Management & Information Systems Review (경영과정보연구)

Daehan Academy of Management Information Systems (대한경영정보학회)
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The Effect of Human Brand Characteristics of Customer Service Employees on Brand Attitude

서비스 접점직원의 휴먼브랜드적 특성이 브랜드 태도에 미치는 영향

  • Park, So-Young (Dept. of Distribution Management, Catholic University of Pusan) ;
  • Kim, Yong-Ho (Dept. of Business Administration, Catholic University of Pusan)
  • 박소영 (부산가톨릭대학교 유통경영학과) ;
  • 김용호 (부산가톨릭대학교 경영학과)
  • Received : 2017.09.08
  • Accepted : 2017.11.16
  • Published : 2017.11.30
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Abstract

Service industry performance and competitive advantage depend on the attitudes and behavior of customer service employees who produce and deliver services through contact with customers. Most studies on customer service employees so far have concentrated on kindness, attitudes, or benefits. This study focuses on the increasing importance of customer service employees and intends to study them from the viewpoint of human brands that recognize customer service employees as a brand. In addition to the role of the employee at the service contact point, the customer participation behavior affects the interaction process with the customer service employee. Ultimately, customers could no longer be excluded from control to improve service quality. This study based on theory that the human brand characteristics of the customer service employees lead the customer's participation, which has a positive effect on the relationship with the service brand and the service brand attitude surveyed and analyzed customers who use service brand. This study is summarized as follows. First, the relationship between the service brand and the customer is examined. Second, this study also expands prior studies by examining the human brand characteristics of customer service employees and customers' willingness to participate in providing information on the impact of the consumer-brand relationship. The results of the study indicate that among the customer service employees' human brand characteristics reliability, familiarity, and empathy were found to affect the relationship between customers, the service brand, and the attitude toward the service brand the most. This study provides important implications for theoretical and practical strategies by examining the qualities and characteristics of customer service employees, which are the most important agents of marketing.

서비스 산업의 성과와 경쟁우위 확보는 서비스를 생산하고 고객과의 접촉을 통해 서비스를 전달하는 서비스 접점 종업원 태도와 행동에 달려 있다고 해도 과언이 아니며 지금까지의 서비스 접점직원에 대한 대부분의 연구는 친절함이나 태도 혹은 유익함과 같은 고객들과의 접촉에 관계된 것들이다. 본 연구는 증가되는 접점 직원의 중요성에 중점을 두어 접점 직원을 하나의 브랜드로 인식하는 휴먼브랜드의 관점에서 연구를 하고자 한다. 또한 서비스 접점에서 직원의 역할 뿐만 아니라 고객참여 행동이 접점직원과의 상호작용과정에 영향을 미치고, 궁극적으로 서비스품질을 향상시킬 수 있다는 결과는 더이상 고객을 통제대상에서 제외시킬 수 없다는 결론에 이르게 되었다. 고객참여행동은 고객 스스로에게 뿐 아니라 접점직원에게도 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로도 밝혀지고 있다. 따라서 서비스 접점직원의 휴먼브랜드적 특성이 고객의 참여도를 이끌며, 이는 서비스 브랜드와의 관계와 서비스 브랜드 태도에 긍정적인 영향을 미친다는 것을 기본 이론으로 하고, 서비스 브랜드를 이용하는 고객을 대상으로 설문 조사를 진행하고 분석하였다. 서비스브랜드와 고객과의 관계 강화 형성에 미치는 영향에 있어 서비스 접점직원의 휴먼 브랜드적 특성과 고객의 자발적인 정보제공 참여도를 함께 살펴봄으로써 선행 연구들을 더 확장시킬 수 있을 것으로 판단하여 진행하였다. 연구 결과 접점직원의 휴먼 브랜드적 특성 중 신뢰성, 친숙성, 공감성이 고객과 서비스 브랜드와의 관계 강화와, 서비스 브랜드에 대한 태도에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구의 검증으로 기업이 마케팅에 있어 가장 중요한 부분을 차지하는 접점직원의 자질 및 특성을 검토할 수 있게 함으로써 이론적 실무적인 전략에 중요한 시사점을 제공하리라 본다.

Keywords

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