losing Customers, Too, Harvard Business Review, November 2001, Vol. 79 Issue 10, p104, 7p.
Abstract:
- The authors conducted a two-year study to find out what happens to customer relationships when key contact employees depart. They found that the vast majority of managers know that when key contact employees leave, many customers do as well. However, they don't always understand the reasons for customer flight and, thus, don't know how to prevent it. The study found that the strategies companies use to keep customers when they lose key contact employees are by and large ineffective. Few companies take the time to ask customers what they care about when their relationships with key contact employees end. The authors found that when a key contact employee leaves, customer concerns are three: that they are losing their most important point of contact with the company, the replacement employee won't be as good as the previous contact, and they will have to start all over again. To effectively address these concerns, the authors suggest that companies notify customers of turnover quickly and professionally, and communicate the quality of all their employees.
Please contact Lisa Faiello at faiello_1@fisher.osu.edu for copies of articles.
