Current Status and Future Issues in Research on Creativity of Frontline Employees in Service Organizations

Abstract

Employees in service frontline positions, which are the point of contact between service providers and customers, interact with customers with heterogeneous concerns. Given these service characteristics of needing to meet the unique needs of each customer, service frontline employees are required to answer regular questions based on quality standards and to deal with personal requests. Employees who demonstrate creativity are more likely to identify the potential needs of customers and to solve customers' problems in a creative and effective manner. This approach also contributes to creating a superior customer experience and building long-term relationships with customers. This paper presents the current status and future issues in this area based on a literature review of the creativity of service frontline employees.

Keywords

• service encounter
• innovative service behavior
• proactive behavior
• job standardization
• ambidextrous behavior