Salesperson characteristics affecting consumer complaint responses

Abstract

The important relationship between consumer complaint behaviour and brand and store loyalty is well established. The range of factors that favourably in¯uence the outcomes of complaining have received relatively less research attention. Therefore, this study tests the effects of two salesperson source characteristics: willingness to listen and product/store knowledge, on consumer complaint-related perceptions and intentions in a retail setting. Mall shoppers participated in a consumer complaint experiment to test the hypothesised effects. The results indicate that both characteristics affect customer complaint responses, as well as consumer perceptions of the salesperson and the retail store. The ®ndings of the study demonstrate that salesperson characteristics are important in¯uences on positive or negative consumer complaint responses. INTRODUCTIONOne key aspect of relationship retailing is the effective handling of customer complaints. The goal of relationship retailing is to establish and maintain ongoing customer relationships by focusing on the speci®c needs of customers in order to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction leading to store loyalty. When dissatisfaction occurs it is critical for the retailer to address the cause of the dissatisfaction quickly and effectively. This makes sense given that the cost of keeping a current customer is estimated to be only one-®fth of the cost of attracting a

The complex role of a salesperson in an appliance sales context

“…Research findings further indicate that the money spent on product development and promotion is often negated by the poor performance of salespeople in store (Clopton et al, 2001).…”

“…Goff et al (1997) found that salespeople's behaviour with respect to selling orientation-customer orientation (SOCO) significantly influences customers' satisfaction with the salesperson, dealer, product as well as the manufacturers and it has been found that consumers frequently recall and complain about bad experiences with salespeople (Morris, 2002:28). "Relationship retailing" with an emphasis on maintaining good relationships with customers is thus recommended (Clopton et al, 2001). Saxby (2003:4) is even more explicit in his summation that the very existence of many retailers depends on their sales personnel who actually represent their employers (retailers) in their interaction with consumers.…”

“…They generally act on behalf of the management of a store and even determine the image of a retail store (Bettencourt & Brown, 1997;Jobber, 1998;Wetzels et al, 2001). Clopton et al (2001) acknowledge this responsibility when they reported that it is considerably more costly to replace a lost client than to keep an existing one.…”

“…Extant research on service quality in retail specifies salespeople as important contributors to optimal service delivery through which a retailer could be distinguished as superior and could gain a competitive edge (Clopton et al, 2001;Evans et al, 2000;Goff et al, 1997;Grewal & Sharma, 1991;Jacobs et al, 2000;Reynolds & Beatty, 1999;Sharma & Levy, 1995). Not surprising then, is the fact that many retailers nowadays often refer to their salespeople as either a sales assistants or sales executives to acknowledge their potential contribution in the work place.…”

The Effect of Consumer Value and Unethicality on the Type of Consumer Complaint Behaviors

“…, 불평의 성공가능성 (Cho, 2000;Singh, 1990), 제품의 특성 및 중요성 (Baek & Lee, 2009;Folkes, 1984;Richins, 1983), 인구통계학적 특징이 나 상황적인 특성 (Clopton et al, 2001;Huh & You, 2001;Singh & Wilke, 1991 지의 가치유형으로 구분되고 있는 것으로 나타났다 (Yea, 2010;Kim, 2009;Park, 2008;Lee, 2008 (Mitchell, 1999;Riche, 1989). 또한 소비자가 가지고 있는 사회활 Frederick et al, 1988).…”