Service presentness in enhancing services interaction flow

Purpose The quality of being fully engaged during service interactions is essential for service providers, as it reflects a commitment to meeting customers’ expectations and needs. While engagement is recognized as an important aspect of service delivery, the concept of maintaining sustained attentiveness throughout the entire service journey – referred to here as service presentness – has received limited conceptualization in existing research. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize service presentness, elaborate on its key dimensions and illustrate how it contributes to enhancing the flow of service interactions. Design/methodology/approach Building on Jaakkola’s (2020) and Ulaga et al.’s (2021) theory synthesis approaches, we situate service presentness within a service-dominant logic perspective. Drawing from role theory and the principle of sequential interdependence, we develop a conceptual framework that clarifies the outward-oriented, real-time engagement required to optimize the service interaction flow. Findings Service presentness denotes the provider’s sustained, deep focus and genuine engagement throughout the entire service experience, ensuring a continuously attentive customer journey. Its core dimensions – disciplined focus, empathetic listening, continuous facilitation, customer-centric orientation and authenticity – collectively strengthen relational quality and guide seamless progression from one service phase to the next. Sustaining service presentness is thus crucial for achieving cohesive service delivery, ultimately enhancing customer trust and satisfaction. Originality/value This study introduces service presentness as a distinct yet complementary construct to existing mindfulness literature in service marketing. By emphasizing the provider’s ongoing, outward-facing engagement, our conceptual framework offers a foundation for empirical inquiry into how service presentness can be cultivated and measured across diverse service contexts.