Employee Engagement to Elicit Consumer Forgiveness in Service Firms

Harsh Kumar () and Ashish Bajpai ()
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Harsh Kumar: Banaras Hindu University, Research Scholar, Institute of Management Studies
Ashish Bajpai: Banaras Hindu University, Director, Institute of Management Studies

A chapter in Proceedings of the 12th AIM-AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium & International Marketing Conference 2025 (IMCDC 2025), 2026, pp 114-134 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study explores how frontline employee engagement helps consumers forgive after service failures in service firms. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA framework, covering 52 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2025 from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The findings show that most earlier studies focused on the causes of service failures and customer reactions. At the same time, little attention was given to the actions employees take to rebuild trust and encourage forgiveness. The study introduces a triadic framework of employee actions that includes emotional, cognitive, and justice restoration factors. These three areas explain how employees can use empathy, clear communication, and fairness to rebuild trust, reduce negative feelings, and improve long-term customer relationships. This research provides practical guidance for service firms. Training employees to be empathetic, communicate openly, and act fairly can strengthen service recovery and build customer loyalty. Overall, the study offers a simple and useful model showing how engaged employees can turn service failures into opportunities to restore trust and maintain lasting customer relationships.

Keywords: Consumer Forgiveness; Frontline Employees; Service Firm (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-608-1_7

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