Coping with Service Failures: The Role of Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy and Intention to Complain

Abstract

In this research, we develop and test a research model that investigates the effects of consumer emotional intelligence (EI) on three coping strategies (active, expressive, and denial) and explore the mediating role of self-efficacy in this process. We further examine effects of coping strategies on consumer desire to complain. Australian consumers (n = 252) responded to a scenario-based questionnaire about a service failure in a hotel setting. Both emotional intelligence and self-efficacy drive consumer engagement with the active coping strategy in service failures. We did not observe any significant effects of active coping on complaining, possibly because active coping is aimed at resolving the problem without the need to complain. In contrast, the effects of EI and self-efficacy on the expressive coping strategy are asymmetrical. On the one hand, a higher level of EI is positively associated with one’s expressive coping strategy, possibly indicating the customers’ recognition of the need to deal with their emotions under given circumstances. On the other hand, expressive coping is social in nature and assumes customer support-seeking behaviors and expression of emotions to others. EI is negatively related to the denial coping strategy but self-efficacy beliefs have no association with denial.