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The effect of customers' emotional responses to service failures on their recovery effort evaluations and satisfaction judgments

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science volume 30, pages 5–23 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

This study examines the role of customer emotions in the context of service failure and recovery encounters. It investigates how customers' emotional responses to service failures influence their satisfaction judgments after accounting for cognitive antecedents of satisfaction. The study also considers how customers' emotional responses to service failures influence how they evaluate an organization's recovery efforts. The research is conducted by surveying customers about their satisfaction judgments in two service settings, restaurants and hotels. The results suggest that customers' emotional responses to service failures will influence their recovery effort evaluations and satisfaction judgments in some circumstances and that the effects of emotion vary across industry settings. This study identifies the types of efforts that are most effective in helping customers “recover” from the negative emotions caused by service failures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Washington University, George, USA

    Amy K. Smith

  2. University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA

    Ruth N. Bolton

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  1. Amy K. Smith
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Amy K. Smith (Ph.D., University of Maryland) is currently an assistant professor of marketing at George Washington University. Her research focuses on customer assessments of services, customer satisfaction and retention, customer service, serice failure and recovery, and customer-service provider relationships in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business markets. Her research has been published in the Journal of Marketing Research and the Journal of Service Research.

Ruth N. Bolton is currently a Ruby K. Powell Professor of Marketing in the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on how organizations can growth the value of their customer base through customer service and support. Her research has been published in the Journal of Retailing, the Journal of Marketing, Marketing Science, Marketing Letters, the Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Service Research.

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Smith, A.K., Bolton, R.N. The effect of customers' emotional responses to service failures on their recovery effort evaluations and satisfaction judgments. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 30, 5–23 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1177/03079450094298

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Keywords

  • Emotional Response
  • Service Failure
  • Service Recovery
  • Recovery Effort
  • Service Encounter