The service encounter stage involves consumer interactions with the service firm.
In this stage, consumers co-create experiences and value, and co-produce a service while
evaluating the service experience.
Nowadays, customers are empowered and engaged in the service delivery
process. Consumer engagement has recently attracted research attention in the branding
and services literature (Brodie et al. 2011). Consumer engagement been considered the
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emotional tie that binds the consumer to the service provider (Goldsmith 2011) and can
be used as a proxy for the strength of a firm’s consumer relationships based on both
emotional and rational bonds consumers have developed with a brand (McEwen 2004).
Bowden (2009) supports that engagement is a construct particularly applicable to services
because they usually involve a certain degree of interactivity such as that seen between
consumers and frontline personnel, and therefore imply a reciprocal relationship.
Engagement might include feelings of confidence, integrity, pride and passion in a
firm/brand (McEwen 2004). In addition to these affective elements, consumer
engagement with service brands has been considered a behavioural manifestation toward
a brand or firm that goes beyond a purchase and includes positive word of mouth,
recommendations, helping other consumers, blogging, writing reviews and even engaging
in legal action (van Doorn et al. 2010). Recent works recognize that consumers
engagement involve cognitive ( e.g., absorption), emotional (e.g., dedication) and
behavioural ( e.g., vigour and interaction) elements (Brodie et al. 2011; Patterson, Yu,
and de Ruyter 2006). Brodie et al. (2011) define customer engagement as “a
psychological state that occurs by virtue of interactive, cocreative customer experiences
with a focal agent/object (e.g., a brand) in focal service relationships” (p. 260). Thus,
service encounters could provide the context in which customers can create, express and
enhance their engagement (positive or negative) with a service firm.