Do it right this time: The role of employee service recovery performance in customer-perceived justice and customer loyalty after service failures.
Abstract
Integrating justice and customer service literatures, this research examines the role of customer service employees' behaviors of handling customer complaints, or service recovery performance (SRP), in conveying a just image of service organizations and achieving desirable customer outcomes. Results from a field study and a laboratory study demonstrate that the dimensions of SRP--making an apology, problem solving, being courteous, and prompt handling--positively influenced customer satisfaction and then customer repurchase intent through the mediation of customer-perceived justice. In addition, service failure severity and repeated failures reduced the positive impact of some dimensions of SRP on customer satisfaction, and customer-perceived justice again mediated these moderated effects.
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Extant studies cover only some of the relevant constructs instead of conjointly analyzing the full range of relationships in an overall model.
“First, extant studies cover only some of the relevant constructs (e.g., Liao 2007; Maxham III and Netemeyer 2002; Smith, Bolton, and Wagner 1999) instead of conjointly analyzing the full range of relationships in an overall model.”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Liao 2007
The three justice dimensions have high correlations, calling their distinctness into question.
“The distinctness of the three justice dimensions has recently been called into question. Davidow (2003b) and Liao (2007) report on high correlations between the justice dimensions.”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Liao 2007
Recent arguments and empirical findings call the discriminant validity of the three justice dimensions into question.
“Indeed, recent arguments and empirical findings call the discriminant validity of the three justice dimensions into question (DeWitt, Nguyen, and Marshall 2008; Liao 2007).”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Liao 2007
Manipulating the level of an organizational response is a standard experimental design to trigger justice perceptions.
“Hence, manipulating the level of an organizational response is a standard experimental design to trigger justice perceptions.”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Liao 2007
Research consistently shows that an apology has a positive main effect on justice perceptions.
“Although research consistently shows that an apology has a positive main effect on justice perceptions (Liao 2007; Smith, Bolton, and Wagner 1999)”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Liao 2007
Cites
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Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach
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SERVICE WITH A SMILE: EMOTIONAL CONTAGION IN THE SERVICE ENCOUNTER.
Pugh, S. D. (2001) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/3069445 · Cited by 1,393 · see citing works
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Consumer responses to compensation, speed of recovery and apology after a service failure
Wirtz, J., & Mattila, A. S. (2004) · International Journal of Service Industry Management · doi:10.1108/09564230410532484 · Cited by 725 · see citing works
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To Err Is Human(-oid): How Do Consumers React to Robot Service Failure and Recovery?
Choi, S., Mattila, A. S., & Bolton, L. E. (2021) · Journal of Service Research · doi:10.1177/1094670520978798 · Cited by 502 · see citing works
A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses
Gelbrich, K., & Roschk, H. (2011) · Journal of Service Research · doi:10.1177/1094670510387914 · Cited by 481 · see citing works
Is Disability Disabling in All Workplaces? Workplace Disparities and Corporate Culture
SCHUR, L., KRUSE, D., BLASI, J., & BLANCK, P. (2009) · Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society · doi:10.1111/j.1468-232x.2009.00565.x · Cited by 354 · see citing works
APPLYING UNCERTAINTY MANAGEMENT THEORY TO EMPLOYEE VOICE BEHAVIOR: AN INTEGRATIVE INVESTIGATION
TAKEUCHI, R., CHEN, Z., & CHEUNG, S. Y. (2012) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2012.01247.x · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Making nice or faking nice? Exploring supervisors’ two-faced response to their past abusive behavior
McClean, S. T., Courtright, S. H., Yim, J., & Smith, T. A. (2021) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/peps.12424 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
- Authors
- Liao, H.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Corresponding author
- Liao, Hui
- ORCID
- Liao, Hui
- Venue
- Journal of Applied Psychology
- Published
- 2007
- Volume
- 92
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 475-489
- ISSN
- 0021-9010 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1854
- OpenAlex
- W1997460207
- Cited by
- 550
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 31.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Applied Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR)
- Rutgers University
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Service and Product Innovation
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Emotional Labor in Professions
- Keywords
- service recovery performance, customer loyalty, service failure, customer complaints, apology, problem solving, courtesy, customer satisfaction, repurchase intention, service failure severity, repeated failure, employee behavior
- MeSH terms
- Consumer Advocacy, Consumer Behavior, Employee Performance Appraisal, Employment, Humans, Pilot Projects, Social Justice
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