Service with a Smile: The Effects of Face Masks in Service Encounters
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2022-03-05
Author(s)
Abstract
A smile alone does not guarantee excellent customer service, but excellent customer service almost always starts with a smile. However, mask-wearing obligations in nearly all service interactions cover friendly smiles during COVID-19. Results from two studies indicate that customers can decode employee smiles even when covered with a face mask. If employees express a neutral or negative emotion, mask-wearing covers the unfavorable emotions and increases perceived warmth. Wearing a smiling mask, increases perceived warmth even more strongly, leading to better service evaluations through a serial mediation with rapport. These findings enrich our understanding of face masks in service encounters.
Language
English
Keywords
Face Mask
Covid-19
Corona-Pandemic
Service
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
Global Center for Customer Insight
Refereed
No
Event Title
SCP 2022 Annual Conference
Event Location
Virtual Venue
Event Date
MAR 4 - 5
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
matthias.eggenschwiler@unisg.ch
Eprints ID
265780
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
restricted
Name
SCP 2022 Manuscript - Service with a Smile - The Effects of Face Masks in Service Encounters.pdf
Size
118.14 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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