| A customer service failure, simply defined, is customer | | | | The data available at the point of any customer |
| service performance that fails to meet an individual's | | | | service failure, most notably the information provided |
| expectations. Typically, when a service failure occurs, | | | | by the customer at the time of the complaint, should |
| a customer will expect to be compensated for the | | | | be viewed as critical marketing research data |
| inconvenience in the form of any combination of | | | | necessary not only for immediate service recovery |
| refunds, credits, discounts or apologies. | | | | but for improvement of future performance. |
| The success of such customer service recovery | | | | Remember, a customer service failure is defined as a |
| efforts is determined by the individual's expectations | | | | failure to meet customer expectations and the |
| and perceptions of the organization. Two key | | | | success of any recovery effort is measured by each |
| elements impact any effort to restore customer | | | | individual customer against his/her own expectations. |
| satisfaction: the strength of customer relationships and | | | | Therefore, managers would be well served to conduct |
| the severity of service failure. | | | | a post-recovery assessment of customer |
| Service failure: Service performance that fails to meet | | | | expectations and perceptions of recovery |
| expectations | | | | performance against those expectations. |
| The strength of the customer relationship with the | | | | Classic customer service failure: serving cold |
| organization prior to a customer service failure has a | | | | The impact of service failure recovery on customer |
| buffering effect in the event of failure. Research | | | | satisfaction can be easily illustrated with a familiar |
| suggests that customers who expect the relationship | | | | example. Consider the case of a restaurant patron |
| to continue actually have lower service recovery | | | | complaining about his meal being served cold. In all |
| expectations, and in turn, are more satisfied with | | | | likelihood, this is not a severe customer service failure if |
| customer service performance after recovery. | | | | managed properly. |
| While this may seem counterintuitive at first glance, | | | | If the customer's server fails to offer a sufficient |
| consider the expectations of customers with a | | | | apology and brings back a reheated meal after a |
| stronger relationship with the organization. A customer | | | | 20-minute wait, a first-time customer may be |
| who does not have much commitment to the | | | | immediately deterred and never return. If this is a |
| organization tends to be more transaction-focused and | | | | long-time customer who has always received |
| expects immediate service recovery when a particular | | | | excellent service, he may or may not write this failure |
| transaction fails to meet expectations. | | | | off, but either way will expect this sub-par service to |
| Conversely, a customer with strong commitment may | | | | be countered with excellent service in the future. |
| demand less immediate compensations with the | | | | While you may expect the customer with a long |
| expectation that strong future interactions may correct | | | | history of having received excellent service to be |
| the customer service failure over time. Such findings | | | | more demanding in the case of such a failure, in reality |
| suggest that service providers not only have | | | | the new customer has the higher expectations. His |
| measures in place to identify the strength of customer | | | | perceptions of the restaurant are impacted by only this |
| relationships but also the ability to react to customer | | | | one experience where customer service performance |
| service failures. | | | | failed to meet his expectations. Without a formal |
| The severity of the customer service failure | | | | apology from a supervisor, a refund, and perhaps a |
| moderates the relationship between customer | | | | future credit, this new customer may allow this |
| satisfaction and commitment. Even with strong service | | | | experience to so alter his expectations of customer |
| recovery, research indicates that customers may still | | | | service performance at this restaurant as to prevent |
| be upset, engage in negative word-of-mouth, and be | | | | him from returning. |
| less likely to develop trust with and commitment to the | | | | The long-time customer has his expectations set by a |
| organization, if the original customer service failure was | | | | long history of excellent dining experiences and may |
| really bad. | | | | be easier to satisfy in the immediate wake of a |
| In these cases, managers may need to do more to | | | | customer service failure. |
| mend the strength of customer relationships and | | | | In either case, the restaurant manager must |
| restore commitment. To identify such cases, service | | | | immediately begin to turn his focus on ensuring future |
| organizations need to track and identify occurrences | | | | service delivery levels and enhancing the strength of |
| of customer service failure as well as the severity of | | | | customer relationships with each of these patrons. |
| each. | | | | |