This study investigates the service interaction between university students and employees, exploring its impact on student identification with the university and the resulting positive word-of-mouth. Utilizing theories of social identity, social impact, and the service-profit chain perspective, the research examines how consumer perception of a social group (identification) influences their voluntary engagement in services. A survey involving 229 students from two Brazilian universities was conducted. The data were analyzed using the covariance-based structural equation modeling technique. The results highlight that interactions with employees and the perception of other students have a positive impact on the student-university relationship. The study confirms that word-of-mouth is explained by the student's identification with the university, supporting this relationship from an unidimensional perspective. Additionally, the results reinforce the connections of the consumer-organization identification construct in the context of services, enhancing external validity when evaluated in the higher education environment.
Keywords:
Consumer-Company Identification; Interaction with Employees; Interaction Between Customers; Word-of-Mouth; Services in Higher Education