New distribution channels in service firms: marketing and organizational consequences

This paper aims at showing marketing and organizational impacts of the diversification of distribution channels, i.e. interfaces between distributor and consumer, on the service encounter between customers and a service firm in retail banking. Interactions between branches, the outgoing call-centre and the incoming call-centre are scrutinized. Our study highlights four main results : (a) New distribution channels use is linked to customer profile, and lack of customer capacity to participate is a major restraint to customer willingness to participate. (b) New distribution channels favour potential customer opportunism for a limited number of customers. Two forms of opportunism are shown: active and premeditated opportunism versus the incoming call-centre, “spontaneous” or “incident” opportunism when called by the outgoing call-centre. (c) To limit potential opportunism, the bank insists on formal coordination mechanisms: process standardization, qualification standardization, direct supervision. (d) the customer acts as a “perception filter” between the different channels employees. The customer’s actions modify - positively or more generally negatively - the internal perception of branch sales people about their colleagues working in the call centre.