Salman Saleem, Rana Muhammad Umar and Stephen Oduro
This study aims to enhance our understanding of employee emotional competence (EEC) in the context of service failure and recovery. Accordingly, the present study investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to enhance our understanding of employee emotional competence (EEC) in the context of service failure and recovery. Accordingly, the present study investigates the relationship between perceived EEC and customer emotional attachment (CEA) through the mediating role of service recovery satisfaction (RES). Furthermore, the study examines the moderating impact of service failure severity (SFS) on the relationship between perceived EEC and RES.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered online survey was carried out to collect data. Using a convenience sampling technique, 195 US consumers were recruited from Prolific Academic. To test the hypotheses, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
According to the analysis, perceived EEC impacts CEA directly and indirectly via RES. Additionally, the study finds that consumers reported feeling more emotionally connected to the restaurant when they were satisfied with service recovery. Finally, the study identified that the connection between perceived EEC and RES increases with service failure severity.
Practical implications
This study emphasizes enhancing EEC through organization-wide training to increase customer satisfaction and emotional attachment to the service organization. Furthermore, it underscores the need for comprehensive employee training to categorize service failure severity and formulate appropriate recovery strategies.
Originality/value
The authors believe this is the first RES study to examine perceived EEC’s effect on CEA. By combining the affect infusion and cognitive appraisal theories to examine recovery satisfaction, this study contributes to the existing body of research on service recovery by shedding light on the relationship between perceived EEC and CEA. Furthermore, the study offers preliminary findings indicating an increase in the impact of perceived EEC on RES during high failure severity (SFS).
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Amrul Asraf Mohd-Any, Dilip S. Mutum, Ezlika M. Ghazali and Lokmanulhakim Mohamed-Zulkifli
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of successful service recovery in the airline sector by examining the interrelationship between perceived justice…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of successful service recovery in the airline sector by examining the interrelationship between perceived justice, recovery satisfaction and overall satisfaction, customer trust and customer loyalty. Furthermore, the research assesses the mediating effect of overall satisfaction and customer trust on customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected via an airport intercept survey of Malaysia Airlines passengers who had experienced service failure. In total, 380 responses were used for the final analysis. The study uses partial least squares structural equation modelling technique with SmartPLS 3.0, in order to test and validate the research model and hypotheses posited.
Findings
The results reveal that: recovery satisfaction is significantly affected by procedural and interactional justice; distributive and procedural justice, as well as recovery satisfaction influenced overall satisfaction; customer trust is most influenced by interactional justice, distributive justice and recovery satisfaction; customer loyalty is positively affected by customer trust, overall satisfaction and recovery satisfaction; and the influence amongst recovery satisfaction and customer loyalty is partially mediated by customer trust and overall satisfaction.
Originality/value
The study contributes to a whole conceptual comprehension of the essential determinants of customer loyalty from the combined perspectives of three theories, namely, justice theory, expectancy disconfirmation theory and commitment-trust theory. This study successfully differentiates the three dimensions of perceived justice and assesses them individually to discern and compare their influence on overall satisfaction, recovery satisfaction and trust. In addition, the study finds that the influence of recovery satisfaction on loyalty is partially and sequentially mediated by trust and overall satisfaction.
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Rana Muhammad Umar and Salman Saleem
Employees' emotional competence (EEC) is gaining increasing attention in service failure and recovery research. This study investigates the mediating role of consumer forgiveness…
Abstract
Purpose
Employees' emotional competence (EEC) is gaining increasing attention in service failure and recovery research. This study investigates the mediating role of consumer forgiveness between perceived EEC and recovery satisfaction among casual dining consumers. Additionally, this study examines the effect of perceived EEC on recovery satisfaction across process failure vs outcome failure.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical incident technique (CIT) in conjunction with a self-administered online survey was carried out. Using the snowball sampling technique, a total of 204 useable responses were collected. To test the hypotheses, this study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The study finds that perceived EEC influences service recovery satisfaction. Additionally, the study identifies the mediating role of consumer forgiveness in the relationship between perceived EEC and recovery satisfaction. Multi-group moderation analysis shows that the relationship between perceived EEC and recovery satisfaction is weaker in process failures as compared to outcome failures.
Practical implications
Based on obtained results, this study recommends that after service failure consumer forgiveness and subsequent recovery satisfaction can be obtained with perceived EEC. To do so, managers need to incorporate emotional competence while recruiting and training the employees. Moreover, managers need to train employees on failure types and respective recovery strategies. Lastly, the study suggests that in emerging markets managers should pay greater emphasis on process failure, because such failure decreases customer satisfaction greatly than outcome failure.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the impact of perceived EEC on consumer forgiveness which subsequently determines the recovery satisfaction in the emerging markets. It extends the application of the emotional contagion and affect infusion theories by exposing the effect of perceived EEC on recovery satisfaction through consumer forgiveness. In addition, the study provides insights that the influence of perceived ECC on recovery satisfaction significantly varies across service failure types.
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Celso Augusto de Matos, Carlos Alberto Vargas Rossi, Ricardo Teixeira Veiga and Valter Afonso Vieira
The paper seeks to investigate, in a context of service failure and recovery, how consumer satisfaction is affected by problem severity and company responsiveness, how satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to investigate, in a context of service failure and recovery, how consumer satisfaction is affected by problem severity and company responsiveness, how satisfaction influences repatronage intentions, word‐of‐mouth, and complaint intentions, and how consumer attitude toward complaining (ATC) moderates these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
An integrated model is proposed, following recent developments in the service recovery literature. This model is tested using data from a survey with 204 complaining customers.
Findings
Service recovery affected satisfaction more strongly for consumers with high ATC, indicating a moderating role of ATC. This moderator was also supported in the link between satisfaction and complaining intentions. Also, failure severity and perceived justice influenced satisfaction, which affected repurchase intentions, word‐of‐mouth, and complaining intentions.
Practical implications
Service managers should consider the differences between customers with low versus high ATC when providing recovery for a service failure. For instance, the importance of responsiveness in service recovery is even greater for those customers with high ATC, and those customers with low ATC have their complaint decision more dependent on their satisfaction level. Also, it is important to improve the customers' perceived fairness in the complaint resolution process.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the key antecedents and consequences of satisfaction in a context of service failure and recovery by integrating previous research in a comprehensive model. ATC is proposed and tested as a moderator when complainers and non‐complainers are compared in the level of the strength of the relationships. Previous research has not found a moderation effect in this level.
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Ke Ma, Xin Zhong and Guanghui Hou
This study aims to examine the role played by brand equity orientation and failure type in service recovery. Specifically, through the lens of forgiveness, the way brand equity…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the role played by brand equity orientation and failure type in service recovery. Specifically, through the lens of forgiveness, the way brand equity orientation and failure type influence consumer response to recovery is revealed.
Design/methodology/approach
This research tests a novel model using data collected from 1,589 consumers in two scenario-based experimental studies. The statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) program with the PROCESS tool was used to test the mediation and moderated mediation effects.
Findings
The research findings suggest that forgiveness plays a mediation role in the relationship between recovery and satisfaction. Brand equity orientation moderates the mediation effect of forgiveness on the relationship between recovery and recovery satisfaction. In addition, failure type also plays an important role and there is a significant three-way interaction effect (service recovery × brand equity orientation × failure type) on recovery satisfaction under certain circumstances.
Research limitations/implications
Building on the extant literature which focuses on the cognitive process when investigating recovery and consumer reaction, this research advocates the significant role played by the psychological process, namely, the feeling of forgiveness, in explaining the effect of distinct recovery strategies on consumer satisfaction. This research also unveils the effects of brand equity orientation and failure type on recovery outcomes.
Practical implications
When addressing performance failure, brand equity orientation and failure type need to be identified. Businesses could develop recovery strategies to arouse consumer forgiveness, which would lead to increased recovery satisfaction. When designing recovery strategies, managers need to be mindful of the effects of brand equity orientation and failure type.
Originality/value
This research is one of the few which reveals the mediating role played by forgiveness on the effect of recovery. Taking brand equity orientation and failure type into consideration, the findings of this research provide new insights into the recovery literature.
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Ying Fan and Run Hong Niu
The purpose of this paper is to explore influencing factors that affect the effectiveness of service recovery strategies using social network from operations management…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore influencing factors that affect the effectiveness of service recovery strategies using social network from operations management perspective. Specifically, the authors study the relationships between social media agent responses to customer complaints, customer emotion changes and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors investigate the roles of recovery speed and failure severity in the service recovery process using social network platform.
Design/methodology/approach
The results are based on 347 mini cases drawn from the Twitter accounts of a sample of airlines. Grounded theory approach is used to conduct qualitative analysis using NVivo 9, a qualitative data analysis program. A conceptual framework was developed, then tested using χ2 analysis.
Findings
Agent responses that do not require customers to take further initiatives for problem solving have positive effects on customer emotion alleviation and satisfaction. In contrast, responses that provide further directions poses negative effect on service recovery outcomes. There is a strong positive linkage between customer emotion change and customer satisfaction. Surprisingly, the direct effect of recovery speed on customer emotion and satisfaction is not supported by the data. Rather, it plays a moderating role in affecting the relationship between agent responses and customer satisfaction. The qualitative data further reveals the pivotal role of failure severity, one of key service failure attributes.
Research limitations/implications
The authors study service businesses’ recovery strategies using social media. A conceptual framework is developed to link agent responses, customer emotion changes and customer satisfaction from the lens of service providers, using an operations-oriented approach. Finding on recovery speed and failure severity reveal that these variables play different roles when service recovery is operated on social media platform as compared to traditional channels. Additionally, relying on tweets as data sources has constrained us from assessing other long-term service recovery outcomes such as loyalty, repurchase intent and word of mouth. The drawback is resulted from the limited information conveyed through tweets, which tends to be short and brief. The study focusses on the airline industry, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other service industries.
Practical implications
The authors highlight the value and potential of service recovery strategies using social network and provide insights for recovery operations where agent responses should be focussing on real time problem solving. The findings support the benefits of empowering social network agents for service recovery operations. Improving recovery speed should be less of a priority as it serves as a qualifier when service recovery is operated via social network. Given the pivotal role of failure severity, it is critical for social network agents to stand in the shoes of the complaining customers, making imminent assessment of the actual failure severity and taking action accordingly in real time. In the meantime, effective communication through social network may help to lower perceived magnitude of failure by customers, which in turn enhance the effectiveness of other service recovery efforts.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to investigate the service recovery process using social media from an operations-oriented perspective. The results supports the potentials of employing service recovery strategies using social media.
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Rosemary Matikiti, Mercy Mpinganjira and Mornay Roberts-Lombard
The purpose of this paper is to examine the precursors and outcomes of service recovery satisfaction and customer commitment among airline business customers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the precursors and outcomes of service recovery satisfaction and customer commitment among airline business customers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from airline travellers in South Africa using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results revealed that recovery expectations and perceived equity exert significant influence on levels of recovery satisfaction, which in turn influence overall satisfaction, trust and commitment. The study also revealed that trust and overall satisfaction are antecedents of customer commitment and that customer commitment has a significant positive relationship with positive word of mouth. It was also established that the quality of past service performance moderates the relationship between recovery satisfaction and commitment.
Practical implications
Airlines are advised to stimulate customer trust in the service delivery process through transparency in the procedures by which they resolve service failures and to remain committed to their service recovery promises to customers. It is also proposed that airlines should secure increased positive word of mouth through offering satisfactory service recovery.
Originality/value
Very little research in the South African context exists which focusses on the influence of customers satisfaction and commitment in the airline industry. This paper helps in establishing the antecedents of customer commitment after service failure in the airline industry.
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This study delves into the intricate dynamics between the severity of service failures and the justice perceptions of B2B customers, with a specific focus on their impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study delves into the intricate dynamics between the severity of service failures and the justice perceptions of B2B customers, with a specific focus on their impact on subsequent service recovery satisfaction. Furthermore, it explores the nuanced relationship between recovery satisfaction and repurchase intention while scrutinizing the influence of perceived switching costs on this interaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The study centers around the logistics service market, employing institutional customers of logistics services as the primary unit of analysis. The conceptual model is empirically tested using a dataset comprising responses from 196 participants, employing PLS-SEM as the analytical approach.
Findings
The study reveals a negative impact of service failure severity on justice perceptions, with distributive justice showing no influence on recovery satisfaction. However, procedural justice and interactional justice positively affect recovery satisfaction. Furthermore, a positive connection is identified between service recovery satisfaction and repurchase intention, with perceived switching costs acting as a negative moderator in this interaction.
Research limitations/implications
This research reaffirms the interplay between justice perceptions, recovery satisfaction and repurchase intention in B2B service settings. It underscores the influence of service failure severity on justice perceptions and establishes perceived switching cost as a moderator in the interaction between recovery satisfaction and repurchase intention.
Practical implications
The study underscores the imperative of careful and empathetic handling of distressed customers by personnel. Through effective recovery efforts and a well-calibrated combination of recovery mechanisms, service providers can instill a perception of higher switching costs in customers, acting as a deterrent to changing service providers.
Originality/value
This study is one of its kind which examines customer responses in the post-recovery phase of the service recovery journey, providing unique insights into the interaction between service failure severity, justice perceptions, recovery satisfaction, perceived switching costs and repurchase intention. Its contribution extends to the B2B services domain, particularly within the context of an emerging economy.
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Joseph Lok-Man Lee, Noel Yee-Man Siu, Tracy Junfeng Zhang and Shun Mun Helen Wong
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of cultural factors (concern for face and stability of attribution) in the relationships among service recovery…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of cultural factors (concern for face and stability of attribution) in the relationships among service recovery quality, postrecovery satisfaction and repurchase intention. Based on the politeness theory, this paper proposes a theoretical model for understanding how concern for face and stability of attribution may affect collectivists’ consumption behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in a field survey of 600 Hong Kong consumers who had experienced a telecommunications service failure. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the theoretical hypotheses.
Findings
A cultural factor of concern for face is found to negatively moderate the relationship between service recovery quality and postrecovery satisfaction. Face also positively influences the relationship between postrecovery satisfaction and repurchase intention. Another cultural factor, stability of attribution, is found to negatively moderate the relationship between service recovery quality and postrecovery satisfaction and to negatively moderate the relationship between postrecovery satisfaction and repurchase intention.
Practical implications
This study contributes to the understanding of the relevance of concern for face and stability of attribution in collectivists’ consumption behavior. The findings have significant implications for managers in a position to exploit the cultural value mechanisms of collectivist consumers.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this has been the first research to examine the impact of concern for face and stability of attribution among service recovery quality, postrecovery satisfaction and repurchase intention.
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This study basically develops an omnichannel integration services (OIS) success model and further uses perceived value and stickiness to measure the actual net benefits…
Abstract
Purpose
This study basically develops an omnichannel integration services (OIS) success model and further uses perceived value and stickiness to measure the actual net benefits. Furthermore, this study explores the role of service recovery in OIS success model.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative online survey study was mainly being conducted to statistically test these relationships among the customer experience, satisfaction, perceived value, stickiness and service recovery. The statistical data collected from 371 respondents were taken for analysis through partial least squares.
Findings
The findings revealed that the online and offline customer experiences have a significant influence on their level of online and offline satisfaction, respectively. Both online and offline satisfaction are major factors which are enhancing the perceived value and stickiness. Service recovery also has a significant effect on online and offline satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the hypotheses presented in the OIS success model may usually vary from one cultural context to another. Hence, additional studies should access the current research model, especially those that are culturally different from Taiwan.
Practical implications
The service failures are always inevitable and the recovery of such encounters represent to have a significant challenge for OIS. Thus, practitioners should allocate more such resources to enhance on customer experience of OIS, which in turn promotes to enhance customer satisfaction. Moreover, OIS practitioners seem to be more concerned with a thought on how to avoid service failures and provide satisfied customer experience than developing service recovery strategies.
Originality/value
Although the past studies on multichannel retail have yielded insights into the factors affecting consumers' channel preferences, there is a dearth of research that sheds bright light on the intense factors affect the success of OIS; hence, a conceptual framework of OIS success model, referenced to the model of updated information systems success (ISS), thus is used to act as the basis of this study. Furthermore, this study explores the role of service recovery in OIS success model.