Boundary spanning and customer service styles in business solutions implementation

• This study introduces the notion of ‘customer service styles’ as a way to understand boundary spanner behaviors
• These include ‘dynamic engagement’, ‘dynamic avoidance’, ‘anticipatory engagement’ and ‘anticipatory avoidance’
• Customer service styles affect customer perceptions of value differently; service locus of control moderates these
• Understanding customer service styles could help managers structure service delivery teams with ideal combinations of individuals

An onus rests with members of supplier firms to successfully navigate inter-firm boundaries so as to achieve customer outcomes while also satisfying supervisor requirements. This need is particularly acute during the often lengthy, complex and intense processes that characterize business solutions implementation. Currently, limited research exists as to how boundary spanners reconcile between these tensions to achieve customer outcomes. It is, therefore, the focus of the present study. Drawing on interviews with 45 respondents, the study finds that boundary spanners adopt ‘customer service styles’ — Consistent behaviors to address customer requirements while reconciling between multiple tensions. These styles are labeled ‘dynamic engagement’, ‘dynamic avoidance’, ‘anticipatory engagement’ and ‘anticipatory avoidance’. The study also explores the nature of the underlying mental models that boundary spanners use. The study also considers the effects of these customer service styles on customer-perceived value, with not all customer service styles having equal effects.