The Influence of Service Recovery Evaluation on Customer Post-Complaint Behavior

Abstract

Several studies have focused on the influence of service recovery efforts on customers' post-complaint responses. However, customer outcomes consisting of responses that can lead to long-term buyer-seller relationships have not been thoroughly investigated. Using a customer sample in an emerging economy, Chile, this paper studies the relationship between service recovery evaluation (SRE) and a long-term customer post-complaint behavior (LTC-PCB) consisting of customer trust, relationship commitment and loyalty. When examining the SRE dimensions, compensation and employee behavior showed to be directly related to trust and indirectly related to both, commitment and loyalty, indicating the importance of compensation and employee behavior in responding to customers' complaints and seeking long-term relationships. Another dimension, promptness resulted to be not significant for customers, meaning that customers do not give great importance to the time companies take in the process of handling complaints as long as these complaints are solved.