Exploring the Role of Complaint Handling among Complaining Consumers

Abstract

Differentiating organization through service quality and engaging customer for long-term profit motive is a strategic adaptation for the complex competitive retail platform in India. Such approach incorporates the value of trust to ensure desired customer retention. The procedure further intensifies when an organizational approach emphasize effective complaint handling system within its service protocol. Based on this established relationship, this study explores the viability of the framework in the presence of customer complain intention categories with Indian context. Data for this descriptive study are collected using a structured questionnaire from 450 respondents. Out of the three types of complainants (consumer complaint intention), voice complaint intention appeared as the strongest determinant of consumer trust and retention as compared to private and third party complaint intention. On providing complaint handling, the strength of the relationship improved to the greatest extent for private complaint intention while there was no effect of complaint handling for voice complaint intention. Results of the study highlight as to what extent complaint handling matters for different types of complainants (voice, private and third party). Such practices can help the retailers distinguish and accordingly handle various types of complainants. Effective complaint handling practices can make the complainants more trustworthy and loyal than before.