Reimagining the Service-Profit Chain: Multidisciplinary Insights for an Age of Disruption

Éditeurs invités

• Jens Hogreve, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
• Ilias Danatzis, King's Business School
• Joy Field, Boston College
• Kristina Lindsey Hall, Louisiana State University
• Marah Blaurock, Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt

Synthèse

The service-profit chain (SPC) is one of the most influential concepts in service research. Introduced by Heskett et al. (1994), the SPC emphasizes the significance of both internal and external service quality for a firm's long-term financial performance. It bridges service companies' internal and external environments by positing employee satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity as mediators between internal and external service quality, and customer satisfaction and loyalty as mediators between external service quality and financial outcomes. In doing so, the SPC links three domains: (a) internal marketing, encompassing internal service quality and employee attitudes and behaviors; (b) external marketing, reflecting external service quality and customer attitudes and behaviors; and (c) firm performance, including revenue growth and profitability. Over the past three decades, the SPC has gained considerable scholarly attention and continues to inspire organizations that place employees and customers at the center of their strategies.

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Thèmes proposés

• How do service employees adapt to and engage with AI and automation, and impact SPC relationships? What roles do technostress, co-design opportunities, or AI functions play in shaping acceptance?
• How does AI reshape customer experiences and loyalty? Does it complement or substitute for human frontline interactions, and what unintended effects may emerge?
• What are the optimal levels of AI implementation within the SPC across contexts, and how do they vary by industry, leadership, or employee/customer loyalty levels?
• Does employee or customer well-being serve as a stronger predictor of loyalty and performance than traditional satisfaction measures?
• How do well-being and satisfaction interact, and what are their respective short-term versus long-term effects on firm performance?
• How do external shocks and turbulent environments moderate SPC relationships?
• How do service employees adapt to shifting processes, environments, and interaction demands during disruptive events, and how does this adaption affect key SPC links?
• How does enforcing service rules - especially when facing customer resistance or misbehavior - affect employee well-being, service quality, and the strength of SPC linkages?
• To what extent are SPC links universal versus context-sensitive (e.g., across industries, cultures, or service types)?
• What new methodological approaches (e.g., longitudinal, experimental, multi-source, big data) can uncover causal, non-linear, or feedback effects within the SPC?
• How do under-researched internal service marketing practices (e.g., workplace design, digital tools for customer service) influence employee satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity?
• Which HRM systems and practices are most effective in enhancing internal service quality, and how do they jointly shape employee and organizational outcomes?
• How do alternative work arrangements (e.g., gig, remote, hybrid) influence employee satisfaction and SPC outcomes?