服務甜心行為之價值創造與破壞

Service Sweethearting Value Construction and Destruction Processes

「服務甜心行為（service sweethearting）」係指前線服務人員透過給予顧客免費或折扣的服務進而在特定情境中創造價值體驗的一種顧客導向行為。此行為一向是行銷策略管理與消費者關係管理範疇中的重要議題，也是實務上管理者所關注的焦點，然而過去研究對於前線服務人員是如何透過服務甜心行為來創造價值的了解仍顯不足。本研究主要從顧客的角度出發，採用深度訪談個案研究法探討服務甜心行為之價值共創機制。實證結果發現，服務甜心行為可以區分為「計算式服務甜心行為」與「利社會式服務甜心行為」。本研究亦歸納出服務甜心行為之價值創造與破壞流程。縱言之，若服務甜心行為是一個未預期的事件，其將能有效地提升顧客知覺價值。然而在特定情境中，服務甜心行為會降低顧客對於服務的知覺價值。本研究的發現除了深化過去學理之外，亦提供管理者擬定前線服務方案之具體建議。 Service sweethearting is a customer-oriented and relational behavior in which frontline employees give free or discounted service that is value experiencing to customers in a given context. Although extant research provides valuable knowledge about the antecedents and consequences of service sweethearting, it is unclear how service sweethearting behaviors enhance or undermine customers' value perception of service offerings. Therefore, this study employs in-depth interviews with customers receiving service sweethearting from frontline employees in multiple service industries to explore the value construction and destruction mechanisms of service sweethearting in the value co-creation process. Our findings show that service sweethearting is comprised of two modes: calculative and prosocial service sweetheartings. A research model of service sweethearting value construction and destruction processes also emerged from our qualitative data analysis. This model proposes that both calculative and prosocial sweethearting behaviors enhance the perceived value of service offerings when they are unexpected to customers. However, service sweetheartings would undermine the value of service offerings in certain contexts.