The dynamic role of "should expectation" in service recovery paradox

Abstract

This paper proposes a theoretical framework which applies concepts of "will expectation" and "should expectation" to exploring the effects of service recovery on customers' post-recovery satisfaction. The relationship among customers' perceptions of service recovery and their different expectations for service recovery will determine the probability of customers' post-recovery satisfaction exceeding their pre-failure satisfaction (service recovery paradox, SRP). Only when perceptions are higher than both will and should expectations, SRP is much likely to occur. In other cases, it will be difficult to have SRP. We extend this theory to dynamic process. The proposed theory could explain the conflicting findings of previous studies about SRP. Results of exploratory studies provide empirical support for our theory in the static case. Managerial implications and further research direction are also discussed. © 2009 Higher Education Press and Springer Berlin Heidelberg.