Boundary conditions of the effect of customer coproduction: the case of service failure

ABSTRACT

Research on the relationship between customer coproduction and satisfaction has produced mixed results even after accounting for the role of attribution. This paper extends prior research on boundary conditions and examines the role of customer participation readiness (PR) during encounters that end with service failure. Based on congruence and zone-of-tolerance theories, the two empirical studies suggest that (a) increasing levels of coproduction combined with increasing levels of PR escalates dissatisfaction and weakens attitudinal loyalty; (b) psychological reactance and expectancy disconfirmation mediate these relationships; (c) increasing levels of coproduction combined with increasing levels of external attribution reduce dissatisfaction and mitigate the adverse effect on attitudinal loyalty; and (d) PR interacts with customer coproduction to influence how customers make attributions. Future research should consider the role of PR in service failures. Where feasible, managers should gather and utilise individual-level PR data in order to predict customer attributions and dissatisfaction.

KEYWORDS:

• Coproduction
• participation readiness
• attribution
• reactance
• disconfirmation
• dissatisfaction
• loyalty
• service failure

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dwayne Gremler and Atefeh Yazdanparast for their comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammadali Zolfagharian

Mohammadali Zolfagharian (PhD, University of North Texas) is an associate professor of marketing at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His research interests include co-creation, multiculturalism, innovation and macro issues. His research has appeared in several journals and books such as International Journal of Research in Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Decision Sciences, Psychology & Marketing, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, and Journal of Services Marketing.

Reto Felix

Reto Felix (PhD, University of St Gallen) is an assistant professor of marketing at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His research interests include consumer behaviour, marketing research, and measurement issues. He has been a visiting scholar at the Marketing Group, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. His research has appeared in journals such as Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, International Marketing Review, and Psychology & Marketing.

Jakob Braun

Jakob Braun is a Marketing Doctoral Candidate at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His research interests include consumer behaviour, services, and cross-cultural issues. His research has appeared in Psychology & Marketing, International Marketing Review, and Research in Higher Education.