Quality of Outcome Guidelines for Complaint Handling

What it measures

Measures the quality of an organisation's formal guidelines for the outcomes or compensation provided to complaining customers, operationalising the mechanistic approach to complaint management. Items assess whether guidelines are clearly defined and simple, whether employees have sufficient decision authority and empowerment to award redress, whether guidelines permit generous compensation, and whether they specify that redress should match the complainant's individual needs. Higher scores indicate more complete and customer-aligned outcome guidelines. Administered to the manager with primary responsibility for complaint management.

Representative items

• In our company/business unit, guidelines for providing compensation to complaining customers are clearly defined.
• In our company/business unit, guidelines for providing compensation to complaining customers give employees who are responsible for complaint handling the decision authority which is necessary for a satisfactory problem resolution.
• In our company/business unit, guidelines for providing compensation to complaining customers allow for a generous redress.

Citation

Homburg, C., & Fürst, A. (2005). How organizational complaint handling drives customer loyalty: An analysis of the mechanistic and the organic approach. Journal of Marketing, 69(3), 95–114.