Understanding special requests as drivers of customer citizenship behaviors: the mediating role of gratitude and satisfaction

ABSTRACT Customer special requests are requests that fall outside frontline employees’ (FLE) normal job duties, requiring them to adapt to fit customer’s needs. Adopting the customer perspective, this study aims to understand how can service firms benefit from an efficient reply to these requests. Two hundred and eighty customers were surveyed regarding a plethora of self-selected requests. Results show that FLE’s adaptive behaviors promote customer citizenship behaviors (CCB) through gratitude and satisfaction, revealing a dual route to CCB according to request type. The study contributes a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the FLE–customer reciprocal relationship, showing that special requests produce value for both parts.