Enhancing customer self-efficacy in co-producing service experiences

The service sector is dependent upon customers' willingness to contribute their knowledge, skills, and abilities to co-produce the service experiences they want and expect. Service organizations therefore seek to employ strategies that will enhance their customers' ability to do whatever they must to be successful in co-producing those experiences. Applying the concept of self-efficacy, we offer a theory-based approach to developing these strategies that firms may utilize. These strategies involve focusing both employee training and environmental cues on how to enhance the self-efficacy of the customer in performing whatever tasks are necessary toward a successful service experience. (C) 2011 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved.