“Thank you for reaching out:” Brand relationship management and the conversational human voice of customer care in online service encounters

Creelman, Valerie

doi:10.1016/j.dcm.2021.100572

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This confirms the findings of other studies in the banking sector (Creelman, 2021), but it also suggests that part of the communication strategy is inspired by recommendations in the crisis communication literature. Thus, as mentioned in the section on crisis responsibility, a common recommendation for warding off a crisis would be to adopt an apologetic response strategy (Utz et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“We’re Not Proud of the Cases We’ve Been Involved in”: Crisis Resolution on Facebook Using Conversational Human Voice

Holmgreen

2023

International Journal of Business Communication

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The article discusses the use of conversational human voice (CHV) to address negative eWOM on brand-generated social media platforms. Using the case of a crisis-ridden Danish bank, the article investigates the use of CHV outside service failures and its effects on critical publics in the context of intentional crises. The data consist of posts and comments from the bank’s Facebook page, following allegations of money laundering. The analysis reveals that CHV is used extensively by the bank to counter criticism; however, the degree to which the strategy is standardized or tailored seems to depend on whether users appear once, have a regular presence, engage in dialog, and are known to the bank’s employees. These findings suggest that while CHV is intended for more personalized communication to make users more sympathetic to the organization, its use will have to be contextualized to be effective.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“We’re Not Proud of the Cases We’ve Been Involved in”: Crisis Resolution on Facebook Using Conversational Human Voice

Holmgreen

2023

International Journal of Business Communication

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“…That is, consumers are more inclined to resume the relationship when they perceive the company's commitment to responding to customer complaints as sincere, just and patient. According to existing research findings, perceived fairness, human service, and RL are key elements when repairing customer relationships (Cambra‐Fierro et al, 2016; Creelman, 2022; Javornik et al, 2020; Schamari & Schaefers, 2015).…”

Section: Research Model and Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Signal theory argues that people rely on specific signals to reduce uncertainty in decision‐making, especially when information is asymmetric (Bergh et al, 2014). With the continuous development of internet technology, the role of CHV in complaint handling has attracted much attention (Creelman, 2022; Schamari & Schaefers, 2015). From the relationship management perspective, Avidar (2013), Dijkmans et al (2015) and Liebrecht et al (2021) believed that the use of CHV in complaint handling made organizations appear more human and, as a result, harmonious, lasting relationships can develop between consumers and sellers or brands.…”

Section: Research Model and Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Not just apologizing: The impact of complaint handling on sustained participation behavior in live‐streaming shopping

Zhang

Wang

2023

J of Consumer Behaviour

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In a live‐streaming shopping community, the quality of complaint handling may significantly influence relationship recovery between the consumer and retailer (or streamer) following service failures. Despite the significant progress made in previous works, there are still research gaps in the study of customer complaint handling and customers' post‐behavior. Therefore, this study introduced the important variable “swift‐guanxi” (SG) to explore the relationship between complaint handling and the sustained participation of customers. Data were collected through both online and offline methods. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the relevant hypotheses. The results from assessing these data indicate that the factors of conversational human voice (CHV), reply length (RL) and perceived justice (PJ) all exert a significant influence on SG, which in turn affects the sustained participation behavior (SPB) of customers. In addition, complaint publicization (CP) has a negative impact on this behavior.

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“…However, it has long been highly unclear what the linguistic properties of CHV are and what the strategy of using CHV in communication exactly comprises. The notion of CHV has therefore not been immune to criticism from scholars (Creelman, 2022; Gretry et al, 2017; Zhang & Vásquez, 2014). In light of this criticism, recent research on companies’ use of CHV pays more attention to its linguistic features (e.g., Liebrecht et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Language Of Customer Feedback and Webcare From A Cross-d...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Expressing and Responding to Customer (Dis)satisfaction Online: New Insights From Discourse and Linguistic Approaches

Ruytenbeek,

Decock

2023

International Journal of Business Communication

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In the current era of digitalization, customers are routinely invited to express their (dis)satisfaction with a product or a service and to provide recommendations for other prospective customers by writing reviews on a variety of online social media platforms. Such forms of electronic word-of-mouth have been found to strongly influence other consumers’ purchase decisions. In the case of negative reviews, the negativity expressed in a particular comment can spread to the whole community, which can damage a company’s reputation and profits. In an attempt to take consumer feedback into account, companies engage in “webcare.” This type of online service encounter has been defined by van Noort and Willemsen as “the act of engaging in online interactions with (complaining) consumers, by actively searching the web to address consumer feedback (e.g., questions, concerns, and complaints).” Following-up on these developments, scholars have started to research the communicative strategies used by companies to address consumer feedback and those used by (dis)satisfied customers to voice their (dis)satisfaction from the perspective of discourse analysis and linguistic pragmatics, paying attention to their linguistic realizations and their interactional dynamics. The aim of this Special Issue is to further expand our knowledge on the discourse-pragmatic strategies used in the interaction of (dis)satisfied customers and companies online, and on how these different strategies influence other prospective customers’ perceptions, ultimately impacting their purchase decisions. In doing so, it positions itself at the crossroads of linguistics, communication, and business studies.

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“Thank you for reaching out:” Brand relationship management and the conversational human voice of customer care in online service encounters

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

“We’re Not Proud of the Cases We’ve Been Involved in”: Crisis Resolution on Facebook Using Conversational Human Voice

“We’re Not Proud of the Cases We’ve Been Involved in”: Crisis Resolution on Facebook Using Conversational Human Voice

Not just apologizing: The impact of complaint handling on sustained participation behavior in live‐streaming shopping

Expressing and Responding to Customer (Dis)satisfaction Online: New Insights From Discourse and Linguistic Approaches

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