Customer evaluations of service failures by visibly physically disabled frontline employees: a mixed-method study

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how frontline employees’ (FLEs’) visible physical disability status influences customers’ stereotypes and subsequent loyalty. Drawing on the stereotype content model (SCM), we further examine how service failure type (process vs. outcome) moderates the effect of FLE disability status on customer stereotypes and whether communal relationships mediate the relationship between these stereotypes and customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods approach is used. Semi-structured interviews with 105 customers informed a SCM-based framework, which was then tested through vignette-based experiments with 180 participants. Findings Compared to the no-failure condition, visibly physically disabled FLEs evoke higher perceptions of warmth under outcome-failure conditions, which in turn strengthen communal relationships and customer loyalty to the service provider. This effect is found to be insignificant in process failure relative to the no-failure condition. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, the study extends hospitality research by framing inclusive frontline design as a value-creating driver rather than merely an accessibility or compliance issue. It also shows that disability cues do not consistently mitigate customers’ responses to service failures; their effect depends on failure conditions and stereotypes. For practice, managers should design frontline roles for employees with visible physical disabilities around performance rather than stereotypes and address customer bias in encounters. Originality/value The study conceptualizes inclusive service design as a value-creation mechanism rather than merely an accessibility or compliance issue.