Abstract (EN)

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.