Call centers: is there an upside to the dissatisfied customer experience?

Purpose This paper aims to present the triggers of negative customer emotions during a call center encounter and the impact of emotions on satisfaction and loyalty. It suggests ways of mitigating the negative effects of such emotions. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses exploratory research consisting of 33 focus groups with 121 narratives of a call center encounter. Findings Callers predominantly report frustration as the emotion arising from negative experiences in a call center encounter. Goal urgency, reduced customer control and uncertainty underlie this emotional experience. Triggers include assessments of “dehumanized”, “incompetent” or “hostile” call center employees as well as the more well-known multiple transfers and waiting time. Customer may remain loyal after a frustrating encounter if they believe that alternative services will be no better. Research limitations/implications Disembodied service encounters generate conditions of reduced control and certainty which foster negative emotions. The outcomes of negative emotions are not always negative if the call center context is managed appropriately. Focus groups took place in a European business school, so generalizability of the results to other regions may be limited. Practical implications Negative emotions can have a strong effect on loyalty, a key issue in service organizations. This paper provides insights into how to manage customer emotions effectively. Originality/value Customer satisfaction and loyalty in terms of emotions are generally overlooked in the call center industry because of the focus on performance metrics. This study shows that emotions must be taken into account to ensure customer retention and the competitive edge.