The use of strategic deception in relationships

Abstract

Purpose

The primary purpose of this research is to explore the use of strategic deception as adopted by call centers endeavoring to establish relationships with consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative interviews, over the telephone and in person, were conducted with call center employees located in India.

Findings

The findings reveal various types of strategic deception occurring in call centers. Discoveries imply that companies are training their employees to deceive consumers in order to win their trust and cooperation.

Research limitations/implications

To improve generalization of the findings, future research should include call centers located in other parts of the world and determine if other types of companies use deception in any way to build trust and perceived similarity with their customers. The paper offers an overarching typology to guide future research in this area.

Practical implications

In this research a framework is provided by which practitioners might judge the desirability of using strategic deception in light of length of relationship and reason for the consumer interaction. Future research would more fully explicate the feasibility of such deceptive approaches at various levels/depths of interaction.

Originality/value

This study adds to extant relationship marketing literature by introducing the concept of strategic deception that is counterintuitive in terms of building relationships given the theoretical importance of self‐disclosure, trust, and honesty with consumers. It also describes specific instances of strategic deception employed in foreign call centers.

Citation

Patwardhan, A., Noble, S.M. and Nishihara, C.M. (2009), "The use of strategic deception in relationships", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 318-325. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040910973422