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The impact of linguistic style on customer satisfaction: a cross-cultural empirical study in Ecuador

Abstract:

Purpose Drawing on the dual process theory and the cultural dimension of power distance, the current research investigates the impact of a specific service clue—the linguistic style of address forms (salutation) in hotel manager letters to guests—on customer satisfaction in a hotel context in Ecuador. Design/methodology/approach Following an experimental design research approach, this research conducted a series of two studies to examine how customers' cultural values (high vs low power distance), linguistic style of address forms (formal vs casual) and service valence (service success vs service failure) together influenced customer satisfaction. Specifically, Study 1 examined the service success condition, and Study 2 investigated the service failure condition. Findings The research results show that, in the service success condition, customers follow their distinct cultural orientations (high vs low power distance …