Exploring the influence of the human factor on customer satisfaction in call centres
- Dorina Chicua 1
- Maria del Mar Pàmies 1
- Gerard Ryana 1
- Christine Cross 2
-
1
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
info
- 2 Kemmy Business School (Irlanda)
ISSN: 2340-9444, 2340-9436
Year of publication: 2019
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
Pages: 83-95
Type: Article
More publications in: Business Research Quarterly
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the human or employee-related factors that shape customer satisfaction in the context of call centres. The literature review draws from a range of disperse disciplines including Service Quality, Human Resource Management and Marketing. The empirical study explores the different variables identified to obtain a nuanced analysis of the employee-related paths that lead to customer satisfaction in call centres. The study employs data from 109 call centres and utilises PLS for our exploratory purposes. Call centre managers should note that investing in HR practices will pay off in terms of improving the elusive phenomenon of customer satisfaction within call centres.
Bibliographic References
- Abdullateef, A., Mokhtar, S., Yusoff, R., The mediating effects of first call resolution on call centers’ performance. J. Database Mark. Cust. Strategy Manag. 18:1 (2011), 16–30.
- Aksin, Z., Armony, M., Mehrotra, V., The modern call center: a multi-disciplinary perspective on operations management research. Prod. Oper. Manag. 16:6 (2007), 665–688.
- Anton, J., Call Center Management by the Numbers. 1997, Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, Indiana.
- Bain, P., Watson, A., Mulvey, G., Taylor, P., Gall, G., Taylorism, targets and the pursuit of quantity and quality by call centre management. New Tech. Work Employ. 17:3 (2002), 170–185.
- Banks, D., Roodt, G., The efficiency and quality dilemma: what drives South African call centre management performance indicators?. S. Afr. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 9:1 (2011), 55–71.
- Barclay, D., Higgins, C., Thompson, R., The partial least squares (PLS) approach to causal modeling: personal computer adoption and use as an illustration. Technol. Stud. 2:2 (1995), 285–309.
- Batt, R., Managing customer services: human resource practices, quit rates, and sales growth. Acad. Manag. J. 45:3. (2002), 587–597.
- Batt, R., The viability of alternative call center production models. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 12:4. (2002), 14–34.
- Batt, R., Colvin, A.J.S., An employment systems approach to turnover: human resources practices, quits, dismissals, and performance. Acad. Manag. J. 54:4 (2011), 695–717.
- Bennington, L., Cummane, J., Conn, P., Customer satisfaction and call centers: an Australian study. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 11:2 (2000), 162–173.
- Bharadwaj, N., Roggeveen, A., The impact of offshored and outsourced call service centers on customer appraisals. Mark. Lett. 19:1 (2008), 13–23.
- Blumberg, M., Pringle, C., The missing opportunity in organizational research: some implications for a theory of work performance. Acad. Manag. Rev. 7:4 (1982), 560–569.
- Brown, G., Maxwell, G., Customer Service in UK call centres: organisational perspectives and employee perceptions. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 9:6 (2002), 309–316.
- Boxall, P., Purcell, J., Strategy and Human Resource Management. 2003, Palgrave Macmillan, London.
- Burgers, A., de Ruyter, K., Keen, C., Streukens, S., Customer expectation dimensions of voice-to-voice service encounters: a scale-development study. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 11:2 (2000), 142–161.
- Castilla, E., Social networks and employee performance in a call center. Am. J. Sociol. 110:5 (2005), 1243–1283.
- Cheong, K., Kim, J., So, S., A study of strategic call center management: relationship between key performance indicators and customer satisfaction. Eur. J. Social Sci. 6:2 (2008), 268–276.
- Chicu, D., Valverde, M., Ryan, G., Batt, R., The service-profit chain in call centre services. J. Serv. Theory Pract. 26:5 (2016), 616–641.
- Chin, W., A partial least square latent variable modelling approach for measuring interaction effects: results from a Monte Carlo simulation study and an electronic-mail. Inform. Syst. 14:2 (2003), 189–2017.
- Chin, W., Marcoulides, G., The partial least squares approach for structural equation modelling. Mod. Meth. Bus. Res. 295:2. (1998), 295–336.
- Ciavolino, E., Dahlgaard, J., ECSI – customer satisfaction modelling and analysis: a case study. Total Qual. Manag. Bus. Excell. 18:5 (2007), 545–554.
- Cohen, J., Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 1988, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, New York.
- Connell, J., Hannif, Z., Burgess, J., Australian call centres: time to search for a new management model?. Int. Employ. Relat. Rev. 15:1 (2009), 1–15.
- Curry, A., Lyon, W., Call centre service quality for the public: a Scottish framework for the future. Manag. Serv. Qual. 18:2 (2008), 194–208.
- Day, R.L., Bodur, M., Consumer response to dissatisfaction with services and intangibles. Adv. Consum. Res. 5:1 (1978), 263–272.
- de Ruyter, K., Wetzels, M., The impact of perceived listening behavior in voice-to-voice service encounters. J. Serv. Res. 2:3 (2000), 276–284.
- Dean, A., Rethinking customer expectations of service quality: are call centers different?. J. Serv. Mark. 18:1 (2004), 60–78.
- Dean, A., The impact of the customer orientation of call center employees on customers’ affective commitment and loyalty. J. Serv. Res. 10:2 (2007), 161–173.
- Dean, A., Service quality in call centres: implications for customer loyalty. Manag. Serv. Qual. 12:6 (2002), 414–423.
- Dean, A., Rainnie, A., Frontline employees’ views on organizational factors that affect the delivery of service quality in call centers. J. Serv. Mark. 23:5 (2009), 326–337.
- Dean, D., What's wrong with IVR self-service. Manag. Serv. Qual. 18:6 (2008), 594–609.
- De Nucci, T., How to put the quality back in call center customer service: potentials and pitfalls. Benefits Q. 27:2 (2011), 7–11.
- De Véricourt, F., Zhou, Y.-P., Managing response time in a call-routing problem with service failure. Oper. Res. 53:6 (2005), 968–981.
- Efron, B., Tibshirani, R., An Introduction to the Bootstrap. 1994, CRC Press, Florida.
- Ellway, B., The voice-to-technology (V2T) encounter and the call centre servicescape: navigation, spatiality and movement. J. Serv. Manag. 25:3 (2014), 349–368.
- Eric, P., Tom, A., Charles, E., Operational challenges in the call center industry: a case study and resource-based framework. Manag. Serv. Qual. 16:5 (2006), 477–500.
- Evanschitzky, H., Sharma, A., Prykop, C., The role of the sales employee in securing customer satisfaction. Eur. J. Mark. 46:3 (2012), 489–508.
- Feinberg, R.A., Hokama, L., Kadam, R., Kim, I., Operational determinants of caller satisfaction in the banking/financial services call center. Int. J. Bank Mark. 20:4 (2002), 174–180.
- Feinberg, R.A., Kim, I., Hokama, L., De Ruyter, K., Keen, C., Operational determinants of caller satisfaction in the call center. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 11:2 (2000), 131–141.
- Fernie, S., Metcalf, D., (Not) hanging on the telephone: payment systems in the new sweatshops. 1998, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science, London.
- Fornell, C., Larcker, D., Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. J. Mark. Res. 18:1 (1981), 39–50.
- Frenkel, S., Tam, M., Korczynski, M., Shire, K., Beyond bureaucracy? Work organization in call centres. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 9:6 (1998), 957–979.
- Garcia, D., Archer, T., Ghiabi, B., Moradi, S., Waiting in vain: managing time and customer satisfaction at call centers. Psychology (Irvine) 3:2 (2012), 213–216.
- Geisser, S., The predictive sample reuse method with applications. J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 70:350 (1975), 320–328.
- Gilmore, A., Call centre management: is service quality a priority?. Manag. Serv. Qual. 11:3 (2001), 153–159.
- Gilmore, A., Moreland, L., Call centres: how can service quality be managed?. Irish Mark. Rev. 13:1 (2000), 3–11.
- Gorjup, M., Valverde, M., Ryan, G., In search of job quality in call centers. Pers. Rev. 38:3 (2009), 253–269.
- Halliden, B., Monks, K., Employee-centred management in a call centre. Pers. Rev. 34:3 (2005), 370–383.
- Helms, M., Mayo, D., Assessing poor quality service: perceptions of customer service representatives. Manag. Serv. Qual. 18:6 (2008), 610–622.
- Henderson, K., Evans, J., Successful implementation of Six Sigma: benchmarking general electric company. Benchmarking: An International Journal 7:4 (2000), 260–282.
- Heskett, J., Sasser, W., Schlesinger, L., The Service Profit Chain: How Leading Companies Link Profit and Growth to Loyalty, Satisfaction and Value. 1997, The Free Press, Simon and Schuster Inc., New York.
- Heskett, J., Schlesinger, L., Putting the service-profit chain to work. Harv. Bus. Rev. 72:2 (1994), 164–174.
- Holman, D., An explanation of cross-national variation in call centre job quality using institutional theory. Work Employ. Soc. 27:1 (2013), 21–38.
- Holman, D., Batt, R., Holtgrewe, U., The global call center report: International perspectives on management and employment. London. 2007.
- Hurley, R.F., Estelami, H., An exploratory study of employee turnover indicators as predictors of customer satisfaction. J. Serv. Mark. 21:3 (2007), 186–199.
- Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., Kinnie, N., Evolving high commitment management and the experience of the RAC call centre. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 10:1 (2000), 63–78.
- Jaiswal, A., Customer satisfaction and service quality measurement in Indian call centres. Manag. Serv. Qual. 18:4 (2008), 405–416.
- Jasmand, C., Blazevic, V., de Ruyter, K., Generating sales while providing service: a study of customer service representatives’ ambidextrous behavior. J. Mark. 76:1 (2012), 20–37.
- Jöreskog, K., Testing structural equation models. Bollen, K., Scott, L., (eds.) Testing Structural Equation Models, 1993, Sage Publications, New York, 294–316.
- Kaplan, R., Norton, D., The balanced scorecard-measures that drive performance. Harv. Bus. Rev. 70:1 (1992), 71–90.
- Kaplan, R., Norton, D., Putting the balanced scorecard to work. The Economic Impact of Knowledge, 1998, 315–324.
- Keiningham, T., Aksoy, L., Tor, W., Cooil, B., Wahren, B., Call center satisfaction and customer retention in a co-branded service context. Manag. Serv. Qual. 16:3 (2006), 269–289.
- Krafcik, J., Triumph of the lean production system. Sloan Manage. Rev. 30:1 (1988), 41–51.
- Levesque, T., McDougall, G., Customer dissatisfaction: the relationship between types of problems and customer response. Can. J. Adm. Sci. 13:3 (1996), 264–276.
- Litte, M., Dean, A., Links between service climate, employee commitment and employees’ service quality capability. Manag. Serv. Qual. 16:5 (2006), 460–476.
- Liu, L., Operationalizing service quality: providers’ perspective. Proceedings for the Northeast Region Decision Sciences Institute, Northeast Decision Sciences Institute, 2010, 533–538.
- Maddern, H., Maull, R., Smart, A., Baker, P., Customer satisfaction and service quality in UK financial services. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 27:9 (2007), 999–1019.
- Makarem, S., Satisfaction in technology-enabled service encounters. J. Serv. Mark. 23:3 (2009), 134–144.
- Malhotra, N., Mukherjee, A., The relative influence of organisational commitment and job satisfaction on service quality of customer-contact employees in banking call centres. J. Serv. Mark. 18:3 (2004), 162–174.
- Marr, B., Parry, S., Performance management in call centers: lessons, pitfalls and achievements in Fujitsu Services. Meas. Bus. Excell. 8:4 (2004), 55–62.
- McAdam, R., Davies, J., Keogh, B., Finnegan, A., Customer orientated Six Sigma in call centre performance measurement. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 26:6 (2009), 516–545.
- McGuire, D., McLaren, L., The impact of physical environment on employee commitment in call centres: the mediating role of employee well-being. Team Perform. Manag. 15:1 (2009), 35–48.
- Miciak, A., Desmarais, M., Benchmarking service quality performance at business-to-business and business-to-consumer call centers. J. Bus. Ind. Mark. 16:5 (2001), 340–353.
- Mittal, V., Kumar, P., Tsiros, M., Attribute-level performance, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions over time: a consumption-system approach. J. Mark. 63:2 (1999), 88–101.
- Mukherjee, A., Malhotra, N., Does role clarity explain employee-perceived service quality? A study of antecedents and consequences in call centres. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 17:5 (2006), 444–473.
- Nunnally, J., Psychometric Theory. 1967, McGraw-Hill, New York.
- Origo, F., Pagani, L., Workplace flexibility and job satisfaction: some evidence from Europe. Int. J. Manpower 29:6 (2008), 539–566.
- Palson, C., Seidlitz, D., Customer satisfaction at a software support call center. Qual. Prog. 33:1 (2000), 71–75.
- Panther, T., Farquhar, J., Consumer responses to dissatisfaction with financial service providers: an exploration of why some stay while others switch. J. Financ. Serv. Mark. 8:4 (2004), 343–353.
- Papazissimou, L., Georgopoulos, A., Customer-driven philosophy in the banking industry under different ownership status: the case of Greece. Serv. Ind. J. 29:5 (2009), 607–620.
- Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V., Berry, L., SERVQUAL: a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. J. Retail. 64:1 (1988), 12–40.
- Piercy, N., Rich, N., Lean transformation in the pure service environment: the case of the call service centre. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 29:1 (2009), 54–76.
- Piercy, N., Rich, N., High quality and low cost: the lean service centre. Eur. J. Mark. 43:11 (2009), 1477–1497.
- Poddar, A., Madupalli, R., Problematic customers and turnover intentions of customer service employees. J. Serv. Mark. 26:7 (2012), 551–559.
- Porter, L., Lawler, E., Managerial Attitudes and Performance. 1968, Homewood, Irwin.
- Prendergast, G., Marr, N., Disenchantment discontinuance in the diffusion of self-service technologies in the services industry: a case study in retail banking. J. Int. Consum. Mark. 7:2 (1994), 25–40.
- Rafaeli, A., The impact of Call Center employees’ customer orientation behaviours on service quality. J. Serv. Res. 10:3 (2008), 239–255.
- Ramseook-Munhurrun, P., Naidoo, P., Lukea-Bhiwajee, S., Measuring service quality: perceptions of employees. Global J. Bus. Res. 4:1 (2010), 47–58.
- Ravichandran, K., Mani, B., Kumar, S., Prabhakaran, S., Influence of service quality on customer satisfaction application of SERVQUAL model. Int. J. Bus. Manag. 5:4 (2010), 117–124.
- Raz, A., Blank, E., Ambiguous professionalism: managing efficiency and service quality in an Israeli call centre. New Tech. Work Employ. 22:1 (2007), 83–96.
- Ren, Z., Zhou, Y., Call center outsourcing: coordinating staffing level and service quality. Manag. Sci. 54:2 (2008), 369–383.
- Robinson, G., Morley, C., Call centre management: responsibilities and performance. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 17:3 (2006), 284–300.
- Rod, M., Ashill, N., The impact of call centre stressors on inbound and outbound call-centre agent burnout. Manag. Serv. Qual. 23:3 (2013), 245–258.
- Schalk, R., van Rijckevorsel, A., Factors influencing absenteeism and intention to leave in a call centre. New Tech. Work Employ. 22:3 (2007), 260–274.
- Scott, K.D., Taylor, G., An examination of conflicting findings on the relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism: a meta-analysis. Acad. Manag. J. 28:3 (1985), 599–612.
- Sergeant, A., Frenkel, S., When do customer contact employees satisfy customers?. J. Serv. Res. 3:1 (2000), 18–34.
- Sharma, P., Offshore outsourcing of customer services – boon or bane?. J. Serv. Mark. 26:5 (2012), 352–364.
- Sharma, P., Mathur, R., Dhawan, A., Exploring customer reactions to offshore call centers: toward a comprehensive conceptual framework. J. Serv. Mark. 23:5 (2009), 289–300.
- Silvestro, R., Dispelling the modern myth: employee satisfaction and loyalty drive service profitability. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 22:1 (2002), 30–49.
- Stone, M., Cross-validatory choice and assessment of statistical predictions. J. R. Stat. Soc. 36:2 (1974), 111–147.
- Taylor, P., Mulvey, G., Hyman, J., Bain, P., Work organization, control and the experience of work in Call Centres. Work Employ. Soc. 16:1 (2002), 133–150.
- Thompson, P., Wallace, T., Redesigning production through teamworking: case studies from the Volvo Truck Corporation. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 16:2 (1996), 103–118.
- Townsend, K., Recruitment, training and turnover: another call centre paradox. Pers. Rev. 36:3 (2007), 476–490.
- Upal, M., Dhaka, B., Telecommunication service gap: call center service quality perception and satisfaction. J. Commun. IBIMA 3 (2008), 18–27.
- Valverde, M., Ryan, G., Gorjup, M., An examination of the quality of jobs in the call center industry. Int. Adv. Econ. Res. 13:2 (2007), 146–156.
- Van den Broek, D., Callaghan, G., Thompson, P., Teams without teamwork? Explaining the call centre paradox. Econ. Ind. Democracy 25:2 (2004), 197–218.
- Wallace, C.M., Eagleson, G., Waldersee, R., The sacrificial HR strategy in call centers. Int. J. Serv. Ind. Manag. 11:2 (2000), 174–184.
- Walsh, G., Gouthier, M., Gremler, D., Brach, S., What the eye does not see, the mind cannot reject: can call center location explain differences in customer evaluations?. Int. Bus. Rev. 21:5 (2012), 957–967.
- Wegge, J., Work motivation, organisational identification, and well-being in call centre work. Work Stress 20:1 (2006), 60–83.
- Wegge, J., Vogt, J., Wecking, C., Customer-induced stress in call centre work: a comparison of audio and videoconference. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 80:4 (2007), 693–712.
- Welch, J., Welch, S., Primus, B., Winkelmann, H., Winning. 2005, Harper Collins, New York.
- Werts, C., Linn, R., Jöreskog, K., Intraclass reliability estimates: testing structural assumptions. Educ. Psycol. Meas. 34:1 (1974), 25–33.
- Wold, H., Soft modelling: the basic design and some extensions. Systems under Indirect Observation, Part II, 1982, North Holland Press, Amsterdam.
- Wold, H., Partial least squares. Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, 1985, Wiley, New York.
- Wood, S., Holman, D., Stride, C., Human resource management and performance in UK call centres. Brit. J. Ind. Relat. 44:1 (2006), 99–124.
- Yee, R., Yeung, A., Cheng, T., The impact of employee satisfaction on quality and profitability in high-contact service. J. Oper. Manag. 26:5 (2008), 651–668.
- Yee, R., Yeung, A., Cheng, T., The service-profit chain: an empirical analysis in high-contact service industries. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 130:2 (2011), 236–245.
- Yi, Y., A critical review of consumer satisfaction. Zeithaml, V., (eds.) Review of Marketing, 1990, American Marketing Association, Chicago, 68–123.