The Crisis and Order: The Attribution of Service Failure and Its Influence on Customer Satisfaction
(A2025-130313)

AUTHORS

Vladimir Melnyk, ESCP Business School; Eline De Vries, University Carlos III of Madrid; Lola C. Duque, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, with the growing level of competition among service providers and the increased ease with which experiences can be shared, customer satisfaction is crucial for service providers. Although much is known about disconfirmation of expectations and its influence on consumers’ level of (dis)satisfaction, little is known about what factors determine the way consumers attribute a negative touchpoint within a journey and how this attribution may impact word of mouth, switching, or repurchasing behavior. This research attempts to identify how a negative touchpoint in different parts of a service journey influences the way customers interpret this experience and how they further translate it into actions. Findings show the differential effect of the order of the events on customer satisfaction: overall satisfaction depends on the recency of the event in the experience; however, the attribution depends on the primacy of the event in the experience.