The relationships among organizational service orientation, customer service training, and employee engagement.

Abstract

In service-related jobs, employee attitudes play a critical role in influencing customers' perceptions of service quality. This study investigated HRD-related organizational strategic practices that could potentially be linked to employee engagement as a means to improve customer satisfaction, service quality, and organizational effectiveness. The organizational strategic practices examined were organizational service orientation and customer service related training (personal motivation for training, benefits of training, and colleague support for training). Within the vast service sector, the tourism and hospitality industry, specifically the hotel sector, provided a unique context for examining the relationships among organizational service orientation, customer service training, and employee engagement. A survey research design was utilized to investigate the relationships. The study relied on previously developed scales related to the variables of interest. Data were collected from 320 frontline employees in 13 large all-inclusive hotels through the use of a self-report paper-based questionnaire. The overall response rate was 67%. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses was conducted as the primary method of data analysis to determine the unique contribution of each variable in predicting employee engagement. Overall, the results of the study indicated statistically significant relationships among organizational service orientation, customer service training, and employee engagement. Combined, all variables accounted for 38% of the variance in employee engagement. Service leadership, a subscale of organizational service orientation, was the highest predictor (23%) of employee engagement. Together, the customer service training variables explained 9% of the variation in employee engagement. Human resource management practices and service encounter practices each accounted for 3% of the variance in employee engagement. Service systems practices were found to be non-significantly related to employee engagement. The output generated from the hierarchical multiple regression analysis also revealed that service encounter practices mediate the relationship between human resource management practices and employee engagement. Based on the findings, implications for both research and practice are discussed and recommendations for future research are also detailed.