An Exploratory Study for Problem Customers - Service Employees' Perspectives-

문제고객에 대한 탐색적 연구 - 서비스 종업원의 관점에서 -

  • Received : 2003.10.06
  • Published : 2004.04.30

Abstract

This study was interested in dissatisfaction in the service encounter from the service employee's viewpoint by exploring employee dissatisfaction and the problem customers as the causes. The study explored the incidents leading to dissatisfactory service encounters from the service employee's viewpoint, the causes of the dissatisfactory incidents, and the attitudinal, verbal and behavioral expressions of the customers involved in the incidents. Employees of the beauty service business were individually interviewed, and 204 incidents were analyzed. The incidents were categorized to identify the events and related behaviors of customers that caused employee dissatisfaction. Three major groups were classified: the way dissatisfied customers complain; customers' misbehaviors; and customers' no harmful behaviors. Further the major groups were classified into 8 categories. Based on the findings the study provided implications for employee and customer management.

Keywords

References

  1. 국민일보 (2002) 카드사 골칫거리 고객 경계령. 7. 16
  2. 조선일보 (2003) 불량고객은 과감히 퇴출시켜라. 2. 21
  3. 한국일보 (2002) 온라인 쇼핑몰 상습 반품 얌체족 블랙리스트 관리. 2. 15
  4. Bitner, M., Booms, B.H. and Mohr, L.A. (1994) Critical service encounters: The employee's viewpoint. Journal of Marketing, 58(October), 95-106 https://doi.org/10.2307/1251919
  5. Bitner, M., Booms, B.H. and Tetreault, M.S. (1990) The service encounter: diagnosing favorable and unfavorable incidents. Journal of Marketing, 54(January), 71-84 https://doi.org/10.2307/1252174
  6. Brown, S.W. and Swartz, T.A. (1989) Gap analysis of professional service quality. Journal of Marketing, 53(April), 92-98 https://doi.org/10.2307/1251416
  7. Crosby, L.A. and Stephens, N.J. (1987) Effects of relationship marketing on satisfaction, retention and prices in the life insurance industry. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(Nov), 404-411 https://doi.org/10.2307/3151388
  8. Evenson, R. (1998) How to deal with a difficult customer: A positive solution to a negative situation. American Salesman, 43(7), 26-31
  9. Harari, O. (1996) To hell and back: learn to discriminate between customers from hell and customers who have gone through hell. Management Review , 85(7), 35-38
  10. Kroskey, C.M. (1997) It's okay to fire a customer. Bakery Production and Marketing, 32(12), 12
  11. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1985) A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for further research, Journal of Marketing, 49(Fall), 41-50
  12. Sanford, K.D. (1989) The customer isn't always right. Supervisory Management, 34(10), 29-33
  13. Semke, R. and Anderson, K. (1990) Customers from hell. Training: The Magazine of Human Resources Development, 27(2), 25-33
  14. Suprenant, C.F. and Soloman, M.R. (1987) Predictability and personalization in the service encounter. Journal of Marketing, 51(April), 73-80
  15. Tschohl, J. (1995) Customers are not always right: Change attitude: Improve service. American Salesman, 40(2), 3-7