Pleased to serve you: improving service quality through business theatre

This paper aims to highlight how business theatre, especially the drama lesson, is an effective training tool to improve service quality delivery. Based on in-depth interviews with two business theatre experts and participation in drama lessons, this study proposes a drama about customer-frontline face-to-face interaction, and discusses it in a service quality management perspective. The drama lesson affects staff from the cognitive, affective, and behavioral viewpoints by means of high emotional involvement and cathartic effect felt by the audience during the theatrical performance. Although the drama provides concepts not new to the literature, frontline staff learn important aspects about how to improve service delivery quality. In addition, the drama lesson stimulates the development of their interpersonal communication and listening skills.