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The nature of an apology: An experimental study on how to apologize after a service failure

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  • Holger Roschk
  • Susanne Kaiser

Abstract

Extant service recovery research treats apology as a dichotomy, in that it is either present or absent, but how it is conveyed is neglected. Based upon social psychological research, this study argues that an apology comprises three different components: empathy, intensity, and timing, which make each apology unique. It is shown that how well an apology is delivered across failure types (outcome vs. process) drives service recovery satisfaction, not its mere presence. Empathy, intensity, and timing separately impact satisfaction. The more empathic and intense the apology is given, the more satisfied respondents are. A late apology decreases satisfaction ratings. Effect sizes indicate that empathy has the strongest impact on service recovery satisfaction followed by intensity and timing. The effect of empathy is stronger for process failures than for outcome failures. Interestingly, the apology’s overall effect size is comparable to that of compensation in case of a process failure. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Holger Roschk & Susanne Kaiser, 2013. "The nature of an apology: An experimental study on how to apologize after a service failure," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 293-309, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:24:y:2013:i:3:p:293-309
    DOI: 10.1007/s11002-012-9218-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fehr, Ryan & Gelfand, Michele J., 2010. "When apologies work: How matching apology components to victims' self-construals facilitates forgiveness," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 37-50, September.
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    4. Wong, Nancy Y., 2004. "The role of culture in the perception of service recovery," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(9), pages 957-963, September.
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