Exploring Negatively Valenced Customer Engagement Behaviors: Insights from a Service Failure and Service Recovery Context

Abstract

Despite its potentially stronger implications, negative customer engagement has received much less attention in the existing marketing literature than its positive counterpart. This study examines the impact of customer outrage and perceived justice on negatively valenced customer engagement behaviors (NVCEBs) in the context of service failure and service recovery. Drawing on Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory and Justice Theory, we conducted a scenario-based experimental survey to test our hypotheses. The results reveal that customer outrage, triggered by a service failure, significantly influences these behaviors. Additionally, two dimensions of Perceived Justice after a service recovery attempt significantly reduce NVCEBs. Although two customer-based factors were proposed as potential moderators, they did not yield significant results. These findings provide new insights into the drivers and consequences of negatively valenced customer engagement behaviors, emphasizing the significance of effectively managing service failures and implementing effective service recovery strategies to mitigate negative customer behaviors.