The relationship between consumer complaining behavior and service recovery : An integrative review

Purpose – The goal of the present conceptual paper is to integrate two streams of literature related to service failures: customer complaining behaviors (CCB) and service recovery literature. The suggested conceptual framework intends to broaden the thinking on consumers' complaint handling processes for hospitality institutions. Design/methodology/approach – A model is proposed that integrates the service recovery and CCB literatures under a single framework. A careful literature review is performed to justify the conceptual framework. Findings – The framework offers a starting point for broadening the thinking on consumers' complaint handling processes. Research limitations/implications – Systematic empirical research is needed to test the integrative model. Originality/value – This paper offers insight for hospitality managers into how to effectively deal with dissatisfied customer experiences.