Service problems and recovery strategies: an examination of the critical incident technique in a business‐to‐business market

A range of wine retailers identified critical incidents that had occurred with their suppliers. The resulting classification of the problems differed from previous consumer studies by revealing primarily outcome problems, such as timeliness of delivery or delivery of complete order, rather than process‐based problems. The critical incident technique provided sufficient information to evaluate the suppliers’ recovery strategies. The effectiveness of recovery strategies was influenced by whether the problem was solved and the time and number of calls required to solve the problem. A major implication for managers in this industry was to anticipate potential difficulties and inform their customers. This proactive strategy would improve relationships with buyers and reduce defections.