Demonstrate Shared Values to Enhance Customer Relationships

Accepted wisdom says that if you want to motivate your frontline employees to become more customer-oriented, you should book some training sessions or fatten their paychecks.

But new research from Drexel LeBow supports an alternative option: corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities such as charitable giving, sustainable environmental programs and the adoption of more ethical practices.

Assistant professor of marketing Daniel Korschun, a co-author of the study, says CSR helps employees form stronger relationships with customers through shared values. “If employees believe that customers share their excitement about the company’s good actions, it can become a bridge to a better relationship with those customers. It’s a great ice breaker.”

Research into this area is still relatively novel. In fact, Korschun and his co-authors are the first to delve into the full spectrum of CSR from perceptions all the way through to how it affects performance.

Many companies have already figured out that CSR is good for business. At a recent panel discussion held by LeBow’s Center for Corporate Reputation Management, several executives offered anecdotal evidence. Panelist Ed Satell, founder of Progressive Business Publications, called CSR a great marketing concept. “All wealth comes from the community; to be successful, businesses need successful communities,” he said.

Dr. Daniel Korschun is an associate professor of marketing. His paper, “Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer Orientation, and Job Performance of Frontline Employees,” coauthored with C.B. Bhattacharya and Scott D. Swain, is forthcoming in Journal of Marketing.