An analysis of online customer complaints: Implications for Web complaint management

Yooncheong Cho, Il Im, R. Hiltz, J. Fjermestad

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

85 Scopus citations

Abstract

How businesses resolve customer-complaining behavior effectively has been considered a "defensive marketing" strategy or a "zero-defections" strategy, which diminishes customer dissatisfaction. Handling customer dissatisfaction accompanies Web customer complaint management, which might be the critical issue for online customer service solutions and e-CRM (electronic customer relationship management). In this paper; the authors (1) investigate the current sources and causes of online complaints; (2) seek effective ways of handling customer complaints by examining different product types; and (3) provide guidelines for successful e-CRM. 1000 customer complaints from three different publicized e-business customer service centers and 500 complaints from online feedback systems were analyzed in this study. The research findings suggest that e-businesses should (1) provide excellent online customer services because customer service is the most important factor in online customer satisfaction; (2) respond to customers' requests/complaints quickly because the response speed is more important in online customer satisfaction than offline; and (3) employ strategies that are appropriate for the product category in question.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2002
EditorsRalph H. Sprague
PublisherIEEE Computer Society
Pages2308-2317
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)0769514359
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002
Event35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2002 - Big Island, United States
Duration: Jan 7 2002Jan 10 2002

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Volume2002-January
ISSN (Print)1530-1605

Other

Other35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2002
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBig Island
Period1/7/021/10/02

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Engineering

Keywords

  • Consumer electronics
  • Customer relationship management
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Customer service
  • Feedback
  • Guidelines
  • Marketing and sales
  • Privacy
  • Reflection
  • Technology management

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