Description
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark. In addition, a "best" practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.
Study on Business Practices in Malaysia
Contents
owledgement It the Authors
iii iv
rter 1 duction
and Overview
1
thira Mohd Ishan and Wong Foong Yee
pter 2 Theories
Underpinning
Corporate
Insolvency
Law: An Analysis
5
tzita Azmi and Adilah Abd Razak pter 3
saction tionship Cost Economics between Capital and the Choice Equipment of Governance Acquirer Structure in the 16 and Provider
zmatoani Abd Rahman and Mazlan Hassan pter 4
1 Global
Firms and Rapid Internatiorialisation
Process: Characteristics 30
Challenges
'oor Azlin Ismail pter 5
Whether, When and How of Market Entry: A Literature Review 40
lanesh Thanasegaran lpter 6
~ of SMEs in Foreign Retailers' Inter-Corporate Network: The Case of Malaysia 54
'aja Nerina Raja Yusof
ix
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Business Practices
in Malaysia
Chapter 7 Is Relationship Marketing Crucial in a Mature Market? Case of the Malaysian Mobile Service Industry _ Jamil Bojei and Mimi Liana Abu
65
Chapter 8 Environmental Management Practices in the Hotel Industry in Malaysia _ Kasimu Abdu Bakori, Zaiton Samdin and Hamimah Hassan
87
Chapter 9 The Effect of Online Marketing on Customer Satisfaction _ Yuhanis Abdul Aziz, Amir Muhamadi and Zaiton Samdin
94
Chapter 10 Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry _ Hossein Nezakati and Rozita Sedek
•····················
········
..··.. 106
Chapter 11 Understanding Malaysian SME Entrepreneurs' Perception of the Factors Affecting Hypermarket Acceptance of Their Products _ Mohani Abdul, Haslinda Hashim, Azmawani Abd Rahman and Farah Ahmad Dusuki
121
Chapter 12 Enterprise System Adoption in Healthcare Organisations: An Actor Network Theory Approach _ Manisah Othman and Nor Azlina Kamarobim
136
Changing the Perception the Call Centre Indust
INTRODUCTION
The call centre industry is a fast-growing one. Call centres, particularly those that provide telebased services such as customer services, marketing and sales, direct banking and insurance, are poised for significant growth. Additionally, call centres have emerged to become more specialise in some areas such as legal advice, psychological support, market research and public secto communication (Houlihan, 2001). However, most are still in the early stages of developmen and according to industry experts, the number of companies providing call processing servic is still insufficient. Call centres emphasise a strong focus on their employees as it has been acknowledged tha employees playa crucial role in achieving customer satisfaction (Pollitt, 2006). There is a link between employee performance and customer satisfaction, hence, careful employee hiring an training is a top priority for most call centres. Much prior research has been conducted to examine the effects of different levels of expertise. trustworthiness, likeabiliry, physical attractiveness on the perception of source credibility and perceived level of credibility of the communicators who delivered messages or were used as spokespersons in advertisements (Bennett, 1997; Chaiken, 1979; Clow, James, Kranenburg,&Berry, 2006; Dholakia & Sternthal, 1977; Maddux & Rogers, 1980; Priester & Petty, 2003: Woodside& Davenport, 1974; Ziegler & Diehl, 2001). The above-mentioned studies examined the different factors which affect the perception of message recipients when messages were delivered to them by a spokesperson or through an advertisement. Trustworthiness has been identified as important factor of source credibility. Recent research has indicated that if untrustworthy endorsers deliver some information, it is likely that the
106
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
107
recipients will consider it thoughtfully, while information delivered by a trustworthy endorser rnay be accepted without further thought and elaboration (Priester & Petty, 1995; Priester & . etry, 2003). However, in some research the property of physical attractiveness is examined as a dimension of source credibility (Clow, James, Kranenburg, & Berry, 2006; Dholakia & Stern thai, 1977). Maddux and Rogers (1980) and Norman (1976) have shown that the communicator who is physically more attractive is perceived to be more sociable, interesting, warm, outgoing, poised, trong, sexually warm and responsive and interpersonally attractive. Many studies have been conducted to find out the characteristics of the persuasive communicators and it has been observed that generally communicators who are low in credibility have less persuasive power than the communicators who are high in credibility (Dholakia& Sternrhal, 1977; Greenwald, 1968). Extensive literature has pointed out that the personality of individuals can also affect the perception and behaviour of consumers and the level of credibility of the message delivered by the communicator is crucial to the influence process (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The spokesperson or communicator can be an industry expert, a manager, an employee working in the industry or a celebrity. Researchers have pointed out that celebrities often bring visibility to a brand when acting as spokespersons, particularly when the product is previously unknown to the consumer (Grewal, Gotlieb, & Marmorstein, 1994; Stafford, Stafford, & Day, 2002) or brand switching is desired (Harmon& Coney, 1982; Stafford et aI., 2002). In addition, celebrities can produce higher levels of brand and advertisement recall. In general, high credibility sources, which often include celebrities, are considered to be more persuasive in general communications . terms (Stafford et aI., 2002).
RESEARCH
SIGNIFICANCE
Working in a call centre is not as meaningless as it seems. Thus, it is crucial to change graduates' perception of working in call centres. If graduates see call centre jobs as a viable career option, call centres can cut their cost due to high attrition rate by persuading graduates to build their career with them. Therefore, this research could assist call centres to persuade graduates to pursue a long-term career in this rapidly growing industry.
RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this research was to find out the determinants of an effective spokesperson and change the perception of graduates of careers in the call centre industry in the process. The study sought to explore which source factors were the most effective in changing the perception of call centres and which spokesperson types were the most significant in changing graduates' perception of jobs in the industry and getting them to consider building a career in
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call centres. Four different groups of of the groups watched video footage industry. The spokespersons differed constant. The effects of job status on examined.
university students were chosen as the sample and eac of a spokesperson promoting careers in the call centr in their job status but their gender and race were kepthe believability and persuasiveness of the spokesperson were
The following hypotheses were developed:
H1-1-1: Personalityas one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Effectiveness as one of the persuasivenessdimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability isthe most significant element in changing the perception of call centres. Spokesperson type has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres.
H1-1-2:
H1-2-1:
H1-2-2:
H1-3-1:
H1-3-2:
H1-4-1:
H1-4-2:
H2:
H3:
RESEARCH
FRAMEWORK
The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework to examine the determinar: of effective spokesperson in changing the perception of building career in call centres indus as shown in Figure 10.1. Different type of spokesperson; Manager, Employee, Celebrity ar Lecturer was used to examine the most influential in changing the perception of univers students of a career in the call centre industry. Besides that, several source factors of spokesperson were studied to understand whether university students were influenced due the likeabiliry, trustworthiness, perceived expertise or persuasiveness of the spokesperson.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre lndustrv
109
Likeability source factor is determined by personality and attractiveness of the spokesperson. Meanwhile, sincerity and predisposition determined the trustworthiness source factor. As or perceived expertise source factor, competency and knowledge were used and lastly, effectiveness and the influential level of the spokesperson determined the persuasiveness ource factor. \'V'ith all these determinants, we study on which source factors will change universiry students' perception in the call centre industry via different rype of spokesperson.
SOURCE FACTORS
H2
------------{-----------Hl-l-l
Likeability
I
( (
Personality Attractiveness
J
I
J
Hl-1-2
Trustworthiness
[
(
Sincerity Predisposition
1
J
Hl-2-1 H -2-2
I II I I II II I
1
J
,
r----.
Hl-3-2
Change perception towards call centres
--------Type of spokesperson
Mediating variables
.....•..
H3
Perceived
expertise
H ~-l
• Manager • Employee • Celebrity •
Lecturer
1
[
Competency Knowledgeable
J
I I I I
(
I
•
•
~ I I
••
•
I I I
J
J
I I
I I
---------y---------Race Hl-4-1 Gender Hl-4-2
I I I I I I
Persuasiveness
I I
[ (
--------------------
Effectiveness Influential
1
J
I
I I I
1 J
I I I I 1
--
Moderating variables
Figure 10.1 A Conceptual Framework for the Determinants of an Effective Spokesperson
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RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Sampling and Data Collection
According to Boaduo (2000), when the researcher has to make a choice concerning the resear methods to use, he has to consider both the actual applicable methods and techniques and underlying philosophy regarding their use in the study. This research was conducted in a laboratory setting so that the researchers could control an manipulate the necessary variables. Four Chinese males were chosen to be the spokesperson and their activities were recorded using a video camera. They each performed a different role: manager of a call centre, an employee who had been working for three years in a call centre. celebrity and a university professor. Hence, only the job status of the spokespersons was manipulated, to find out which 0"" of them was more effective and believable. All the spokespersons used the same argume~ for persuading their target audience, so the strength of the argument was kept constant controlled variable). Each of the spokesperson started off by introducing himself/herself his/her audience. Then he/she talked about how they could build a successful career in IT call centre industry. A standardised Likert-style questionnaire was designed for the subject - evaluate the level of likeabiliry (Section C), trustworthiness (Section D), perceived experrL (Section E) and persuasiveness of the speaker (Section F). Meanwhile, Section A asked abo the demographics of the respondents and Section B aimed to solicit information on respondents' perception of call centres. This research was a one-shot study (cross sectional) conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia ar; the subjects were students pursuing bachelor's degree and MBA programmes. A total of 1 students were randomly selected to construct a 95% confidence interval.
Data Analysis Techniques
All the gathered information was computed and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. The descriptive analysis in SPSS is designed to provide researcher a useful description about the distributions of the study variables. Frequency an percentage of the selected variables (perception, likeabiliry, trustworthiness, perceived expe and persuasiveness) were determined by descriptive analysis. According to Rubinfeld (2011), multiple regression analysis is a statistical tool for understand.r _ the relationship between two variables. Multiple regression was used in this research to deterrn the hierarchy effect of the likeability, trustworthiness, perceived expertise and persuasive factors on the change in the perception towards call centres by determining the standardis, beta coefficients. The standardised beta coefficients give a measure of the contribution of variable to the model.
Changing the Perception of the Cal Centre lndustry
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Pearson product-moment correlation was used to study the relationship between spokesperson rype and the change in the perception towards call centres and the relationship between the spokesperson characteristic/source factors and the change in the perception towards call centres.
r<ESULTS
ikeability of Spokesperson
Table 10.1 shows that the likeability factor had a significant influence on the change in the perception towards call centres. Based on their first impression of the spokesperson, 41.3% of the respondents said that they would like to further know the spokesperson (like O. Some -8.2% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson talked in a very pleasant way (like 2) and 65.3% of the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was a mean person (like 3). In tact, 68.9% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson was a nice person (like 4) and a "ery interesting one as well (like 5). In addition, 44.4% of the respondents agreed that it would be a pleasure to meet the spokesperson face to face (like 6).
Table 10.1
Item n
Like 1 Like 2 Like 3 Like 4 Like 5 Like 6 28 0 0 5 The Influence of Spokesperson's Likeobility Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
%
2,6 0,5 14,3 0,0 0,0 0,5
3 %
11 ,2 3,6 65,3 3,1 3,1 11 ,7
4 %
28,1 23,5 19,4 9,7 9,7 31.6
5
% 43,1 58,2 1.0 68,9 68,9 44,4
n
22 7 128 6 6 23
n
55 46 38 19 19 62
n
81 114 2 135 135 87
n
33 28 0 36 36 23
%
16,8 14,3 0,0 18,4 18,4 11.7
otes
1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neither disagree nor agree; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.
Cronbach's alpha = 0.968. n = 196students {sample size}.
Trustworthiness of Spokesperson
Table 10.2 shows that the spokesperson's trustworthiness factor influenced the perception towards call centres. More than half of the respondents (63.8%) agreed that the spokesperson showed a great deal of consideration for the audience in making sure they understood the message that was being conveyed (trust 1). In addition, 38.8% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson was truthful when conveying the message (trust 2) and 54.1 % of the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was not sincere in conveying the message (trust 3). Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.1%) strongly disagreed that the spokesperson demonstrated predisposition (trust 4) and was not honest (trust 5) during his/her presentation. Some 61.7%
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BusinessPractices in Malaysia
of the respondents agreed that it was easy for them to trust the spokesperson's message on -- call centre industry.
Table 10.2
Item
The Influence of Spokesperson's Trustworthiness Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
3
% 1.0 16,8 54.1 44,9 44.9 2.0
4
% 21,4 32,7 4.1 2,0 2.0 14.8
5
% 63,8 38,8 0,0 0.0 0.0 61.7
n
Trust 1 Trust 2 Trust 3 Trust 4 Trust 5 Trust 6
% 0.0 2.6 41.8 53,1 53.1 0.0
n
2 33 106 88 88 4
n
42 64 8 4 4 29
n
125 76
n
27 18
%
a
5 82 104 104
13 E
92 0.0
a a a
121
a a a
42
o.
0.0 21 ~
a
Notes 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 Cronbach's alpha = 0.890. n = 196 students (sample size).
=
neither disagree nor agree; 4
=
agree; 5
=
strongly agree.
Perceived Expertise of Spokesperson
Table 10,3 shows that the spokesperson's perceived expertise factor influenced the percepri change towards call centres. Less than half of the respondents (45.9%) agreed that IT spokesperson knew what was being communicated (expert 1) and 54.1 % of the responden agreed that the spokesperson was an expert on the call centre industry (expert 2). Some 49.5% the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was not very knowledgeable about the call cen industry (expert 3). Meanwhile, 58.2% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson \ well qualified to comment on the call centre industry (expert 4) and 61.7% of the respondendisagreed that the spokesperson was not very competent in conveying the message (expert ~
Table 10.3
Item
The Influence of Spokesperson's Perceived Expertise Factor on Perception 4 % 12.8 11 ,2 19.4 23.5 14,3 of Call Centres
2
3
% 6,6 5.6 49.5 3.6 16.7
5
% 34.7 54,1 13.3 58.2 4.6
n
Expert 1 Expert 2 Expert 3 Expert 4 Expert 5 38
% 0.0 0.0 17,9 0.5 19.4
n
13 11 97 7 121
n
25 22 38 46 28
n
68 106 26 114 9
n
90 57
% 459 29 ' 0,0 14,3 0.0
a a
35
a
28
a
Notes 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 Cronbach's alpha = 0.957. IJ = 196 students (sample size).
=
neither disagree nor agree; 4
=
agree; 5
=
strongly agree.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
113
Persuasiveness of Spokesperson
Table 10.4 shows that the spokesperson's persuasiveness factor influenced the perception change towards call centres. Some 48.0% of the respondents agreed that working at call centres would be exciting. In addition, 47.4% of the respondents agreed that working in call centres would not fully utilise their education and knowledge (persuade 2). In spite of that, 29.6% of the respondents said that they would consider working in call centres although 29.6% of respondents said they would not consider working in call centres (persuade 3). Some 3l.6% of the respondents disagreed that working at call centres was worthwhile (persuade 4). On rap of that, 46.9% of the respondents disagreed that call centre employees were just ordinary telephone operators. Despite the persuasive message conveyed by the spokesperson, 41.3% of the respondents still thought that a call centre job was more a "job" than a "career".
Table 10.4 The Influence Item
of Spokesperson's Persuasiveness Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
3
"10
4
"10
5
"10
n
Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 0 47 37 36 5
"10
n
24 22 58 62 92 22
n
44 43 48 51 43 55
n
94 93 33 29 23 81
n
22 38 10 17 2 33
"10
6.1 0.0 24.0 18.9 18.4 2.6
12.2 11.2 29.6 31.6 46.9 11.2
22.4 21.9 24.5 26.0 21.9 28.1
48.0 47.4 16.8 14.8 11.7 41.3
11.2 19.4 5.1 8.7 1.0 16.8
Notes J = strongly disagree; 2
= disagree; 3 = neither disagree nor agree; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree. Cronbach's alpha = 0.977. n = J 96 students (sample size).
HYPOTHESIS TESTING
H1-1-1: Personalityas one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-1-2:
The first sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the likeabiliry dimension of source factors had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. The standardised beta coefficients give a measure of the contribution of each variable. A large value indicates that a unit change in this predictor variable has a large effect on the criterion variable. From Table 10.5, we can see that personality (beta = -0.229) had no significant effect on the perception of call centres. Thus, the hypothesis H1-1-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11). However, attractiveness had a beta of 0.191, which shows that it played a significant role in changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-1-2 was correct with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
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Table 10.5 The Hierarchy of the Likeability Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Personality Attractiveness -.411 .269 Std. Error .427 .334 Standardised Coefficients Beta -.229 .191 T -.963 .805 Sig. .337 .422
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spokesperson. H1-2-1: Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-2-2:
The second sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the above trustworthiness dimensi had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. Table 10.6 shows that sincerity h a beta of -0.80 which indicates that it did not have any significant effect on the perception call centres. Thus, the hypothesis Hl-2-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11). On the other hand, predisposition had a beta of 0.081 which shows that it was a signifi factor in changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis H 1-2- 2 was supporr with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.6 The Hierarchy of the Trustworthiness Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Sincerity Predisposition -.166 .152 Std. Error .222 .201 Standardised Coefficients Beta -.080 .081 -.745 .756 Si9· .457 .451
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spokesperson. H1-3-1: Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-3-2:
The third sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the above perceived expertise dimensi had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. Table 10.7 indicates that compete. had a beta of 0.194. Thus, the hypothesis Hl-3-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11).
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
115
n contrast, knowledgeable had a beta of 0.163 which shows that it was a significant factor in hanging the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-3-2 was supported with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.7 The Hierarchy of the Perceived Expertise Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients Standardised Coefficients Beta
B Competency Knowledgeable -.313 .222
Std. Error .265 .224
Si9· -1.179 .988 .240 .324
-.194 .163
B
=
Dependent variable: TJpe of spokesperson. H1-4-1: Effectiveness as one of the persuasivenessdimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-4-2:
The fourth sub-hypothesis was to determine if the above persuasiveness dimensions had any ignificant effect on the perception of call centres. As shown in Table 10.8, effectiveness had a beta of 0.134, which indicates that it had a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Hence, the hypothesis Hl-4-1 was supported with 95% probability (see Table 10.11). Meanwhile, influential had a beta of -0.157 which shows that it was not significant when it came to changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-4-2 was rejected see Table 10.11).
Table 10.8 The Hierarchy of the Persuasiveness Dimensionwith Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients 5tandardised Coefficients Beta
B Effectiveness Influential .168 -.161
Std. Error .347 .284
5i9· .483 -.567 .630 .572
.134 -.157
B =Dependent variable: TJpe of spokesperson. H2: Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability isthe most significant element in changing the perception of call centres.
The second hypothesis in this study was to determine which one of the source factor dimensions was the most significant element in changing the perception of call centres. Multiple regression
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Business Practices in Malaysia
analysis was used and the result shows that likeability (p = 0.496), trustworthiness (p = 0.1-perceived expertise (p = 0.604) and persuasiveness (p = 0.361) did not have any significa.: relationship with the change in perception. However, if one predictor has a large standard' beta coefficient, it indicates that a unit change in this predictor variable has a large effect the criterion variable. From Table 10.9, it can be seen that persuasiveness (beta = -0.525) h the least significant effect on perception change, followed by likeability (beta = -0.280) ar ; perceived expertise (beta = -0.061). Only trustworthiness (beta = 0.508) had some effect on perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis H2 was rejected (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.9 The Hierarchy of the Source Factor Elements with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Likeability Trustworthiness Perceived expertise Persuasiveness -.446 1,068 -,363 -,595 Std. Error .654 ,783 ,700 ,651 Standardised Coefficients Beta -,280 ,508 -,061 -,525 -,682 1,364 -,519 -,915 Sig. ,496 ,174 ,604 ,361
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spaeesperson. H3: Spokespersontype has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres,
The third hypothesis in this study was to determine if spokesperson type had a significa.: relationship with the perception change of call centres by using the Pearson product-mom correlation (see Table 10.10). This study found that the type of spokesperson did not correlate, the perception change of call centres. Thus, the hypothesis H3 was rejected (see Table 10.11 . According to Guildford's Rule of Thumb, r represents the strength of a relationship. Thus, K r is less than 0.20 it indicates a negligible relationship; 0.20-0.40 indicates a low relation h 0.40-0.70 a moderate relationship; 0.70-0.90 a high relationship and if the r is greater th 0.90, a very high relationship exists between two variables. However, no statistically signifi relationships existed between the study's variables.
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Table 10.10 The Correlation between Spokesperson Type and Source Factors
Type of spokesSumscore_ person Type of spokesperson Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N surnscorejke Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore_trust Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore_expert Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore persuade Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N
'<
Sumscore like -.036 .618
Sumscore trust .002 .976 196 .890* .000
Sumscore expert .005 .946 196 .653* .000 196 .717* .000 persuade -.024 .744 196 .958* .000 196 .971* .000 196 .700*
196 -.036 .618 196 .002 .976 196 .005
196
196 .890* .000 196 .653*
196
196 .717**
196
.946 196 -.024 .744 196
.000 196 .958* .000 196
.000 196 .971* .000 196 196 .700* .000 196
.000 196
196
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 10.11 Summary of the Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis H1-1-1 Personality as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors element has a significant effect on the perception of call centres
r/t
-0.963
Result (p) 0.337
Conclusion Rejected
Hl-1-2
0.805
0.422
Supported, significant at 95% confidence level Rejected
Hl-2-1
-0.745
0.457
H1-2-2-
0.756
0.451
Supported, significant at 95% confidence level
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Hypothesis Hl-3-1 Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Effectiveness as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability is the most significant element in changing the perception of call centres There is a significant relationship between spokesperson type and perception of call centres OR Spokesperson type has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres
rlt
-1.179
Result (p) 0.240
Conclusion Rejected
Hl-3-2
0.988
0.324
Supported, sig!"'::: at 95% ccnttder-clevel
Hl-4-1
0.483
0.630
Supported, sign "':: at 95% confidence level Rejected
Hl-4-2
-0.567
0.572
H2
-0.682
0.496
Rejected
H3
-0.024
0.744
Rejected
DISCUSSION
This study has shown spokesperson type was not a significant factor when it came to chang the perception towards call centres. The results of the first hypothesis test indicate that the spokesperson's attractiven; predisposition, level of knowledge of the call centre industry and presentation effectiver. had a significant influence on the respondents' perception towards a career in call centres. F impressions played an important role in persuading the respondents to either support or re the information that was presented to them by the spokesperson. Of the four dimensions source factors, level of knowledge had the most impact in changing the respondents' percep of the call centre industry. The results of the second hypothesis test show that the likeability factor did not have significant effect on the respondents' perception of call centres. Trustworthiness was the ill important factor in persuading the respondents to change their perception of the industry. Meanwhile, the results of the third hypothesis test show that there was no significant relation between the type of spokesperson and perception change towards call centres. Instead, the qua. of the spokesperson was more effective in changing the respondents' perception and persua them to consider building a career in the call centre industry.
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CONTRIBUTION
OF THE RESEARCH
Call centres nowadays are playing an increasingly important role in the services sector. Thus, it is important for the call centre industry to know the determinants of an effective spokesperson in promoting call centre jobs as long-term careers. This research tried to find our the determinants of an effective spokesperson and aimed to change the belief that there is no long-term job prospect in call centres. This common perception has led to a high attrition rate and hence, it is very important to correct this misconception.
LIMITATIONS
OF THE RESEARCH
This research has made some significant findings but it also had certain limitations although it was carefully prepared. First, it was a challenge to gather the respondents into one location for the recording. Another limitation was the difficulty in explaining the purpose of the research. This might have caused some of the respondents to leave a few answers blank. Time constraint was another limitation. Therefore, due to the limitations of this study, further research is warran ted.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
The students in the sample were randomly assigned into groups and this was considered acceptable for this experimental research, however, future research should attempt to address some of the . issues which this study might have ignored. First, the sample was assigned randomly without regard to race and so the result may not be generalised to the national level, since different races attach different values to different spokespersons of different ages. Hence, future research should attempt to select a larger racially diverse sample so that the result can be generalised to the national level. econd, the spokespersons chosen for the current research were all males and Chinese; the study might yield different results if the spokespersons were females and of other races. Hence, future studies can address the effects of gender or even race differences of spokespersons promoting the industry. Third, this study focused solely on the call centre industry; the result might change if this study involved other types of industries bearing in mind that the skills needed to be an effective pokesperson vary from industry to industry. Finally, conveying messages via live and recorded presentations might yield vastly different results and this should be addressed by further research.
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REFERENCES
Bennett, R. (1997). Communicator credibility, personality factors and customer responses to compo _ advertising claims. Marketing Intelligence& Planning, 75(2), 85-96. Bocduo. R. (2000). Consumer product evaluation: The interactive effect of message framing, preserve order, and source credibility. Journal of Product& Brand Management, 9(4), 229-242. Braunsberger, K"& Munch, J.M. (1998). Source expertise versus experience Journal of Services Marketing, 72(1), 23-38. Chaiken, S. (1979). Communicator physical attractiveness Psychology, 37(8), 1387-1397. effects in hospital cdverr _
and persuasion. Journal of Personality and
Clow, K.E., James, K.E., Kranenburg, K.E" & Berry, C.T. (2006). The relationship of the visual element c advertisement to service quality expectations and source credibility. Journal of Services Marketing ~ 404-411. Dholakia, R.R"& Sternthal, B. (1977). Highly credible sources: Persuasive facilitators or persuasive liab Journal of Consumer Research, 3(4), 223-232. Greenwald, A.G. (1968). Cognitive learning, cognitive response to persuasion, and attitude change. n Greenwald, T.C. Brock,& T.M. Ostrom (Eds.), Psychological Foundations of Attitudes (pp. 147-170. York: Academic Press. Grewal, D., Gotlieb, J" & Marmorstein, H. (1994). The moderating effects of message framing and sc credibility on the price-perceived risk relationship. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(1), 145-153. Harmon, R.R" & Coney, K.A. (1982). The persuasive effects of source credibility in buy and lease situc Journal of Marketing Research, 79(2), 255-260. Houlihan, H. (2001). Managing to manage? Training, 25(2/3/4), 208-220. Stories from the call centre floor. Journal of European Inc
-
Maddux, J.E" & Rogers, RW. (1980). Effects of source expertness, physical attractiveness, and sup arguments on persuasion: A case of brains over beauty. Journal of Personality and Social Psvcr 39(2), 235-244. McGuire, w.J. (1969). The nature of attitudes and attitude change. Handbook of Social Psychology. Rea MA: Addison-Wesley. Norman, R. (1976). When what is said is important: A comparison of expert and attractive sources. JovExperimental Social Psychology, 72(3), 294-300. Pollitt, D. (2006). Headsets and mindsets: It's the employees who determine customer-service centres. Human Resource Management International Digest, 74(6), 38-40. Priester, J.R., & Petty, R.E. (1995). Source attribution and persuasion: Perceived honesty as a ceterrnrmessage scrutiny. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(6), 637-654. Priester, J.R" & Petty, R.E. (2003). The influence of spokesperson trustworthiness on message elabo attitude strength, and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 73(4),408-421 Rubinfeld, D.L. (2011). Reference guide on multiple regressions. In Federal Judicial Center, Reference on Scientific Evidence (3rd ed.) (pp. 303-357). National Research Council. Stafford, M.R" Stafford, T.F" & Day, E. (2002). A contingency approach: The effects of spokesperson tyC-E service type on service advertising perceptions. Journal of Advertising, 37(2), 17-35. Woodside, A.G" & Davenport Jr.. w.J. (1974). The effect of salesman similarity and expertise on cor purchasing behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 77(2), 198-202. Ziegler, R" & Diehl, M. (2001). The effect of multiple source information on message scrutiny: The case or expertise and likability. SwissJournal of Psychology, 6lX4), 253-263. levels -
doc_734223265.docx
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark. In addition, a "best" practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.
Study on Business Practices in Malaysia
Contents
owledgement It the Authors
iii iv
rter 1 duction
and Overview
1
thira Mohd Ishan and Wong Foong Yee
pter 2 Theories
Underpinning
Corporate
Insolvency
Law: An Analysis
5
tzita Azmi and Adilah Abd Razak pter 3
saction tionship Cost Economics between Capital and the Choice Equipment of Governance Acquirer Structure in the 16 and Provider
zmatoani Abd Rahman and Mazlan Hassan pter 4
1 Global
Firms and Rapid Internatiorialisation
Process: Characteristics 30
Challenges
'oor Azlin Ismail pter 5
Whether, When and How of Market Entry: A Literature Review 40
lanesh Thanasegaran lpter 6
~ of SMEs in Foreign Retailers' Inter-Corporate Network: The Case of Malaysia 54
'aja Nerina Raja Yusof
ix
X
Business Practices
in Malaysia
Chapter 7 Is Relationship Marketing Crucial in a Mature Market? Case of the Malaysian Mobile Service Industry _ Jamil Bojei and Mimi Liana Abu
65
Chapter 8 Environmental Management Practices in the Hotel Industry in Malaysia _ Kasimu Abdu Bakori, Zaiton Samdin and Hamimah Hassan
87
Chapter 9 The Effect of Online Marketing on Customer Satisfaction _ Yuhanis Abdul Aziz, Amir Muhamadi and Zaiton Samdin
94
Chapter 10 Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry _ Hossein Nezakati and Rozita Sedek
•····················
········
..··.. 106
Chapter 11 Understanding Malaysian SME Entrepreneurs' Perception of the Factors Affecting Hypermarket Acceptance of Their Products _ Mohani Abdul, Haslinda Hashim, Azmawani Abd Rahman and Farah Ahmad Dusuki
121
Chapter 12 Enterprise System Adoption in Healthcare Organisations: An Actor Network Theory Approach _ Manisah Othman and Nor Azlina Kamarobim
136
Changing the Perception the Call Centre Indust
INTRODUCTION
The call centre industry is a fast-growing one. Call centres, particularly those that provide telebased services such as customer services, marketing and sales, direct banking and insurance, are poised for significant growth. Additionally, call centres have emerged to become more specialise in some areas such as legal advice, psychological support, market research and public secto communication (Houlihan, 2001). However, most are still in the early stages of developmen and according to industry experts, the number of companies providing call processing servic is still insufficient. Call centres emphasise a strong focus on their employees as it has been acknowledged tha employees playa crucial role in achieving customer satisfaction (Pollitt, 2006). There is a link between employee performance and customer satisfaction, hence, careful employee hiring an training is a top priority for most call centres. Much prior research has been conducted to examine the effects of different levels of expertise. trustworthiness, likeabiliry, physical attractiveness on the perception of source credibility and perceived level of credibility of the communicators who delivered messages or were used as spokespersons in advertisements (Bennett, 1997; Chaiken, 1979; Clow, James, Kranenburg,&Berry, 2006; Dholakia & Sternthal, 1977; Maddux & Rogers, 1980; Priester & Petty, 2003: Woodside& Davenport, 1974; Ziegler & Diehl, 2001). The above-mentioned studies examined the different factors which affect the perception of message recipients when messages were delivered to them by a spokesperson or through an advertisement. Trustworthiness has been identified as important factor of source credibility. Recent research has indicated that if untrustworthy endorsers deliver some information, it is likely that the
106
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
107
recipients will consider it thoughtfully, while information delivered by a trustworthy endorser rnay be accepted without further thought and elaboration (Priester & Petty, 1995; Priester & . etry, 2003). However, in some research the property of physical attractiveness is examined as a dimension of source credibility (Clow, James, Kranenburg, & Berry, 2006; Dholakia & Stern thai, 1977). Maddux and Rogers (1980) and Norman (1976) have shown that the communicator who is physically more attractive is perceived to be more sociable, interesting, warm, outgoing, poised, trong, sexually warm and responsive and interpersonally attractive. Many studies have been conducted to find out the characteristics of the persuasive communicators and it has been observed that generally communicators who are low in credibility have less persuasive power than the communicators who are high in credibility (Dholakia& Sternrhal, 1977; Greenwald, 1968). Extensive literature has pointed out that the personality of individuals can also affect the perception and behaviour of consumers and the level of credibility of the message delivered by the communicator is crucial to the influence process (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The spokesperson or communicator can be an industry expert, a manager, an employee working in the industry or a celebrity. Researchers have pointed out that celebrities often bring visibility to a brand when acting as spokespersons, particularly when the product is previously unknown to the consumer (Grewal, Gotlieb, & Marmorstein, 1994; Stafford, Stafford, & Day, 2002) or brand switching is desired (Harmon& Coney, 1982; Stafford et aI., 2002). In addition, celebrities can produce higher levels of brand and advertisement recall. In general, high credibility sources, which often include celebrities, are considered to be more persuasive in general communications . terms (Stafford et aI., 2002).
RESEARCH
SIGNIFICANCE
Working in a call centre is not as meaningless as it seems. Thus, it is crucial to change graduates' perception of working in call centres. If graduates see call centre jobs as a viable career option, call centres can cut their cost due to high attrition rate by persuading graduates to build their career with them. Therefore, this research could assist call centres to persuade graduates to pursue a long-term career in this rapidly growing industry.
RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this research was to find out the determinants of an effective spokesperson and change the perception of graduates of careers in the call centre industry in the process. The study sought to explore which source factors were the most effective in changing the perception of call centres and which spokesperson types were the most significant in changing graduates' perception of jobs in the industry and getting them to consider building a career in
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call centres. Four different groups of of the groups watched video footage industry. The spokespersons differed constant. The effects of job status on examined.
university students were chosen as the sample and eac of a spokesperson promoting careers in the call centr in their job status but their gender and race were kepthe believability and persuasiveness of the spokesperson were
The following hypotheses were developed:
H1-1-1: Personalityas one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Effectiveness as one of the persuasivenessdimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability isthe most significant element in changing the perception of call centres. Spokesperson type has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres.
H1-1-2:
H1-2-1:
H1-2-2:
H1-3-1:
H1-3-2:
H1-4-1:
H1-4-2:
H2:
H3:
RESEARCH
FRAMEWORK
The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework to examine the determinar: of effective spokesperson in changing the perception of building career in call centres indus as shown in Figure 10.1. Different type of spokesperson; Manager, Employee, Celebrity ar Lecturer was used to examine the most influential in changing the perception of univers students of a career in the call centre industry. Besides that, several source factors of spokesperson were studied to understand whether university students were influenced due the likeabiliry, trustworthiness, perceived expertise or persuasiveness of the spokesperson.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre lndustrv
109
Likeability source factor is determined by personality and attractiveness of the spokesperson. Meanwhile, sincerity and predisposition determined the trustworthiness source factor. As or perceived expertise source factor, competency and knowledge were used and lastly, effectiveness and the influential level of the spokesperson determined the persuasiveness ource factor. \'V'ith all these determinants, we study on which source factors will change universiry students' perception in the call centre industry via different rype of spokesperson.
SOURCE FACTORS
H2
------------{-----------Hl-l-l
Likeability
I
( (
Personality Attractiveness
J
I
J
Hl-1-2
Trustworthiness
[
(
Sincerity Predisposition
1
J
Hl-2-1 H -2-2
I II I I II II I
1
J
,
r----.
Hl-3-2
Change perception towards call centres
--------Type of spokesperson
Mediating variables
.....•..
H3
Perceived
expertise
H ~-l
• Manager • Employee • Celebrity •
Lecturer
1
[
Competency Knowledgeable
J
I I I I
(
I
•
•
~ I I
••
•
I I I
J
J
I I
I I
---------y---------Race Hl-4-1 Gender Hl-4-2
I I I I I I
Persuasiveness
I I
[ (
--------------------
Effectiveness Influential
1
J
I
I I I
1 J
I I I I 1
--
Moderating variables
Figure 10.1 A Conceptual Framework for the Determinants of an Effective Spokesperson
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RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Sampling and Data Collection
According to Boaduo (2000), when the researcher has to make a choice concerning the resear methods to use, he has to consider both the actual applicable methods and techniques and underlying philosophy regarding their use in the study. This research was conducted in a laboratory setting so that the researchers could control an manipulate the necessary variables. Four Chinese males were chosen to be the spokesperson and their activities were recorded using a video camera. They each performed a different role: manager of a call centre, an employee who had been working for three years in a call centre. celebrity and a university professor. Hence, only the job status of the spokespersons was manipulated, to find out which 0"" of them was more effective and believable. All the spokespersons used the same argume~ for persuading their target audience, so the strength of the argument was kept constant controlled variable). Each of the spokesperson started off by introducing himself/herself his/her audience. Then he/she talked about how they could build a successful career in IT call centre industry. A standardised Likert-style questionnaire was designed for the subject - evaluate the level of likeabiliry (Section C), trustworthiness (Section D), perceived experrL (Section E) and persuasiveness of the speaker (Section F). Meanwhile, Section A asked abo the demographics of the respondents and Section B aimed to solicit information on respondents' perception of call centres. This research was a one-shot study (cross sectional) conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia ar; the subjects were students pursuing bachelor's degree and MBA programmes. A total of 1 students were randomly selected to construct a 95% confidence interval.
Data Analysis Techniques
All the gathered information was computed and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. The descriptive analysis in SPSS is designed to provide researcher a useful description about the distributions of the study variables. Frequency an percentage of the selected variables (perception, likeabiliry, trustworthiness, perceived expe and persuasiveness) were determined by descriptive analysis. According to Rubinfeld (2011), multiple regression analysis is a statistical tool for understand.r _ the relationship between two variables. Multiple regression was used in this research to deterrn the hierarchy effect of the likeability, trustworthiness, perceived expertise and persuasive factors on the change in the perception towards call centres by determining the standardis, beta coefficients. The standardised beta coefficients give a measure of the contribution of variable to the model.
Changing the Perception of the Cal Centre lndustry
111
Pearson product-moment correlation was used to study the relationship between spokesperson rype and the change in the perception towards call centres and the relationship between the spokesperson characteristic/source factors and the change in the perception towards call centres.
r<ESULTS
ikeability of Spokesperson
Table 10.1 shows that the likeability factor had a significant influence on the change in the perception towards call centres. Based on their first impression of the spokesperson, 41.3% of the respondents said that they would like to further know the spokesperson (like O. Some -8.2% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson talked in a very pleasant way (like 2) and 65.3% of the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was a mean person (like 3). In tact, 68.9% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson was a nice person (like 4) and a "ery interesting one as well (like 5). In addition, 44.4% of the respondents agreed that it would be a pleasure to meet the spokesperson face to face (like 6).
Table 10.1
Item n
Like 1 Like 2 Like 3 Like 4 Like 5 Like 6 28 0 0 5 The Influence of Spokesperson's Likeobility Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
%
2,6 0,5 14,3 0,0 0,0 0,5
3 %
11 ,2 3,6 65,3 3,1 3,1 11 ,7
4 %
28,1 23,5 19,4 9,7 9,7 31.6
5
% 43,1 58,2 1.0 68,9 68,9 44,4
n
22 7 128 6 6 23
n
55 46 38 19 19 62
n
81 114 2 135 135 87
n
33 28 0 36 36 23
%
16,8 14,3 0,0 18,4 18,4 11.7
otes
1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neither disagree nor agree; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.
Cronbach's alpha = 0.968. n = 196students {sample size}.
Trustworthiness of Spokesperson
Table 10.2 shows that the spokesperson's trustworthiness factor influenced the perception towards call centres. More than half of the respondents (63.8%) agreed that the spokesperson showed a great deal of consideration for the audience in making sure they understood the message that was being conveyed (trust 1). In addition, 38.8% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson was truthful when conveying the message (trust 2) and 54.1 % of the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was not sincere in conveying the message (trust 3). Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.1%) strongly disagreed that the spokesperson demonstrated predisposition (trust 4) and was not honest (trust 5) during his/her presentation. Some 61.7%
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BusinessPractices in Malaysia
of the respondents agreed that it was easy for them to trust the spokesperson's message on -- call centre industry.
Table 10.2
Item
The Influence of Spokesperson's Trustworthiness Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
3
% 1.0 16,8 54.1 44,9 44.9 2.0
4
% 21,4 32,7 4.1 2,0 2.0 14.8
5
% 63,8 38,8 0,0 0.0 0.0 61.7
n
Trust 1 Trust 2 Trust 3 Trust 4 Trust 5 Trust 6
% 0.0 2.6 41.8 53,1 53.1 0.0
n
2 33 106 88 88 4
n
42 64 8 4 4 29
n
125 76
n
27 18
%
a
5 82 104 104
13 E
92 0.0
a a a
121
a a a
42
o.
0.0 21 ~
a
Notes 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 Cronbach's alpha = 0.890. n = 196 students (sample size).
=
neither disagree nor agree; 4
=
agree; 5
=
strongly agree.
Perceived Expertise of Spokesperson
Table 10,3 shows that the spokesperson's perceived expertise factor influenced the percepri change towards call centres. Less than half of the respondents (45.9%) agreed that IT spokesperson knew what was being communicated (expert 1) and 54.1 % of the responden agreed that the spokesperson was an expert on the call centre industry (expert 2). Some 49.5% the respondents disagreed that the spokesperson was not very knowledgeable about the call cen industry (expert 3). Meanwhile, 58.2% of the respondents agreed that the spokesperson \ well qualified to comment on the call centre industry (expert 4) and 61.7% of the respondendisagreed that the spokesperson was not very competent in conveying the message (expert ~
Table 10.3
Item
The Influence of Spokesperson's Perceived Expertise Factor on Perception 4 % 12.8 11 ,2 19.4 23.5 14,3 of Call Centres
2
3
% 6,6 5.6 49.5 3.6 16.7
5
% 34.7 54,1 13.3 58.2 4.6
n
Expert 1 Expert 2 Expert 3 Expert 4 Expert 5 38
% 0.0 0.0 17,9 0.5 19.4
n
13 11 97 7 121
n
25 22 38 46 28
n
68 106 26 114 9
n
90 57
% 459 29 ' 0,0 14,3 0.0
a a
35
a
28
a
Notes 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 Cronbach's alpha = 0.957. IJ = 196 students (sample size).
=
neither disagree nor agree; 4
=
agree; 5
=
strongly agree.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
113
Persuasiveness of Spokesperson
Table 10.4 shows that the spokesperson's persuasiveness factor influenced the perception change towards call centres. Some 48.0% of the respondents agreed that working at call centres would be exciting. In addition, 47.4% of the respondents agreed that working in call centres would not fully utilise their education and knowledge (persuade 2). In spite of that, 29.6% of the respondents said that they would consider working in call centres although 29.6% of respondents said they would not consider working in call centres (persuade 3). Some 3l.6% of the respondents disagreed that working at call centres was worthwhile (persuade 4). On rap of that, 46.9% of the respondents disagreed that call centre employees were just ordinary telephone operators. Despite the persuasive message conveyed by the spokesperson, 41.3% of the respondents still thought that a call centre job was more a "job" than a "career".
Table 10.4 The Influence Item
of Spokesperson's Persuasiveness Factor on Perception of Call Centres
2
3
"10
4
"10
5
"10
n
Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade Persuade 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 0 47 37 36 5
"10
n
24 22 58 62 92 22
n
44 43 48 51 43 55
n
94 93 33 29 23 81
n
22 38 10 17 2 33
"10
6.1 0.0 24.0 18.9 18.4 2.6
12.2 11.2 29.6 31.6 46.9 11.2
22.4 21.9 24.5 26.0 21.9 28.1
48.0 47.4 16.8 14.8 11.7 41.3
11.2 19.4 5.1 8.7 1.0 16.8
Notes J = strongly disagree; 2
= disagree; 3 = neither disagree nor agree; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree. Cronbach's alpha = 0.977. n = J 96 students (sample size).
HYPOTHESIS TESTING
H1-1-1: Personalityas one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-1-2:
The first sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the likeabiliry dimension of source factors had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. The standardised beta coefficients give a measure of the contribution of each variable. A large value indicates that a unit change in this predictor variable has a large effect on the criterion variable. From Table 10.5, we can see that personality (beta = -0.229) had no significant effect on the perception of call centres. Thus, the hypothesis H1-1-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11). However, attractiveness had a beta of 0.191, which shows that it played a significant role in changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-1-2 was correct with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
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Business Practices in Malaysia
Table 10.5 The Hierarchy of the Likeability Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Personality Attractiveness -.411 .269 Std. Error .427 .334 Standardised Coefficients Beta -.229 .191 T -.963 .805 Sig. .337 .422
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spokesperson. H1-2-1: Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-2-2:
The second sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the above trustworthiness dimensi had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. Table 10.6 shows that sincerity h a beta of -0.80 which indicates that it did not have any significant effect on the perception call centres. Thus, the hypothesis Hl-2-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11). On the other hand, predisposition had a beta of 0.081 which shows that it was a signifi factor in changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis H 1-2- 2 was supporr with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.6 The Hierarchy of the Trustworthiness Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Sincerity Predisposition -.166 .152 Std. Error .222 .201 Standardised Coefficients Beta -.080 .081 -.745 .756 Si9· .457 .451
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spokesperson. H1-3-1: Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-3-2:
The third sub-hypothesis was to determine whether the above perceived expertise dimensi had any significant effect on the perception of call centres. Table 10.7 indicates that compete. had a beta of 0.194. Thus, the hypothesis Hl-3-1 was rejected (see Table 10.11).
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
115
n contrast, knowledgeable had a beta of 0.163 which shows that it was a significant factor in hanging the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-3-2 was supported with 95% probability (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.7 The Hierarchy of the Perceived Expertise Dimension with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients Standardised Coefficients Beta
B Competency Knowledgeable -.313 .222
Std. Error .265 .224
Si9· -1.179 .988 .240 .324
-.194 .163
B
=
Dependent variable: TJpe of spokesperson. H1-4-1: Effectiveness as one of the persuasivenessdimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres.
H1-4-2:
The fourth sub-hypothesis was to determine if the above persuasiveness dimensions had any ignificant effect on the perception of call centres. As shown in Table 10.8, effectiveness had a beta of 0.134, which indicates that it had a significant effect on the perception of call centres. Hence, the hypothesis Hl-4-1 was supported with 95% probability (see Table 10.11). Meanwhile, influential had a beta of -0.157 which shows that it was not significant when it came to changing the perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis Hl-4-2 was rejected see Table 10.11).
Table 10.8 The Hierarchy of the Persuasiveness Dimensionwith Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients 5tandardised Coefficients Beta
B Effectiveness Influential .168 -.161
Std. Error .347 .284
5i9· .483 -.567 .630 .572
.134 -.157
B =Dependent variable: TJpe of spokesperson. H2: Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability isthe most significant element in changing the perception of call centres.
The second hypothesis in this study was to determine which one of the source factor dimensions was the most significant element in changing the perception of call centres. Multiple regression
116
Business Practices in Malaysia
analysis was used and the result shows that likeability (p = 0.496), trustworthiness (p = 0.1-perceived expertise (p = 0.604) and persuasiveness (p = 0.361) did not have any significa.: relationship with the change in perception. However, if one predictor has a large standard' beta coefficient, it indicates that a unit change in this predictor variable has a large effect the criterion variable. From Table 10.9, it can be seen that persuasiveness (beta = -0.525) h the least significant effect on perception change, followed by likeability (beta = -0.280) ar ; perceived expertise (beta = -0.061). Only trustworthiness (beta = 0.508) had some effect on perception of call centres. Therefore, the hypothesis H2 was rejected (see Table 10.11).
Table 10.9 The Hierarchy of the Source Factor Elements with Type of Spokesperson Coefficients
Unstandardised Coefficients B Likeability Trustworthiness Perceived expertise Persuasiveness -.446 1,068 -,363 -,595 Std. Error .654 ,783 ,700 ,651 Standardised Coefficients Beta -,280 ,508 -,061 -,525 -,682 1,364 -,519 -,915 Sig. ,496 ,174 ,604 ,361
B
=
Dependent variable: Type of spaeesperson. H3: Spokespersontype has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres,
The third hypothesis in this study was to determine if spokesperson type had a significa.: relationship with the perception change of call centres by using the Pearson product-mom correlation (see Table 10.10). This study found that the type of spokesperson did not correlate, the perception change of call centres. Thus, the hypothesis H3 was rejected (see Table 10.11 . According to Guildford's Rule of Thumb, r represents the strength of a relationship. Thus, K r is less than 0.20 it indicates a negligible relationship; 0.20-0.40 indicates a low relation h 0.40-0.70 a moderate relationship; 0.70-0.90 a high relationship and if the r is greater th 0.90, a very high relationship exists between two variables. However, no statistically signifi relationships existed between the study's variables.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
117
Table 10.10 The Correlation between Spokesperson Type and Source Factors
Type of spokesSumscore_ person Type of spokesperson Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N surnscorejke Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore_trust Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore_expert Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Sumscore persuade Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N
'<
Sumscore like -.036 .618
Sumscore trust .002 .976 196 .890* .000
Sumscore expert .005 .946 196 .653* .000 196 .717* .000 persuade -.024 .744 196 .958* .000 196 .971* .000 196 .700*
196 -.036 .618 196 .002 .976 196 .005
196
196 .890* .000 196 .653*
196
196 .717**
196
.946 196 -.024 .744 196
.000 196 .958* .000 196
.000 196 .971* .000 196 196 .700* .000 196
.000 196
196
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 10.11 Summary of the Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis H1-1-1 Personality as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Attractiveness as one of the likeability dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Sincerity as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Predisposition as one of the trustworthiness dimensions of source factors element has a significant effect on the perception of call centres
r/t
-0.963
Result (p) 0.337
Conclusion Rejected
Hl-1-2
0.805
0.422
Supported, significant at 95% confidence level Rejected
Hl-2-1
-0.745
0.457
H1-2-2-
0.756
0.451
Supported, significant at 95% confidence level
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Hypothesis Hl-3-1 Competency as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Knowledgeable as one of the perceived expertise dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Effectiveness as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Influential as one of the persuasiveness dimensions of source factors has a significant effect on the perception of call centres Among the dimensions of source factors, likeability is the most significant element in changing the perception of call centres There is a significant relationship between spokesperson type and perception of call centres OR Spokesperson type has a significant relationship with the perception change of call centres
rlt
-1.179
Result (p) 0.240
Conclusion Rejected
Hl-3-2
0.988
0.324
Supported, sig!"'::: at 95% ccnttder-clevel
Hl-4-1
0.483
0.630
Supported, sign "':: at 95% confidence level Rejected
Hl-4-2
-0.567
0.572
H2
-0.682
0.496
Rejected
H3
-0.024
0.744
Rejected
DISCUSSION
This study has shown spokesperson type was not a significant factor when it came to chang the perception towards call centres. The results of the first hypothesis test indicate that the spokesperson's attractiven; predisposition, level of knowledge of the call centre industry and presentation effectiver. had a significant influence on the respondents' perception towards a career in call centres. F impressions played an important role in persuading the respondents to either support or re the information that was presented to them by the spokesperson. Of the four dimensions source factors, level of knowledge had the most impact in changing the respondents' percep of the call centre industry. The results of the second hypothesis test show that the likeability factor did not have significant effect on the respondents' perception of call centres. Trustworthiness was the ill important factor in persuading the respondents to change their perception of the industry. Meanwhile, the results of the third hypothesis test show that there was no significant relation between the type of spokesperson and perception change towards call centres. Instead, the qua. of the spokesperson was more effective in changing the respondents' perception and persua them to consider building a career in the call centre industry.
Changing the Perception of the Call Centre Industry
119
CONTRIBUTION
OF THE RESEARCH
Call centres nowadays are playing an increasingly important role in the services sector. Thus, it is important for the call centre industry to know the determinants of an effective spokesperson in promoting call centre jobs as long-term careers. This research tried to find our the determinants of an effective spokesperson and aimed to change the belief that there is no long-term job prospect in call centres. This common perception has led to a high attrition rate and hence, it is very important to correct this misconception.
LIMITATIONS
OF THE RESEARCH
This research has made some significant findings but it also had certain limitations although it was carefully prepared. First, it was a challenge to gather the respondents into one location for the recording. Another limitation was the difficulty in explaining the purpose of the research. This might have caused some of the respondents to leave a few answers blank. Time constraint was another limitation. Therefore, due to the limitations of this study, further research is warran ted.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
The students in the sample were randomly assigned into groups and this was considered acceptable for this experimental research, however, future research should attempt to address some of the . issues which this study might have ignored. First, the sample was assigned randomly without regard to race and so the result may not be generalised to the national level, since different races attach different values to different spokespersons of different ages. Hence, future research should attempt to select a larger racially diverse sample so that the result can be generalised to the national level. econd, the spokespersons chosen for the current research were all males and Chinese; the study might yield different results if the spokespersons were females and of other races. Hence, future studies can address the effects of gender or even race differences of spokespersons promoting the industry. Third, this study focused solely on the call centre industry; the result might change if this study involved other types of industries bearing in mind that the skills needed to be an effective pokesperson vary from industry to industry. Finally, conveying messages via live and recorded presentations might yield vastly different results and this should be addressed by further research.
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