Customer Participation Stress In Service Encounters: Developing A Customer Participation Demands–Resources Model

Abstract

Prior customer participation research has mostly focused on its positive effects and largely neglected potential negative outcomes. However, customer participation might be stressful and such customer participation stress (CPS) may have negative consequences on customers’ perceptions and behavior during the service process. This research extends previous research by investigating the stressors within the actual customer participation process as well as its negative effects. Based on a critical incident study, the authors develop a comprehensive model of CPS by adjusting the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to the customer participation context. The authors test the model with data from German retail banks’ customers (N=522). The results confirm that customers experience CPS. The adapted JDR model explains this stress, show that participation demands increase and participation resources reduce CPS. In contrast with prior research, we did not find that social support buffers but even enhances the negative effects of participation demands on CPS. Findings moreover reveal that CPS impairs customer participation. Managers can use these findings to improve their customer participation strategies according to CPS and its drivers.