When customers exhibit verbal aggression, employees pay cognitive costs

Anat Rafaeli, Amir Erez, Shy Ravid, Rellie Derfler-Rozin, Dorit Efrat Treister, Ravit Scheyer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

172 Scopus citations

Abstract

In 4 experimental studies, we show that customer verbal aggression impaired the cognitive performance of the targets of this aggression. In Study 1, customers' verbal aggression reduced recall of customers' requests. Study 2 extended these findings by showing that customer verbal aggression impaired recognition memory and working memory among employees of a cellular communication provider. In Study 3, the ability to take another's perspective attenuated the negative effects of customer verbal aggression on participants' cognitive performance. Study 4 linked customer verbal aggression to quality of task performance, showing a particularly negative influence of aggressive requests delivered by high-status customers. Together, these studies suggest that the effects of even minor aggression from customers can strongly affect the immediate cognitive performance of customer service employees and reduce their task performance. The implications for research on aggression and for the practice of customer service are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)931-950
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Applied Psychology
Volume97
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cognition
  • Customer service performance
  • Verbal aggression

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'When customers exhibit verbal aggression, employees pay cognitive costs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this