Service Recovery Satisfaction Scale

What it measures

Measures customer satisfaction with how a service failure was handled by a service provider. Service recovery satisfaction is a critical outcome in research on service failures because effective recovery can restore — and sometimes exceed — original satisfaction levels (the 'service recovery paradox'). Captures overall satisfaction with the resolution of the complaint or failure.

Response format

Likert (1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Scale items

• I am satisfied with the way [company] handled the problem.
• The way [company] dealt with my complaint was satisfactory.
• Overall, I am pleased with the way [company] responded to my complaint.
• [Company] handled my complaint in an acceptable manner.
• [Company] resolved my complaint to my satisfaction.
• My overall satisfaction with [company's] response to my problem was high.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Score = mean. Higher = greater satisfaction with recovery. The justice framework (distributive, procedural, interactional justice) is often used alongside this measure to explain what drives recovery satisfaction. A 'double deviation' — failure followed by poor recovery — is significantly more damaging than the original failure alone.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Smith, A.K., Bolton, R.N., & Wagner, J. (1999). A model of customer satisfaction with service encounters involving failure and recovery. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(3), 356–372.

Keywords