Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2440/69774
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Type: Journal article
Title: The effect of accent of service employee on customer service evaluation
Author: Rao Hill, S.
Tombs, A.
Citation: Managing Service Quality, 2011; 21(6 Sp Iss):649-666
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd
Issue Date: 2011
ISSN: 0960-4529
1758-8030
Editor: Finsterwalder, J.
Statement of
Responsibility: 
Sally Rao Hill and Alastair Tombs
Abstract: Purpose – The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the attitudes, feelings and perceptions of Australian consumers towards service frontline employees with accents that differ from Standard Australian English, taking into consideration service-country image and customer emotions. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on a qualitative study designed to uncover the attitudes and perceptions of Australians towards service personnel with foreign accents. Findings – The findings revealed that hearing a service provider with a foreign accent, particularly in services encounters without face-to-face contacts, often evokes a negative predisposition to certain accents, reduces the customers’ level of tolerance and increases the perception of the service provider’s lack of understanding. This negative stereotype bias seems to be moderated by the accent (a proxy of ethnicity) and service-country image and influenced by customer emotions in the service interaction. Research limitations/implications – Future studies could also use a controlled experimental design where accent could be used as a sensory cue to further test the validity and reliability of the current findings while controlling for factors such as ethnic background, employment, education and age. Further research should also take service types and service outcomes into consideration in examining the effect of accents on customer service evaluation. Practical implications – Accent as a service employee attribute influences customers’ evaluation of the service encounter because of the stereotype customers have. Training in language skills, cross-cultural interpersonal skills and authority to deviate from the script should be given to minimise the negative effect of service employee accent. Service firms also need to develop strategies to manage customer emotions and reactions. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the service literature about service employee attributes and is particularly relevant to economies such as the USA, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia where immigrants are a large part of the service workforce.
Keywords: Service frontline employee
Accent
Customer emotions
Service evaluation
Customer service management
Consumer behaviour
Linguistics
Employees
Service industries
Australia
Ethnic groups
Rights: Copyright Emerald Group Publishing Limited
DOI: 10.1108/09604521111185637
Published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09604521111185637
Appears in Collections:Aurora harvest
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