The impact of emotional labor dimensions on customer satisfaction and loyalty: A research in hotel enterprises

Abstract

Service delivery process in hotel enterprises necessitates the contact and interaction between employee-customer. Transmission of emotional messages to customers as a feature of business role undertaken by performing behaviors while they are fulfilling their duty is considered one of the job requirements of hotel enterprises, as it is for many businesses. When the guests are served by the staff, whom are in a face to face relationship with these customers, the process of showing certain emotions with verbal or nonverbal expression in order to awaken some special feelings, thoughts and reactions of guests has been expressed as emotional labor. In some cases, the consequences of emotional labor process lead to positive but, in some cases lead to negative consequences on employees. Emotional labor process is expressed with emotional dissonance and emotional effort. Emotional dissonance leads to negative consequences but, emotional effort leads to positive. In this study, the display of emotional labor and the impact of the display on customer satisfaction and loyalty have been evaluated by the hotel guests through observing the behavior of the staff. In other words, outcomes of emotional labor process results have been analyzed in terms of the hotel guests. It has been concluded that there is a negative relationship between emotional dissonance with customer satisfaction and customer loyalty; and a positive relationship between emotional effort with customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. © Sila Science.