| Abstract: | While the consumer affairs and services marketing literatures recognize the importance of input from customers, little is known about how customer feedback systems might operate, particularly in dealing with customer complaints. This paper offers an information processing model of the complaint information flow within the organization and poses hypotheses based on the suggested model. A new field study technique using a type of network analysis is used to empirically test hypotheses and discover barriers and facilitators to the flow of communications. The study provides insight concerning how complaint information flows through the organization after it has been received by a customer contact employee. The results provide support for the thesis that the role of complaint handler and manager in providing the service is at least as important as the role of the customer contact employee. |
