An extended service recovery model: the moderating impact of temporal sequence of events

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this empirical paper is to explore for the first time, in a temporal sequence of events framework, how the various forms of justice (procedural, interactional and outcome) impact on customer satisfaction with service recovery. Design/methodology/approach Employing scenarios, an experimental design was employed with data collected from a student sample in an Eastern collectivist culture (Thailand). Findings The results reveal that affirmation of perceptions of all three forms of justice positively impact overall service recovery satisfaction. However, unlike previous models of recovery satisfaction, the findings presented here suggest a temporal sequence of events model involving the causal ordering of the three justice dimensions such that distributive justice mediates the relationship between procedural and interactional justice, and ultimate recovery satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Based on the findings here, future studies using the three forms of justice should consider the temporal element and undertake longitudinal analysis. Practical implications The findings suggest that organizations should pay special attention to delivering high levels of interactional and procedural justice as they precede, and have an impact on, subsequent perceptions of outcome justice (i.e. compensation, re‐done work, etc.) in a service recovery situation. Originality/value This study adds to the knowledge on how firms can best recover from a service failure situation.