The influence of customer participation on service failure perceptions

Abstract

This study explores the role of three types of customer participation (mental, emotional and physical) on service failure perceptions of customers. Based on 472 scenario-based online surveys, it is established that customer participation in the service (co-production) causes customers to produce softer/milder responses after experiencing a service failure, though there are variations according to the type of participation. In general, customer participation in the service reduces customers' tendency to make complaints to hotel management, writing negative comments on Internet blogs and the intention to leave the hotel.