Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

Service Recovery 
A service recovery refers to the actions a service employee takes in response to a service failure (Brown, 
Cowles and Tuten, 1996; Gronroos, 1988). The aim of service recovery efforts is basically to move a customer from 
a state of dissatisfaction to a state of satisfaction. Recovery to failures can take many forms. These actions range 
from "do nothing" to whatever it takes to fix the problem" (Bitner et al., 1990; Hart et al., 1990; Hoffman et al., 
1995; Kelley, Hoffman and Davis, 1993). The effectiveness of recovery strategies depends on the situation and is 
influenced by such factors as importance and type of service. Effectiveness is also dependent on the way in which 
the service provider handles the problem. Responsiveness, empathy and understanding improve the effectiveness of 
the recovery strategy (Bitner et al., 1990; Hart et al., 1990). Thus, not only what is done but also how it is done will 
contribute to the effectiveness of the recovery.