Measuring the intention-behavior gap in service failure and recovery: the moderating roles of failure severity and service recovery satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose The intention-behavior gap that occurs when one’s actions do not align with their intentions has been the topic of interest of many researchers. However, the effects of the various constructs that influence the intention-behavior gap in service failure and recovery remain under-explored to date. To fill this gap, this study aims to examine the relationship between switching intention (i.e. intention) and customer exit (i.e. behavior) and the moderating roles of failure severity and service recovery satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed hypotheses, the authors used a longitudinal panel involving 821 customers who actually experienced a service failure and recovery in 38 fitness centers in Brazil. The data analysis is composed of logistic regression and cross-tabulation. Findings The results confirmed the significant role of switching intention on customer exit and the moderating effect of failure severity (but not service recovery satisfaction) in the relationship between switching intention and customer exit. Most of all, switching intention had low explanatory power for customer exit, confirming the presence of the intention-behavior gap. The authors further identified a weaker presence of the intention-behavior gap for female (vs male) customers and for those who experienced process failure (vs outcome failure). Research limitations/implications Although the authors confirmed the intention-behavior gap, the biggest proportion of the variance remains unexplained. Thus, it is important to explore the roles of other possible drivers, moderators and mediators. Practical implications As switching intention is not a strong predictor of customer exit, managers should not assume that those who appear to be on the verge of switching will immediately exit the service provider. Originality/value As researchers question the explanatory power of intention for actual behavior, this paper confirms that there is an intention-behavior gap in service failure and recovery. Moreover, given that most researchers have focused on the positive outcomes of service recovery efforts, such as customer loyalty and commitment, studying negative outcomes, including switching intention and customer exit, is a key contribution of this research.

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“…In recent years, considerable attention has been devoted to the concept of the intentionbehaviour gap (de Mesquita et al, 2023). Moreover, Hulland and Houston (2021) call for research to address the intention-behaviour gap in marketing studies by explicitly measuring actual behaviours or utilising indirect measurements of proxy behaviours.…”

“…In recent years, considerable attention has been devoted to the concept of the intention-behaviour gap (de Mesquita et al. , 2023).…”

Antecedents of viewers’ watch behavior toward YouTube videos: evidence from the most populous Muslim-majority country

“…Intention refers to a person’s plan or purpose to engage in a certain behavior, while behavior refers to the actual actions that a person takes in a given situation. In other words, intention is the mental process that precedes behavior, while behavior is the observable outcome of that intention (de Mesquita et al , 2023). The relationship between intention and behavior has been extensively studied in various fields, including psychology, marketing, and economics.…”

Hospital Image Dynamics in Service Recovery: Moderation of Emotional Intelligence

“…Research on service recovery is bifurcated into two primary dimensions: studies investigating perceived justice as a psychological facet of service recovery strategy (Liao et al, 2022) and those focusing on tangible actions constituting service recovery (R. Mostafa et al, 2014;Luong et al, 2021). Debates persist regarding the appropriateness of real action versus holistic justice perception as a strategic approach (de Mesquita et al, 2023). Studies have delved into factors related to service failures, encompassing the type of failure (Walton & Hume, 2012), severity (Craighead et al, 2009), and delayed recovery timing (Tang et al, 2018), all of which yield negative consequences.…”