Partial Employees and Consumers

Abstract

This analysis aims to highlight the impact of both 'partial employees' and 'partial consumers' on the service delivery process. Effective service delivery often requires the participation of the customer. Accordingly, the customer may be conceptualized as a partial employee. Further, service employees may 'consume' their roles and duties as providers of service. Although the services literature has developed the notion of the partial employee to some extent, the concept is not developed within a comprehensive, theoretical framework. And, the portrayal of service employees as consumers (i.e. partial consumers) is largely undeveloped. As an emergent cultural philosophy, postmodernism offers a basis for developing a framework incorporating the notion of the partial employee, as well as an understanding of the effects and contributions of other service participants (i.e. service providers) as partial consumers. The implications of treating the consumer as partial employee and the employee as partial consumer in the delivery of the service experience are many. For instance, this notion inspires an expanded view of service exchange as a productive (consumptive) moment, which, in turn, requires a shift in orientation from an emphasis that con-Volume 1(2): 225-243 articles 1470-5931[200112]1:2;225-243;020337siders only managing the functional benefits that the service provides to managing both employees and consumer alike.

Re-Positioning Customer Loyalty in a Fast Moving Consumer Goods Market

“…Overall, there are strong indications that fundaments of value are changing, leaving retention behind and focusing on how to view loyal customers. In such a context, there is research indicating the importance to consider the customer as a participator instead of a receiver (Manolis et al, 2001). The customer thus becomes part of the organization, a sort of volunteer, and as such contributes in an important way to the implementation of maybe an offering or a product.…”

“…By considering the customer to be a resource within the firm, the customer can be seen as valuable not only as a source of income, but also as a source of competence, human knowledge and skills (Vargo and Lusch, 2004). This postmodern view of the concept of partial employee and partial customer within the service literature is based on the idea that the boarders between the firm and the customer are blurring, and both employees and customers engage in the production (Bowers et al, 1990; Manolis et al, 2001; Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2002, 2004a, 2004b). The contemporary digital customer already perform activities that historically used to be carried out by employees, i.e., self-scanning in grocery stores, self-check-in at airports and hotels, taxi bookings and other self-service-technologies.…”

From bad to worse

“…Thus, customer socialization through such means as organizational literature, environmental cues, realistic service previews, or setting expectations for service delivery (Kelley, Skinner, & Donnelly, 1992) enables the company to manage customers' expectations of and participation in the service delivery and to communicate which types of behaviors are or are not acceptable . Making customers more accountable and aware of their role in the exchange increases the likelihood that they will assume responsibility for their part in a service delivery failure (Goodwin, 1988;Kelley, et al, 1992). Providing customers with constructive suggestions about how to take greater ownership of the delivery process empowers them as though they were partial employees (Manolis, Meamber, Winsor, & Brooks, 2001). Taking such measures also decreases the likelihood that a perceived service failure will result in negative reactions and antisocial behaviors.…”

Customers cocreating value with the firm: implications for IHRM

“…There have been several attempts to identify the differentiated roles of customers participating in the service production and delivery processes (Whitaker 1980;Mills et al 1983;Bowen and Schneider 1985;Bowen 1986;Mills and Morris 1986;Bowers, Martin and Luker 1990;Kelley, Donnelly and Skinner 1990;Keh and Teo 2001;Manolis, Meamber, Winsor and Brooks 2001;Gouthier and Schmid 2003;Hsieh, Yen and Chin 2004). Unfortunately, most of these contributions were not theoretically grounded.…”