The importance of service recovery Chapter 10 © Hudson & Hudson. Customer Service for Hospitality & Tourism

Topics Covered o Definition of service recovery and recent studies o Service recovery paradox o The recovery process o Consequences of an effective recovery process o Recovery via social media o Guidelines for soliciting, tracking and handling complaints o Reasons and criteria for service guarantees o Service guarantee impacts

‘At Your Service’ Spotlight: Solving problems for travelers Fix it, plus one. o No ‘passing the buck’ Positive feedback and word of mouth o Anticipating service problems o Service recovery training Case studies, role plays, letters of complaints o Solve immediate problem and ‘a bit extra’ o Encourage guest feedback Determine what the customer values Determine future prevention strategies

Service recovery The process by which a company attempts to rectify a service delivery failure. o Studies inconclusive, findings contradictory o Tour operating sector (Schoefer & Ennew, 2004; Smith & Bolton, 1998) o Hotel industry and service recovery Recovery, satisfaction and repeat patronage (Leong, Kim & Ham, 2002; Lewis & McCann, 2004; O’Neill & Mattila, 2004; Yavas et al., 2004) o Restaurant and fast-food sector Customer expectations and loyalty, perceptions of significance (Hoffman, Kelley & Rotalsky, 1995; Leong & Kim, 2002; Sundaram, Jurowski & Webster, 1997)

The service recovery paradox Figure 10.1 (Source: Adapted from Schindlholzer, 2008)

Service recovery process o Apology Frames customer’s perceptions and paves the way to recovery o Urgent reinstatement Quick action to correct or remove problem o Empathy Employee understanding and responsiveness o Symbolic atonement Tangible evidence of organization’s willingness to take responsibility o Follow-up Evaluate recovery plan

The consequences of an effective recovery process o Service failures ‘Customer Complaint Iceberg’ Damage to employee morale o Effective service recovery Impacts customer satisfaction Impacts perceptions of quality Impacts bottom-line performance Enhances customer loyalty Stimulates positive word of mouth

The Customer Complaint Iceberg Figure 10.2 (Source: based on TARP, 1979)

Service Snapshot: Recovery via social media It’s enabling us to accelerate that conversation and make those connection points in ways that weren’t before possible. o Efficient means by which customers can be heard o Effective and timely problem solving Enhancing transparency of service culture Improves speed of resolution and recovery o Companies are ‘part of the conversation’ Public relations becomes personal relations

Soliciting, tracking and handling complaints o Make it easy for customers to complain Solicit complaints through multiple channels o Respond quickly to complaints o Employee education and empowerment Strategic and financial value of complaints Appropriate coping and problem-solving skills o Complaints viewed as operational problems, strategic opportunities o Make complaints and complainers visible o Align quality measures, performance reviews, compensation o Reward complainers o Stop calling them ‘complainers’!

Reasons and criteria for service guarantees Table 10.1 (Source: based on Hart, 1990; Zeithaml et al, 2007)

Service guarantee impacts on marketing and operations Figure 10.3 (Kandampully and Duddy, 2001, pp. 36)

Case Study: Climbing the curve of customer service o Remote and ‘exotic’ location Rich historical background, distinct culture and customs Lush scenery, hot springs, volcanic gardens o Award winning service Private butlers ‘Romanceologists’ o Minimizing service failure Intensive training, cultural nuances Researching clients’ needs ‘Lineup’ tradition o Maximize service recovery Water rescues Lost items $2,000 in discretionary spending Ritz-Carlton, Hainan China: Our whole philosophy… our service and our gold standard is the same here as our other hotels.