The Impact Of Relationship Satisfaction On Attributions, Emotions, And Behaviors Following Service Failure

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Forrester ◽  
Manfred F. Maute
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Recovery Programs ◽  
Customer Defection ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Managers ◽  
Adverse Behaviors

This article investigates the processes through which relationship quality influences attributional, emotional, and behavioral responses to service failures. Results indicate that relationship quality reduces the likelihood of adverse behaviors by making blame and anger less intense. Results confirm the importance of relationship building behaviors and suggest strategies for reducing vulnerability to customer defection and adverse communications. To reduce negative word-of-mouth, managers should use relationship-building efforts to augment service recovery programs. To make customer exit less likely, service managers should invest in relationship building efforts that help to differentiate their service offers and increase barriers to exit.

Are tattoos still a taboo?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 874-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ozanne ◽  
Michael J. Tews ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Mediation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Aesthetic Labor ◽  
Agency And Communion ◽  
Failure Scenario ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAs tattoos increase in popularity, questions persist regarding their impact on customer perceptions. To help shed light into this issue, this paper aims to explore the impact of tattooed restaurant servers in the context of service failures. Through the agency and communion theory, the authors propose that a female server with tattoos induces higher levels of negative word of mouth (WOM) intention than her male counterpart. Furthermore, the authors propose that perceived competence mediates this effect.Design/methodology/approachThrough a 2 (tattoos status: yes, no) × 2 (server’s gender: male, female) experimental design, a panel of consumers were exposed to a restaurant service failure scenario with a photograph of a server. Depending on the condition, the server was either a male or female and had (or not) a tattoo on their left arm and neck. The same tattoo design was used for both genders.FindingsThe findings indicate that, in a service failure context, customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM does not differ across tattooed (vs non-tattooed) servers. However, contrary to the expectations of the authors, people tend to react more negatively to a male (vs female) server with tattoos.Originality/valueResearch on tattoos in the customer service context is scant, especially in hospitality. Furthermore, no previous study on tattoos has empirically tested a mediation process explaining differences in customer perceptions. Contrary to previous findings, this study demonstrates that an exposure to male (vs female) tattooed servers increases customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM. In other words, the type of profession coupled with the employees’ gender might influence customer perceptions. Furthermore, as customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM did not increase when served by a tattooed (vs non-tattooed) employee, managers in aesthetic labor industries, such as the foodservice business, can be more accepting of employees with tattoos.

Service recovery satisfaction in offline and online experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Raphael Odoom ◽  
George Cudjoe Agbemabiese ◽  
Robert E. Hinson
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Service Managers

Purpose Given that the peculiar nature of the internet has introduced new dimensions of service delivery as well as new dimensions of service failures and recovery, the purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the relationships between recovery strategies and recovery satisfaction within offline and online settings. Design/methodology/approach Data for the empirical tests of our hypotheses were collected via offline and online (specifically Facebook and Twitter) samples of customers who have experienced some form of service failure and recovery measures from service providers within the past year. Findings The results indicate that recovery strategies largely influence recovery satisfaction among aggrieved customers. However, these are conditional and not invariant across the two settings. In the authors’ offline setting, in particular, apology did not show a statistically significant impact on recovery satisfaction, even though, along with compensation and explanation, this relationship was significant among the online sample. Originality/value The study offers practical implications for service managers within emerging economies on the various conditions where they can maximise their service recovery efforts (both offline and online) to generate optimum recovery satisfaction.

The role of collective angst during and after a service failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amro A. Maher ◽  
Rana Sobh
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Viability ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the role of collective angst, the concern about the future viability of one’s group, during service failure and recovery. Design/methodology/approach – To test this objective the authors utilize an experiment to examine how Kuwaitis react to service failures when the front-line employee is a foreigner. Findings – The results indicate that collective angst is associated with greater anger following a service failure. The authors also find that collective angst moderates the impact of cultural distance on anger and recommendation intentions following a service-failure recovery attempt. More specifically, cultural distance leads to greater anger and lower intentions to recommend a service establishment for consumers that experience greater collective angst. Originality/value – The research provides the first attempt at examining how local consumers react to foreigner service providers, by examining how concern about the future vitality of one’s national group, in other words collective angst, affects such reactions.

Others service experiences: emotions, perceived justice, and behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 552-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Mattila ◽  
Lydia Hanks ◽  
Chenya Wang
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Experiences

Purpose – Often, service failures are witnessed by other customers, but little is known about how consumers react to service recovery aimed at other customers. Using the deontic theory of justice, this paper aims to examine consumers' reactions to justice directed toward other customers. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Both were 2 x 2 between subjects quasi experimental designs using written scenarios and surveys. The scenarios depicted an observing customer witnessing a service failure and recovery happening to another customer. Findings – Results show that the valence of the recovery attempt impacted the observing customer's reactions and evaluations, and that the observer's processing frame and loyalty status of the victim impacted the observing customer's judgments of fairness and behavioral intentions. Originality/value – These results provide guidance to service providers by shedding light on the impact of service failures and recovery on surrounding customers.

Would compensation be necessary? The importance of service recovery strategy in e-retail delivery problems

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlinda Nusron Yunus
Keyword(s):  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Recovery Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Repurchase Intentions ◽  
Subsequent Test ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Online Shoppers ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study examines the different effects of service recovery strategies on customers' future intentions when online shoppers were experiencing delivery failures. Two types of problem severity are evaluated: wrong-product delivery (issues with the product quality or quantity) and late delivery. This study also investigates the impact of service criticality on the relationship between service recovery strategies and customers' future intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs experimental research with 123 online shoppers as participants. Following the results, a subsequent test is conducted to examine the effect of participants' demographics on future intentions. Finally, the current study elaborates the findings using qualitative research, interviewing both sides impacted by the service failures: online shoppers and e-retail managers.FindingsThe findings show that complementing product replacement with monetary compensation is the most effective strategy to improve repurchase intention after a dissatisfaction moment. This effect is indifferent to service criticality and severity. Age influences the participants' repurchase intentions, in which younger people are less tolerant of service failures. In contrast, gender and education level do not provide any differences. To prevent delivery failures, managers participating in this study suggest several best practices regarding systems and infrastructure, people and coordination and collaboration with logistics partners.Research limitations/implicationsThe study mainly examines a limited type of service and service failures. Further studies are encouraged to expand the variables and scenarios, as well as to employ more distinctive methods, to enrich the findings related to recovery strategy in the e-commerce industry.Practical implicationsGiven proper compensation, service failure could create momentum for online retailers to boost customer loyalty. This study suggests that managers design the most effective service recovery to win customers back to the business.Originality/valueThis paper enriches the literature related to a service recovery strategy, particularly within the online shopping context.

Will You Tolerate This? The Impact of Affective Commitment on Complaint Intention and Postrecovery Behavior

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiner Evanschitzky ◽  
Christian Brock ◽  
Markus Blut
Keyword(s):  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Complaint Management ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Complaint Satisfaction ◽  
The Impact

Successful complaint management primarily depends on customers' willingness to voice their complaints and on companies' ability to adequately deal with these complaints. This article investigates the impact of one relationship characteristic in the complaint management process: affective commitment. Based on two studies, the authors investigate whether affective commitment moderates the impact of complaint barriers on complaint intention (a) and whether it moderates the link between complaint satisfaction and purchase behavior after the complaint (b). Results show that affectively committed customers exhibit higher complaint intention irrespective of the level of complaint barriers. Furthermore, affectively committed customers display little change in their postrecovery behavior, even after a service failure followed by an unsatisfactory recovery attempt. It seems that these customers are tolerant and want to help the provider improve their business. Affective commitment seems to amplify willingness to help the company by means of voicing dissatisfaction despite considerable efforts in doing so. Moreover, affective commitment buffers the negative effects of service failures on postrecovery behavior. Findings have important implications for managers. They highlight the necessity to measure customers' affective commitment. Based on that, tailored complaint systems can be designed, which help in achieving a more effective allocation of resources for customer recovery.

scholarly journals But What’s Your Partner up to? Associations between Relationship Quality and Pornography Use Depend on Contextual Patterns of Use within the Couple

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Kohut ◽  
Kiersten Dobson ◽  
Rhonda Nicole Balzarini ◽  
Ronald D Rogge ◽  
Amanda Michelle Maddox Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Sex Drive ◽  
Pornography Use ◽  
Partner Similarity ◽  
The Impact

It is commonly assumed that pornography use harms relationships. In the current research, we contribute to a small but growing body of work that challenges this assumption by examining an alternative explanatory mechanism for the associations between pornography use and relationship dysfunction. In contrast to dominant exposure-based explanations in this field, we argue instead that the apparent negative “impact” of pornography use on relationship quality may be the product of partner similarity or differences in pornography use behavior. Independent of any direct causal effect of sexual media, we would expect that negative relationship functioning should be more prominent among couples who are dissimilar in their pornography use, because dissimilarity in this behavior suggests broader dissimilarity in sexual interests, preferences, and values. To this end, we sought to test whether dyadic patterns of pornography use, and related attributes, were associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction in two cross-sectional (N = 407; n1 = 200; n3 = 207) and two longitudinal (N2 = 77; N4 = 529) samples of heterosexual couples. Across studies, results indicated that shared pornography use and partner similarity in solitary pornography use relative to dissimilarity in solitary pornography use were both associated with better sexual satisfaction and to a lesser extent, relationship satisfaction. Further consideration of potential explanatory mechanisms for these associations established comparable patterns of results for similarity-dissimilarity in attitudes towards pornography, erotophobia-erotophilia, sexual preferences, and sex drive. Importantly, only similarity-dissimilarity in sex drive statistically accounted for the effects of similarity-dissimilarity in solitary pornography use. These findings demonstrate that links between pornography use and relationship health are partially a function of different dyadic patterns of pornography use within couples, a pattern of results that is difficult to account for with traditional exposure-based theories of the impact of pornography.

The impact of CSR-linked sport sponsorship on consumers’ reactions to service failures

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daehwan Kim ◽  
Yongjae Ko ◽  
J. Lucy Lee ◽  
Yong Cheol Kim
Keyword(s):  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Halo Effect ◽  
Sport Sponsorship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Repurchase Intentions ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Drawing on the corporate association framework and attribution theory, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the shield effects of CSR-linked sport sponsorship on consumer attitudes toward a sponsor, attribution patterns in a sponsor’s service failure and repurchase intentions and second, to investigate the halo effect of CSR-linked sport sponsorship on corporate ability (CA) associations and the relationship between CA associations and consequential variables in the context of service failure. Design/methodology/approach A scenario-based two-factor (sponsorship types: baseline vs sport sponsorship vs CSR-linked sport sponsorship × service failure types: flight delay vs cancellation) experimental design was employed. Findings The results indicate that CSR-linked sport sponsorship outperforms non-CSR sport sponsorship in forming CSR association and developing CA association. Both CSR and CA associations are found to positively influence the consumer’s attitude toward a service provider. Consumers with positive attitudes attribute the sponsor’s service failure to external factors, leading to repurchase intention after a service failure. Originality/value This study connects two fields of research, service failure and sport sponsorship, thereby providing evidence on how CSR-linked sport sponsorship can play a shield role in the context of service failure and whether CSR-linked sport sponsorship can be a proactive strategy for service providers in industries where service failures are inevitable. Additionally, this study provides empirical evidence on whether CSR-linked sponsorship can lead consumers to perceive service quality as “doing right leads to doing well” by creating a halo effect.

How customer participation influences service failure attribution

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Yi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
High Participation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Previous studies offer two contradictory propositions for the influence of customer participation on service failure attribution. The purpose of this paper is to solve this theoretical inconsistency by incorporating the concept of self-efficacy into its theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach Two 2 (customer participation: high vs low) by 2 (self-efficacy: high vs low) experimental designs were employed under scenarios relating to education and haircut services. Findings The results show that customers with high self-efficacy attribute more responsibility to the firms for a service failure as their participation in service increases. In contrast, customers with low self-efficacy are less likely to blame firms for service failures in the high-participation condition than in the low-participation condition. Practical implications This study suggests that understanding customers’ self-efficacy could help firms improve recovery performance according to customers’ individual differences if service failure occurs. Originality/value The findings help resolve conflicting results reported in the literature and show that the impact of customer participation on service failure attribution differs according to customers’ self-efficacy. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical contribution by enhancing the knowledge of how customer participation influences causal attribution and satisfaction after a service failure.

The face of contagion: consumer response to service failure depiction in online reviews

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 39-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexa K. Fox ◽  
George D. Deitz ◽  
Marla B. Royne ◽  
Joseph D. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Service Failure ◽  
Emotional Contagion ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Self Report ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Failure Severity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Online consumer reviews (OCRs) have emerged as a particularly important type of user-generated information about a brand because of their widespread adoption and influence on consumer decision-making. Much of the existing OCR research focuses on quantifiable OCR features such as star ratings and volume. More research that examines the influence of review elements, aside from numeric ratings, such as the verbatim text, particularly in services contexts is needed. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of service failures on consumer arousal and emotions. Design/methodology/approach The authors present three behavioral experiments that manipulate service failure and linguistic elements of OCRs by using galvanic skin response, survey measures and automated facial expression analysis. Findings Negative OCRs lead to the greatest levels of arousal when consumers read OCRs. Service failure severity impacts anger, and referential cohesion, an observable property of text that helps a reader better understand ideas in the text, negatively moderates the relationship between service failure severity and anger. Originality/value The authors are among the first to empirically test the effect of emotional contagion in a user-generated content context, demonstrating that it can occur when consumers read such content, even if they did not experience the events being described. The research uses a self-report and physiological measures to assess consumer perceptions, arousal and emotions related to service failures, increasing the robustness of the literature. These findings contribute to the marketing literature on OCRs in service failures, physiological measures of consumers’ emotions, the negativity bias and emotional contagion in a user-generated content context.

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