Scale development of customer satisfaction with complaint handling and service recovery in an e-commerce setting

Abstract

This study explores the dimensionality of customer satisfaction with complaint handling in the service failure and recovery context. It provides evidence of construct validity for a new multi-item measure of e-commerce customer satisfaction. Items for this measure were developed by reviewing the complaint handling and service recovery literature. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a 5-factor structure to this measure: 1) recovery and return; 2) employee dealing and timely response; 3) complaint solution; 4) payment and security; and 5) website-related information. The structural equation also demonstrated predicted validity for the e-commerce customer satisfaction dimensions to complaint handling and service recovery as each of these five factors was verified to have a positive relationship with overall complainant satisfaction. The study concluded that online businesses should develop service recovery strategies that encompass monetary rewards in the context of a solution to the complaint.