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From the Archives: Employees, the Bridge to Generating Positive WOM
The presence of a relationship between employees and customers can have a significant influence on positive word of mouth communications, according to a January 2001 International Journal of Service Industry Management article, titled "Generating Positive Word of Mouth Communications Through Customer-Employee Relationships." Authors Dwayne D. Gremler, Kevin P. Gwinner, and Stephen W. Brown studied four dimensions of interpersonal bonds (trust, care, rapport, and familiarity) and asserted that as a customer gained trust in a specific employee, positive word of mouth about the organization would likely increase as a consequence.
The researchers found that customers' satisfaction with the service experience alone is not enough to stimulate word of mouth activity, but that the addition of an interpersonal relationship (between the customer and an employee) is often enough to tip the scales, prompting the spread of more positive word of mouth. Overall, the authors concluded that the presence of interpersonal relationships between employees and customers is significantly correlated with word of mouth behavior, and suggested that management would benefit from organizing the service design and support systems in ways that foster these bonds.
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