Skip to main content
Log in

Measuring Customer Service Orientation: An Examination of the Validity of the Customer Service Profile

  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The construct of customer service is taking on an ever increasing level of importance in today's global economy. Organizations need a way to identify those individuals who have the demeanor to effectively serve the public. The present study discusses the development and validation of a personality-based instrument which organizations can use to select high-quality service providers. Multiple converging sources of validity are discussed. Specifically, the authors collected validity evidence using customer related (vs. supervisor) ratings, an area relatively neglected in the service literature. Evidence suggests that customer ratings are viable and an important criterion for use in the validation of customer service instruments. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of both workplace intervention and future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Berry, L. L. (1980, May–June). Service marketing is different. Business, 24–29.

  • Bitner, M. J. (1990). Evaluating service encounters: The effects of physical surroundings and employee responses. Journal of Marketing, 54, 69–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, D. E., Siehl, C., & Schneider, B. (1989). A framework for analyzing customer service orientations in manufacturing. Academy of Management Review, 14, 75–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. W., & Schwartz, T. A. (1989). A gap analysis of professional service quality. Journal of Marketing, 53, 92–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carman, J. M. (1990). Consumer perceptions of service quality: An assessment of the SERVQUAL dimensions. Journal of Retailing, 66(1), 33–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascio, W. F. (1991). Applied Psychology in Personnel Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collier, D. (1983). The service sector revolution: The automation of services. Long Range Planning, 16(6), 10–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronin, J. J., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56, 55–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folgi, L., & Whitney, K. (1991). Service First: A test to select service oriented personnel. Presented at the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association: San Francisco.

  • Guion, R. M., & Grottier, R. F. (1965). Validity of personality measures in personnel selection. Personnel Psychology, 18, 135–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, M. M., & Schaubroeck, J. (1988). A meta-analysis of self-supervisor, self-peer, and peer-supervisor ratings. Personnel Psychology, 41, 43–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henkoff, R. (1994a). Finding, training, & keeping the best service workers. Fortune, 130(7), 110–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henkoff, R. (1994b). Service is everybody's business. Fortune, 129(13), 48–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heskett, J. (1986). Managing in the service economy. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, J., & Hogan, R. (1992). Hogan Personality Inventory Manual. Tulsa: Hogan Assessment Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, J., Hogan, R., & Busch, C. (1984). How to measure service orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 167–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, R. T. (1994). Personality and personality measurement. In M. D. Dunnette & Leatta M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, (Vol. 2). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J.E., & Hunter, R.F. (1984). Validity and utility of alternate predictors of job performance. Psychological Bulletin, 96, 72–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landy, F. J., & Farr, J. L. (1980). Performance rating. Psychological Bulletin, 87, 72–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latham, G. P., & Wexley, K. N. (1981). Increasing productivity through performance appraisal. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDaniel, M. A., & Frei, R. L. (1994). Validity of customer service measures in personnel selection: A meta-analysis. Paper presented at the ninth annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.: Nashville.

  • Northcraft, G., & Chase, G. (1985). Managing service demand at the point of delivery. Academy of Management Review, 10, 67–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organ, D. W., & Konovsky. (1989). Cognitive versus affective determinants of organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 157–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paajanen, G. (1991). Development and validation of the PDI customer service inventory. Paper presented at the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association: San Francisco.

  • Rogelberg, S., G., & Creamer, V. L. (1994). Customer satisfaction, purchase intentions and profitability: Introducing a time lag. Paper presented at the ninth annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.: Nashville.

  • Rosse, J. G., Miller, H. E., & Barnes, L. K. (1991). Combining personality and cognitive ability predictors for hiring service-oriented employees. Journal of Business and Psychology, 5, 431–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxe, R., & Weitz, B. (1982). The SOCO scale measure of the customer orientation of salespeople. Journal of Marketing Research, 19, 343–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. (1987). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40, 437–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, J. B., & Lounsbury, J. W. (1994, April). Personality versus affect: Predicting customer service orientations. Paper presented at the ninth annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.: Nashville.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baydoun, R., Rose, D. & Emperado, T. Measuring Customer Service Orientation: An Examination of the Validity of the Customer Service Profile. Journal of Business and Psychology 15, 605–620 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007823114303

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007823114303

Navigation