What Can You Do for Me? Communication Methods Customers Use to Solicit Personalization within the Service Encounter

When customers call a service organization to inquire about a problem with their account or order, they often find themselves dependent on representatives to assist them with their needs. One could argue that, from a customer's perspective, personalized service is a reasonable expectation within a service encounter. By tracking customers' orientation to when personalization is relevant for them, this article describes communication methods customers use to solicit individualized attention in an otherwise scripted service encounter. The findings in this article contribute to the body of work that focuses on the accomplishment of personalization within service encounters, and have implications for future research on communication practices in organizational contexts.