Abstract

Consumers are often frustrated by customer service. But could a simple shift in language help improve customer satisfaction? We suggest that linguistic concreteness—the tangibility, specificity, or imaginability of words employees use when speaking to customers—can shape consumer attitudes and behaviors. Five studies, including text analysis of over 1,000 real consumer–employee interactions in two different field contexts, demonstrate that customers are more satisfied, willing to purchase, and purchase more when employees speak to them concretely. This occurs because customers infer that employees who use more concrete language are listening (i.e., attending to and understanding their needs). These findings deepen understanding of how language shapes consumer behavior, reveal a psychological mechanism by which concreteness impacts person perception, and provide a straightforward way that managers could help enhance customer satisfaction.

中文翻译：

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具体语言如何塑造客户满意度

摘要

消费者通常会对客户服务感到沮丧。但是，简单的语言转换是否可以提高客户满意度？我们建议，语言的具体性（员工在与客户交谈时使用的词语的具体性，特殊性或可想象性）可以影响消费者的态度和行为。五项研究，包括在两个不同领域中对超过1,000种实际的消费者-员工互动的文本分析，表明，当员工具体与客户交谈时，客户会更满意，愿意购买以及购买更多商品。发生这种情况的原因是，客户推断使用更具体语言的员工正在听（即，注意并理解他们的需求）。这些发现加深了人们对语言如何塑造消费者行为的理解，