Building Friendships and Relationships: The Role of ... - anzmac

Building Friendships and Relationships: The Role of Conversation in Hairdressing
Service Encounters
Ivana Garzaniti, University of Western Sydney,
Glenn Pearce, University of Western Sydney, g.pearce@uws.edu.au
John Stanton, University of Western Sydney, j.stanton@uws.edu.au
Abstract
Drawing from eight hairdressing service encounters in one Australian salon and using
interpretive research methods, this paper explores the contribution of conversation as an
element of interaction that occurs in hairdressing service encounters. The study sought to
understand variations in conversation between ‘short’ and ‘long term’ customers; how
conversations contribute to the development of ‘commercial friendships’ and; how
relationships develop through conversation. For these clients, conversation played an
important function with respect to building friendships and long term relationships, similar to
an extended, affective, intimate (EAI) service encounter. This importance warrants further
research on the nature and role of service conversation that can offer guidance for improving
the conversation skills of service providers.
Keywords: conversation, service encounters, hairdressing, relationships

Background and Purpose
The service encounter is both ‘social’ and ‘communicative’ (Sparks, 1994). The social nature
of, and physical contact in the service encounter promotes intimacy (Goodwin & Frame,
1989; Czepiel, 1990; Goodwin & Smith, 1990), which encourages friendly conversation
between service employee and customer. The social nature of the service encounter can be
attributed to the physical contact required, particularly in ‘people-processing’ services
(Lovelock et al., 2007). Such services involve tangible actions directed at a person (‘high
touch’), requiring the customer to be physically present during service delivery (Lovelock et
al., 2007). ‘People processing’ is characterized by service customization, continuous
relationships and high levels of customer contact (Lovelock, 1983). Moreover, given they are
required to be physically present during the performance, there is significant involvement of
customers in the service process (Grönroos, 2000; Lovelock et al., 2007). Using a typology of
service encounters based on duration, affective content and spatial proximity, proposed by
Price et al (1995), people processing service encounters are likely to fall into the extended,
affective, intimate (EAI) category. Although Price et al., (1995) regard hairdressing as ‘low
affect’, findings in this paper suggest it is actually ‘high affect’, demanding exchange
qualities more likely to be associated with a friendship that engenders the building of a long
term relationship.
In this paper, the role and importance of conversation in eight hairdressing service encounters
is examined from a customer perspective. Analysis of these conversations sought to
understand: variations in conversation between ‘short’ and ‘long term’ customers, how
conversations contribute to ‘commercial friendships’ and; how relationships develop.
Review: Conversation, Service Relationship and Friendship
The definition of conversation used in this paper derives from a communications perspective:
‘The continuing social process (Allen & Guy, 1974) where two socialized and co-present
persons (Turnbull, 2003) engage in any interactive, spoken exchange with one another’
(Pridham, 2004). Hairdressing is a ‘people-processing’ encounter where conversation is likely
to play an important role. Solomon et al., (1985) state that hairdressing is characterized by a
high degree of person-to-person interaction and the physical contact may create both intimacy
and a closeness that decreases the perceived social distance between the service employee and
customer (Goodwin & Frame, 1989; Czepiel, 1990; Goodwin & Smith, 1990). This intimacy
often encourages conversation between the service employee and customer. Butcher et al.,
(2002) assert that the hairdresser is constantly within the customer’s personal space.
Similarly, Price & Arnould (1999) argue that hairdressing “throws two people together for a
relatively lengthy period of time… both parties are ‘held captive’ to the encounter” (p. 47). In
such a situation, discussing conversation topics unrelated to the immediate service context can
be a strategy for creating verbal ‘closeness’ or immediacy between the service employee and
customer (Ford, 1998).
Services are inherently relational in nature (Grönroos, 2000). Czepiel (1990) emphasizes that
relationships in services are important given “the social nature of service encounters, the
active and often face-to-face interaction between service provider and client [and] the

difficulty of assessing service quality” (p. 17). Repeated encounters provide occasions for the
development of a more complex and personal relationship (Czepiel, 1990). Bendapudi &
Berry (1997) contend that customers make ‘investments’ of both time and effort in identifying
service providers and developing relationships with them. In addition to reducing perceived
risk, customers can reap social benefits from these relationships (Berry, 1995b).
The development of a ‘friendship’ between service employee and customer has been explored
by Goodwin (1996), Gwinner et al., (1998) and Price & Arnould (1999). Czepiel (1990, p.16)
argues that since “service encounters are social encounters first, it is only natural that repeated
encounters develop personal as well as professional dimensions”. Bitner (1994) claims the
relationship between the service employee and customer often comes to resemble a personal
friendship that can affect the customer’s quality of life. Further, the interaction between
customer-contact service employees and customers (Dubinsky, 1994) and the diversity of
conversation topics in the service encounter (Goodwin, 1996) have been considered as
comparable to those in a friendship.
The sociality present in a service encounter is considered a form of ‘commercial friendship’
(Gwinner et al., 1998; Price & Arnould, 1999). Price & Arnould (1999) explain that
commercial friendships involve high levels of intimacy, talking and self-disclosure and reason
that where a commercial friendship exists, the customer feels a ‘closeness’ to the service
employee and is therefore more comfortable sharing their true feelings. These commercial
friendships, they contend, are associated with satisfaction, strong service loyalty and positive
word of mouth. Goodwin (1996) refers to ‘communality’, the degree to which a service
relationship resembles a friendship and operationalises communality as “conversation
interchanges on topics unrelated to the core service” (p. 397). Conversation topics in service
encounters represent a key indicator of friendship based on their relevance to service delivery
(Goodwin, 1996). Whereas functional conversation occurs regardless of the relationship
amongst participants, communality is marked by the presence and amount of conversation
irrelevant to the core service transaction, that is, ‘non-essential’ conversation.
Conversation contributes to the building of rapport in a relationship between service
employees and customers. Gremler & Gwinner, (2000) established that rapport - ‘enjoyable
interaction and a personal connection’ - had a positive effect on customer satisfaction.
Lovelock et al., (2007) claims the social relationship that develops in the services context,
stems from the development of personal rapport with customers.
While the preceding research indicates that the outcomes of the social relationship between
service employees and customers have been explored, the process or means of reaching these
states (engaging in verbal communication) has been largely ignored. Conversation has been
subsumed in the wider social constructs explored.
Research Design and Study
In order to explore conversation in the context of the hairdressing service encounter, three
interpretive research methods were used to access ‘experiences and interactions’ (Flick,
2007). The first method involved audio recordings of naturally occurring service encounter
conversations between hairdressers and customers. Audio-recordings provided accurate,
unbiased records of service conversations. The second method involved a cartoon test
administered to customers by the researcher immediately after the service encounter. Cartoon

tests are a construction research technique (Papantoniou, 1992; Pearce, 2003; Malhotra &
Peterson, 2006) requiring the respondent to ‘construct’ a response to a pictorially framed
question “what did you talk about?” This selective recall was used to prompt the respondent
in the interview that followed. Each participant was interviewed in a private area of salon. The
interviews explored the preceding service encounter conversation from the client’s
perspective. The three-pronged research design allowed examination from multiple
viewpoints (Neuman, 2006).
Service conversations were drawn from encounters in an outer western Sydney hairdressing
salon, a small business employing four hairdressers, three females and a male servicing both
male and female clients. Located in an area recognised for its concentration of small
hairdressing salons, the salon offers a full range of hair services and has operated for 25 years.
Demographics of the salon’s clientele were noted and client records were examined to select
participants representing “typical” clients ranging from ‘short’ to ‘long’ term. Encounters may
vary with the type of hair salon (Lawson, 1999). These can range from large franchise chains
with a price and time focus to up-market stylists. This salon is in a middle- price range, and
full service.
In order to ensure a desirable degree of sample diversity (Patton, 1990), quota sampling
(Neuman, 2006) was used to select eight customers and their service encounters. Variables
that defined quota categories were gender and relationship length. Gender was chosen because
gender composition of the customer-service employee pairing was likely to influence the
nature and possibly role of conversation (Brotherton & Penman, 1977; Hall & Braunwald,
1981). The length of relationship between customer and hairdresser was also selected because
duration can influence conversation intimacy (Altman & Taylor, 1973). Short-term customers
(n=4) were defined as those patronizing the salon for two years or less, whilst long term
customers (n=4) were defined as patrons of five years or more. Two durations were selected
on the assumption that customers who had patronized the salon for two years or less would
have different, possibly less personal relationships with their hairdressers than those
customers who had patronized the salon for five years or more. The encounters examined
involved two long-serving employees (male and female), each servicing two male and two
female customers.
Employees were briefed on their potential inclusion in the study by both the business owners
and the researcher. Staff involvement was limited to audio-recording their conversations with
selected customers during the service encounter. When salon clients - potential research
participants - telephoned to make an appointment they were informed of the study and asked
whether they would like to participate. Consenting customers were eventually introduced to
the researcher. Service encounter conversations between hairdresser and client were discreetly
recorded using a digital audio device.
Results and Discussion
Conversation was generally present during the entire duration of each service encounter. All
conversation topics were mapped and themed. Eighty one topic categories were identified.
Service or task- oriented service conversation had the highest frequency of conversation
categories but accounted for only 7 per cent of all conversation topics. Social conversation
topics dominated the conversations of both short and long term clients. Conversations
generally progressed from a greeting and service related talk, a follow up or reference to

information from a previous encounter with topics feeding off each other, to a conclusion
which again had a task as well as a social component.
Long term customers discussed a broader range of topics in service conversations than short
term customers. In conversations featuring long term customers, conversation moved from
broad to more specific, often personal, topics while conversations involving short term
customers tended to remain broad and general. Analysis of both conversation transcripts and
cartoon test responses revealed that long term customer conversations were of a more
personal nature (family, partners, children, emotions) than conversations with short term
customers. These findings resonate with Social Penetration Theory (Altman & Taylor, 1973)
that suggests conversational exchanges become broader and deeper as relationship intimacy
increases. A broader and deeper (more personal) range of conversation topics occurred in
conversations with long term customers, most likely because their relationship with the
hairdresser was more developed and intimate.
Another indication of a more personal and intimate relationship between long term customers
and their hairdressers, was that conversations involving long term customers were more
balanced between the hairdresser and customer. In contrast, conversations with short term
customers tended to focus more heavily on the customer. A plausible explanation for this
finding is that during conversations with short term customers, hairdressers sought to promote
customer self-disclosure by allowing them to speak about themselves or by asking questions
that required them to ‘self-disclose’. This questioning is consistent with Uncertainty
Reduction Theory (Berger & Calabrese, 1975) whereby individuals are motivated to seek
information about others as a means of reducing the uncertainty they experience. Reducing
uncertainty associated with an individual is said to serve as a means for relationship
development. Hairdressers may have sought further information as a means of developing a
more personal relationship.
Resemblance of Service Conversation to Talk Amongst Friends
Key findings of this exploratory research are the existence of commercial friendships between
hairdressers and customers and how their communication resembles social conversations.
Such findings are consistent with the view that service relationships resemble friendship
(Bitner, 1994; Goodwin, 1996; Gwinner et al., 1998). Evidence of the existence of a
friendship between hairdressers and customers was derived from the presence of non-essential
conversation. Non-essential conversation represents ‘communality’ and Goodwin (1996)
claims diversity of topics in the service encounter conversation is similar to that discussed
between friends. Case and cross-case analysis of interviews revealed that respondents
referred to their hairdresser as their friend, compared the service relationship to a friendship,
and compared conversing with their hairdresser to that of talking to a friend. In some
instances, long term respondents likened the relationship they had with their hairdresser to
‘family’. Overall, long term customers described their hairdresser relationship as more
intimate and personal, but given the length of time such a finding could be expected.
As another measure of the existence of commercial friendships, respondents were questioned
about the degree of personal self-disclosure they engaged in with their hairdressers.
Conversation analysis revealed that topics of a personal and intimate nature, were discussed
with long term customers. Self-disclosure was also evident when customers discussed
personal information about their emotions, relationships and life in general. Such self-

disclosure is a feature of individuals in a relationship (Argyle et al., 1988). Self-disclosure
was more prominent in conversations with long term customers due to the more intimate
hairdresser relationship. During semi-structured interviews, respondents expressed comfort in
having conversations of a personal nature with their hairdressers. Price & Arnould (1999)
found that customers associated ‘discussing things of a personal nature’ with the existence of
a commercial friendship with their hairdresser.
Commercial friendships, as evidenced in this study, are beneficial for services (Gutek et al.,
1999) due to their potential in creating satisfying service experiences and fostering emotional
involvement and mutual enjoyment for customers and employees. Where service relationships
resemble friendships, customers receive a social benefit in the form of personal recognition
(Gwinner et al., 1998). Further, Price & Arnould (1999) found commercial friendships to be
associated with satisfaction, strong service loyalty and positive word of mouth.
Contribution of Service Conversation to the Development of a Relationship
More than half of respondents stated that service conversation helped develop the friendship
or relationship they now had with their hairdresser. Interpersonal communication is the
lifeblood of relationships (Knapp & Vangelisti, 2005) and relationships are developed as
individuals come to know each other through conversation (Argyle, 1994; Duck, 1994).
Conversation plays an important role in developing the relationship between contact service
employees and customers. In research on service behaviors that lead to satisfied customers,
Winsted (2000) claimed that conversation attributes such as ‘engaged in small talk’ seemed
closely related to relationship seeking by customers. Respondents also indicated that service
conversation either assisted them find out about the hairdresser and vice versa, or helped them
feel more comfortable. Hargie et al., (1994) claim that such self disclosure is vital to the
development and maintenance of long term relationships.
Implications and Limitations
This study explored service encounters of an extended duration and repeat occurrence where
significant non-service, unscripted, conversation occurs. Greater understanding of how such
conversation contributes to the customer experience can be used to enhance the service
encounter. Given competitive pressures, quality of service interactions could assist customers
in choosing which service firms to patronise. Whilst the influence of interaction on
customers’ evaluations of service quality has been recognized, there is scant recognition of
oral communication as a key dimension of the customer’s overall service experience. This
research indicates that in hairdressing, conversation has important functions with respect to
building friendships and long term relationships, similar to EAI type service encounters. The
nuances of conversation development vary between customers, evolving with the length of
patronage and also (although not discussed in this paper) possibly with the gender mix of
customer and service provider. Further research is required in order to provide guidance to
providers on how they can use conversation to engender stronger loyalty from their clients.
Limitations arising from the small sample, the study’s specific context and the qualitative
methods used, restrict the ability to generalise our findings.

References
Allen, D.E., Guy, R. F., 1974. Conversation Analysis: The Sociology of Talk. Paris, Mouton.
Altman, I., Taylor, D., 1973. The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. New York,
Rinehart & Winston.
Argyle, M., 1994. The Psychology of Interpersonal Behaviour, 5 th edn. London, Penguin
Books.
Argyle, M., Trimboli, L., Forgas, J., 1988. The Bank/Manager/Doctor Effect: Disclosure
Profiles in Different Relationships. Journal of Social Psychology 128 (1), 117-125.
Bendapudi, N. & Berry, L. L., 1997. Customers’ Motivations for Maintaining Relationships
With Service Providers. Journal of Retailing 73 (1), 15-37.
Berger, C. R., Calabrese, R., 1975. Some Explorations in Initial Interactions and Beyond:
Toward A Developmental Theory of Interpersonal Communication. Human Communication
Research 1(1), 99-112.
Berry, L. L., 1995. Relationship Marketing of Services- Growing Interest, Emerging
Perspectives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 23 (4), 236-245.
Bitner, M. J., 1994. Building Services Relationships: It’s All about Promises. Journal of the
Academy of Marketing Science 23 (4), 95-106.
Bitner, M. J., Booms, B. H., Mohr, L. A., 1994. Critical Service Encounters: The Employee’s
Viewpoint. Journal of Marketing 58 (4), 95-106.
Brotherton, P. L., Penman, R. A., 1977. A Comparison of Some of the Characteristics of Male
and Female Speech. Journal of Social Psychology 103 (1), 161-163.
Butcher, K., Sparks, B., O’Callaghan, F., 2002. Effects of Social Influence on Repurchase
Intentions. Journal of Services Marketing 16 (6), 503-514.
Crosby, L. A., Evans, K. R., Cowles, D, 1990. Relationship Quality in Services Selling: An
Interpersonal Influence Perspective. Journal of Marketing 54, 68-81.
Czepiel, J. A., 1990. Service Encounters and Service Relationships: Implications for
Research. Journal of Business Research 20, 13-21.
Dubinsky, A. J., 1994. What Marketer’s Can Learn from the Tin Man. Journal of Services
Marketing 8 (2), 36-45.

Duck, S., 1994. Meaningful Relationships: Talking, Sense and Relating. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Sage.
Flick, U., 2007. Designing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA., Sage.
Ford, W. S. Z., 1998. Communicating with Customers: Service Approaches, Ethics and
Impact. New Jersey, Hampton Press.
Goodwin, C., Frame, C. D., 1989. Social Distance within the Service Encounter: Does the
Consumer Want to be Your Friend? Advances in Consumer Research 16, 64-71.
Goodwin, C., Smith, K. L., 1990. Courtesy and Friendliness: Conflicting Goals for the
Service Provider? Journal of Services Marketing 4 (1), 5-20.
Goodwin, C., 1996. Communality as a Dimension of Service Relationships. Journal of
Consumer Psychology 5 (4), 387-415.
Gremler D. D., Gwinner, K. P., 2000. Customer-Employee Rapport in Service Relationships.
Journal of Services Research 3 (1), 82-104.
Grönroos, C., 2000. Service Management and Marketing: a Customer Relationship and
Management Approach, 2 nd edn., West Sussex, UK, John Wiley & Sons..
Gutek, B. A., 1999. The Social Psychology of Service Interactions. Journal of Social Issues
55 (3), 603-617.
Gutek, B. A., Bhappu, A., Bennett, C., 1999. Distinguishing Between Service Relationships
and Encounters. Journal of Applied Psychology 84 (2), 218-233.
Gwinner, K. P., Gremler, D. D., Bitner, M. J., 1998. Relational Benefits in Service Industries:
The Customer’s Perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26 (2), 101-114.
Hall, J. A., Braunwald, K. G., 1981. Gender Cues in Conversations. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology 40 (1), 99-110.
Hargie, O., Saunders, C., Dickson, D., 1979. Social Skills in Interpersonal Communication ,
3 rd edn., London, Routledge.
Knapp, M. L., Vangelisti, A. L., 2005. Interpersonal Communication and Human
Relationships. 5 th edn. Boston, Allyn & Bacon.
Lawson, H., 1999, Working on Hair. Qualitative Sociology 22 (3), 235-257.
Lovelock, C. H., 1983. Classifying Services to Gain Strategic Marketing Insights. Journal of
Marketing 47 (3), 9-20.
Lovelock, C. H., Patterson, P. G., Walker, R. H., 2007. Services Marketing: An Asia-Pacific
and Australian Perspective, 4 th edn. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Pearson Education.

Malhotra, N. K., Peterson, M., 2006. Basic Marketing Research: A Decision-Making
Approach, 2 nd edn. New Jersey, Pearson Prentice Hall.
Neuman, W. L., 2006. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 6 th
edn. Frenchs Forest, NSW. Pearson Education Australia.
Papantoniou, P. C., 1992. Marketing: The Complete Awakening, International edn. London,
P.A.S.S. Publications.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., 1985. A Conceptual Model of Service Quality
and Implications for Future Research. Journal of Marketing 49, 41-50.
Patton, M. Q., 1990. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, 2 nd edn. Thousand Oaks,
CA. Sage.
Pearce, G. 2003. Ehhr... ‘What's Up Doc?’ Using Cartoon Tests to Evaluate Educational
Drama Programs. Research in Drama Education 8 (2), 157-169.
Price, L. L. , Arnould, E. J., 1995. Consumers’ Emotional Responses to Service Encounters:
The Influence of the Service Provider. Journal of Service Industry Management 6 (3), 34-63.
Price, L. L., Arnould, E. J., 1999. Commercial Friendships: Service Provider- Client
Relationships in Context. Journal of Marketing 63(4), 38-56.
Pridham, F., 2001. The Language of Conversation. London, Intertext Series, Routledge.
Rust, R. T., Oliver, R. L., 1994. Service Quality: Insights and Managerial Implications from
the Frontier, in R. T. Rust and R. Oliver (Eds), Service Quality: New Directions in Theory
and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage, 139-171.
Sabiote, E. F., Nicolás, S. R., 2004. Social Regard: Effects on the Relationship Customer-
Service Organization, Proceedings of the ANZMAC Conference(November), Victoria
University, Wellington.
Solomon, M. R., Suprenant, C., Czepiel, J. A., Gutman, E. G., 1985. A Role Theory
Perspective on Dyadic Interactions: The Service Encounter. Journal of Marketing 49 (5), 99-
111.
Parks, B., 1994. Communicative Aspects of the Service Encounter. Journal of Hospitality &
Tourism Management 17 (2), 39-50.
Turnbull, W., 2003. Language in Action: Psychological Models of Communication. New
York, Psychological Press.
Winsted, K. F., 2000. Service Behaviours that Lead to Satisfied Customers. European Journal
of Marketing 34 (3/4), 399-417.