A field experiment testing frontline opinion leaders as change agents

On the basis of previous studies of source credibility and opinion leadersh ip, the authors hypothesized that opinion leaders would sere as effective a gents to promote positive attitudes toward a service-quality initiative and increase service-quality effectiveness. The service effectiveness of telle rs before and after a service-quality leadership training program was rated by customers, supervisors, and the tellers themselves across 3 matched ban k branches. Service effectiveness was rated significantly higher in a branc h using opinion leaders as service-quality leaders compared with a branch u sing randomly selected frontline leaders. Tellers in the latter branch show ed greater improvements in service effectiveness than did counterparts in a branch using no frontline service quality leaders. This difference between types of leaders appeared to be mediated by tellers' behavioral beliefs ab out the service-quality program.