Tuesday 3 May 2005
A University of Queensland Business School professor has worked out what triggers customer anger following a service failure - and how companies should deal with it.
Professor of Marketing Janet McColl-Kennedy said her work drew on fairness theory.
She said, "We've developed and tested a model that explains what triggers negative customer emotions. We've also looked at ways to effectively reduce negative emotions.
Although customers experience negative emotions such as frustration and anger, and in some cases even rage, during service failure and poor attempts at recovery, there is little empirical evidence of what triggers negative customer emotions.
Across three studies our results indicate that when customers perceived that they had not been treated fairly and not according to acceptable standards, negative emotions rose by as much as 75 per cent."
Professor McColl-Kennedy said the findings demonstrated that customers engage in counterfactual thinking. She said: "Counterfactual thinking describes the way customers imagine what the company 'could' and 'should' have done for them.
The customer's assessment of overall fairness throughout the whole process - compared against what they consider to be acceptable standards - is the direct cause of negative emotion."
The study also considers the implications for services marketing managers and researchers.
For further information:
Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy
UQ Business School
Phone (07) 3365 6673, Mobile 0417 074 010
Email j.mccoll-kennedy@business.uq.edu.au
Media enquiries:
Cathy Stacey
Marketing Development Manager
Phone (07) 3365 6179
Mobile 0434 074 372
Fiona Sutton
Mobile 0423 637 699
Email media@business.uq.edu.au
