Customer complaining behaviour in technology‐based service encounters

Abstract

Compares complaining behaviour in traditional and technology-based service encounters. Drawing on 160 negative critical incidents within Finnish retail banking, shows that, contradictory to common predictions, there are no significant differences in the complaining rates between the two types of service encounters. Attributes this finding to the high reliance of traditional complaining methods in both types of service encounters. Finds, however, that complaints about technology-based service encounters have significantly higher response rates than complaints about traditional service encounters. Also, when focusing on technology-based service encounters, finds that customers who actually consider themselves guilty for the outcome were the most frequent complainers, while the ones attributing the outcome to technology failures or service process failures complain less often. These findings have interesting implications for designers of service recovery systems.

Seven challenges to combining human and automated service

“…(2003) Technology acceptance model applied to Internet banking. Snellman & Vihtkari (2003) Complaining behaviour in Finnish retail banking. Curran & Meuter (2005) Factors that infl uence attitude and intention to use ATMs, phone, and online banking.…”

An empirical of service quality model from the viewpoint of management

“…As the latter facet involves enterprise scales, facility elements (such as style, material, and design aesthetics), and social factors, the types of service encounters are classified into technology-based and interpersonal-based encounters (Bitner et al, 1994;Bettencourt & Gwinner, 1996;Crosby, Evans, & Cowels, 1990;Dolen & Ruyter, 2002;van Dolen, de Ruyter, & Lemmink, 2004;Parasuraman & Zinkhan, 2002;Snellman & Vihtkari, 2003).…”

Service Recovery in The Australian Banking Industry

“…Customer complaining behavior in technology-based service encounters was further studied by Snellman and Vihtkari (2003) who found that in the Finnish banking industry, there were no significant differences in the complaining rates of customers who complained via traditional means and those who complained via technologymediated service encounters. The research conducted to date suggests that more work is needed, as the findings of industry specific customer complaining behavior will have interesting implications for designers of service recovery mechanisms.…”