Research@Ourso: More Than Just Bad Service
October 15, 2025
You may have heard a story on the news or, unfortunately, experienced it yourself: being watched too closely in a retail store, receiving inexplicably slow service at a restaurant, or experiencing a dismissive attitude for reasons that are difficult to pinpoint.
A groundbreaking new study co-authored by Kris Lindsey-Hall, associate professor in the 海角社区 Department of Marketing, explores this uncomfortable phenomenon, giving it a name and framework: Profiling as a Service Failure (PaSF). The study was a collaborative effort including 海角社区 PhD alumni Candice Marti (Mississippi State University) and Patrick Fennell (Kennesaw State University), as well as Susana Jaramillo (University of Memphis) and Melanie Lorenz (Florida Atlantic University). Their research, recently published in the prestigious Journal of Service Research, moved beyond anecdotal evidence to build a comprehensive understanding of how profiling impacts customer experiences from start to finish.
鈥淭he idea came full circle when I was traveling with my co-lead on this project, [Susana] Jaramillo,鈥� Lindsey-Hall recalled. 鈥淲e faced just about every travel service failure you can imagine: canceled flights, reroutes, lost luggage. But what stood out wasn鈥檛 just that [Jaramillo] was treated differently because of her accent and passport. We witnessed in real time how the very same failures were experienced differently 鈥� it became clear we needed to explore profiling 鈥� and even the anticipation of profiling 鈥� as a distinct type of service failure resulting from negative stereotypes.鈥�
How Do You Study a Feeling?
To tackle such a complex and sensitive topic, the research team employed a robust mixed-methods approach across three separate studies. This allowed them to understand both the "what" and the "why" behind PaSF.
Study 1: The Stories. The researchers began by using a "critical incident technique," collecting and analyzing nearly 100 detailed narratives from customers who felt they had been profiled. This initial study confirmed that customers overwhelmingly view these experiences as service failures that trigger a range of negative emotions.
Study 2: The Framework. Through in-depth interviews, the team mapped the entire PaSF journey. They explored how some customers engage in "pre-coping" behaviors鈥攍ike intentionally dressing a certain way or changing their speech鈥攖o avoid being profiled. This study also identified five distinct customer "approach styles" for dealing with profiling, from "The Avoiders," who take their business elsewhere, to "The Cycle Breakers," who use the opportunity to educate and seek change.
Study 3: The Experiment. Finally, the researchers used an experiment to test how customers react to different profiling scenarios (e.g., poor service vs. over-surveillance) and what recovery efforts are most effective.
鈥淲e combined personal stories with hard data to uncover the real impact of profiling,鈥� Fennell said. 鈥淟istening to customers showed us the human toll, while experiments confirmed the patterns and tested solutions. Together, this mixed-methods approach gives businesses insights they can actually act on.鈥�
How do customers react when they feel profiled?
The research team found that responses varied significantly and categorized customers into five distinct "approach styles" based on their emotions, coping strategies, and expectations.
The Cycle Breakers: Resilient and proactive, these customers view a profiling incident as an opportunity to educate. They voice their complaints constructively, aiming to create meaningful change that prevents it from happening to others.
The Disgruntled: Driven by anger from past negative experiences, these customers aggressively express discontent. They expect a swift resolution and are likely to engage in retaliatory actions, such as posting negative online reviews.
The Avoiders: Motivated by fear, these customers actively try to prevent profiling by avoiding certain businesses or even changing their appearance to "disguise" personal traits. When an incident occurs, they typically leave immediately and warn others about their experience later.
The Resigned: Characterized by sadness and skepticism, these customers enter service interactions with low expectations, believing change is unlikely. They are the least likely to complain because they feel it's pointless, making them challenging to satisfy with recovery efforts.
The Blindsided: These customers are caught off-guard by a profiling experience, as it's often infrequent or unexpected for them. They tend to see the event as an isolated incident and are more satisfied with traditional recovery actions, like a sincere apology or compensation.
Practical Solutions and Future Questions
So, what can businesses do with these findings? The research offers clear, actionable insights, including a candid assessment that common recovery tactics, such as offering financial compensation, might fall short. Fortunately, the study鈥檚 identification of the five customer approach styles provides a roadmap for firms to develop more tailored and effective training and recovery strategies.
Proactive measures and policies are also crucial for businesses to reduce reputational, legal, and ethical risks. The research suggests that creating a welcoming environment with visible signs of inclusivity can help reduce customer anxiety and the need for pre-coping behaviors. Businesses can also encourage open discussions with employees about the risk, including the dangers of unconscious or explicit profiling. Ensuring every team member is responsible for flagging potential biases and upholding inclusive practices helps to identify and address profiling risks before they escalate.
鈥淓ven the appearance of, or an environment conducive to, profiling can harm your relationships with customers forever. Firms have to demonstrate a clear, visible commitment to fairness to attract and retain diverse customers.鈥�
Candice Marti, PhD (海角社区 '25)
This research is a major step forward, but it also opens the door to new questions. The authors lay out a detailed agenda for future studies, including exploring the financial and legal consequences of PaSF and investigating how profiling might manifest in non-human technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), in customer service.
鈥淎s marketers, we鈥檙e always trying to understand what shifts people鈥檚 attitudes and behaviors,鈥� Lindsey-Hall said. 鈥淲hat stood out in this research was just how far-reaching the impact of profiling really is. We found that simply anticipating profiling (and the coping strategies people adopt in advance) can degrade the service experience, and alter customers鈥� emotions and actions, even if no incident actually occurs. This opens the door for a great deal of future research, as well as more tailored recovery strategies for businesses.鈥�
About the Researchers
Kristina (Kris) Lindsey-Hall an Associate Professor of Marketing at 海角社区. Her research has been published in the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Business Research, and Psychology & Marketing, among others.
Susana Jaramillo is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Memphis. Her research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Services Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, and the International Journal of Market Research.
Melanie Lorenz is the Harry T. Mangurian Fellow and Associate Professor of Marketing at Florida Atlantic University. Her research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Service Research, the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, and the Human Resource Management Journal.
Candice L. Marti is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Mississippi State University. Her research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management and Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management.
Patrick Fennell is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Assistant Department Chair at Kennesaw State University. His research has been published in the Journal of Service Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Business Research, among others.
Acknowledgement: Kristina (Kris) Lindsey-Hall and Susana Jaramillo contributed equally to this work.