Complaint Management Unlocked. The effects of different variations of reactive versus proactive webcare on consumer responses and the mediating effect of customer expectations

Master's Thesis , 2013 , 30 Pages , Grade: 7,3 out of 10 (B)

Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media

Online platforms empower consumers to share their negative experiences with a broad public of fellow consumers on the Internet. Complaints expressed as negative electronic word of mouth (nWOM) have a great potential to damage companies accused in these publicly made complaints. This study investigates upon the most effective means for companies to counter nWOM by means of webcare. The results show that a loss of satisfaction and trust as well as negative eWOM behaviour after a service failure can be positively influenced depending on the content of a webcare response (accommodative vs. notice). These effects appear to be mediated by consumers’ expectations. Furthermore, although webcare communication strategy (proactive vs. reactive) does not influence satisfaction, trust and negative eWOM behaviour of senders of nWOM, the results show an influence of webcare communication strategy on positive eWOM behaviour. The findings of this study are discussed in the light of the potential of webcare to serve as a tool for online complaint management.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Theoretical Framework
  • Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM)
  • The Importance of Negative eWOM (nWOM)
  • Webcare
  • Expectations and Webcare
  • Webcare Content
• Research Design
  • Hypotheses
  • Methods
  • Variables
• Results
• Discussion
• Limitations and Future Research
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This research examines the effectiveness of webcare strategies in mitigating negative electronic word-of-mouth (nWOM) and influencing consumer responses. The study investigates how different variations of reactive versus proactive webcare, combined with accommodative and notice-based webcare content, impact customer satisfaction, trust, and eWOM behavior. The study also explores the mediating role of customer expectations in these relationships.

• The impact of webcare strategies (proactive vs. reactive) on customer responses.
• The influence of webcare content (accommodative vs. notice) on customer satisfaction, trust, and eWOM behavior.
• The mediating effect of customer expectations on the relationship between webcare and customer responses.
• The potential of webcare to serve as a tool for online complaint management.
• The significance of webcare in mitigating the negative effects of nWOM.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Abstract: This chapter provides a concise overview of the research, highlighting the key objectives, methodology, and findings. It emphasizes the importance of webcare in mitigating the negative impacts of nWOM and emphasizes the role of customer expectations in shaping webcare effectiveness.
• Introduction: This chapter introduces the concept of eWOM, emphasizing the growing importance of online platforms for consumers to share their experiences with companies. It discusses the potential of nWOM to damage companies and highlights the need for effective webcare strategies.
• Theoretical Framework: This chapter explores the theoretical foundations of the research, providing a comprehensive overview of relevant concepts such as eWOM, nWOM, webcare, customer expectations, and webcare content. It reviews existing literature on the topic and establishes a framework for understanding the relationships between these concepts.
• Research Design: This chapter outlines the methodology used in the research, including hypotheses, methods, and variables. It details the experimental design employed to test the effects of different webcare strategies and content on customer responses.
• Results: This chapter presents the findings of the research, analyzing the data collected through the experiment. It discusses the impact of webcare strategies and content on customer satisfaction, trust, and eWOM behavior, as well as the mediating role of customer expectations.
• Discussion: This chapter interprets and discusses the research findings in relation to existing literature and theoretical frameworks. It highlights the practical implications of the study for businesses and explores the limitations and potential directions for future research.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This research focuses on the effectiveness of webcare strategies in mitigating the negative effects of nWOM. It explores the impact of webcare strategy, webcare content, and customer expectations on customer satisfaction, trust, and eWOM behavior. Key terms include: webcare, negative electronic word-of-mouth (nWOM), customer expectations, online complaint management, customer satisfaction, trust, and eWOM behavior.

• College: University of Amsterdam (Graduate School of Communicatin)
• Course: Communication Science (Persuasive Communication)
• Grade: 7,3 out of 10 (B)
• Author: Anika Kunz (Author)
• Publication Year: 2013
• Pages: 30
• Catalog Number: V267580
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656579939
• ISBN (Book): 9783656579953
• Language: English
• Tags: ewom, complaint management, webcare