The Desired Qualities of Customer Contact Employees in Complaint Handling Encounters

Abstract

This paper explores the nature of complaint satisfaction with a particular emphasis on the qualities and behaviours that affect customers during the personal complaint handling encounter. The paper reviews the literature on complaint satisfaction and the role of the contact employee in the complaint encounter. An empirical study using the means-end approach and the paper-and-pencil version of the laddering technique provides a deeper understanding of attributes of effective customer contact employees and reveals the underlying benefits that complainants look for. The research indicates that complainants want contact employees to give positive nonverbal signals, to have sufficient product (service) knowledge and the authority to handle their problems adequately. They also want employees to be willing to try hard and spare no effort. Customers think that if employees take them seriously, this will lead to a problem solution and feelings of satisfaction. The paper concludes with suggestions to managers to introduce and improve active complaint management and reviews the limitations of the research method.

Complaint management expectations: An online laddering analysis of small versus large firms

“…However, this approach does not allow for a systematic comparative analysis, for example regarding the respective strength of the construct relationships (DeRuyter & School, 1998;Johnston, Leach, & Liu, 1999). We therefore use a laddering technique for operationalization and analysis purposes, in line with research done on similar topics in the business-toconsumer area (Gruber, Szmigin, & Voss, 2006),…”

Service recovery in higher education: Does national culture play a role?

“…Gruber et al (2006) also found perceived friendliness to be the second-most desired attribute of customer contact employees during complaint handling encounters. Friendliness has further been established as a critical quality dimension of professors in general (Voss, 2009).…”

“…While mapping the HVMs for British and Bangladeshi students, a cut-off level was determined to facilitate the reading of the map (Gruber, Szmigin & Voss, 2006). For both maps, the cut-off level of three was chosen, which means that linkages had to be mentioned by at least three participants to be represented in the maps.…”

“…Explaining why the problem has occurred and what can be done about it suggests to students that the professor is trying to handle the problem effectively and will solve it. Both "Complaint Handling" and "Take Problem Seriously" have been identified in the service recovery literature as important benefits customers desire during such encounters (Gruber, Szmigin & Voss, 2006). When professors actively listen, empathise, provide an explanation and note down what has been discussed ("Recording"), students get the impression that their problem will be solved.…”

“…"Professional Competence" consists of four core components: cognitive competence, functional competence, behavioural competence and ethical competence, all of which contribute to the employee's effective performance (Cheetham & Chivers, 1998). Gruber et al (2006) found competence to be the most desired attribute of customer contact employees within complaint handling encounters. These findings are also aligned with sales management research where "Competence", as a function of salesperson behaviour, has been found to be a determinant of customer trust (Kennedy, Ferrell & Leclair, 2001;Swan, Bowers & Richardson, 1999).…”