EVALUATION OF THE INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF COURTEOUS SERVICE ON CUSTOMERDISCRETIONARY BEHAVIOR

This study determined whether courteous service communication may indi rectly influence customer discretionary behavior (CDB). CDB was define d as any behavior a customer voluntarily performs, beyond purchasing p roducts or services, which may be helpful or harmful to an organizatio n. Specifically, it was hypothesized that courteous service would infl uence customer evaluations and mood, which, in turn, would influence C DBs. Observational and survey data were collected in two grocery store s. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that courteous serv ice had an indirect influence on customer commitment behaviors. Specif ically, as cashiers displayed more courtesy, customers provided more p ositive evaluations of service and were ultimately more likely to reco mmend the store to friends and shop at the store if other stores are c loser. However, courteous service did not predict customer helpfulness . Courtesy also explained relatively little variation overall in outco me variables. Therefore, efforts to improve customer outcomes should e xtend beyond improving the courtesy of service. Additional research is proposed to further assess the role of communication in customer serv ice encounters.