Who are the adorable customers - men or women? Service quality improvement via customers' positive responses

Abstract

Customer compliments, the positive responses, imply the successes of firms in serving their customers. However, researchers and practitioners devote themselves to the negative responses, complaints, and neglect the more valuable profit-generating element, customer compliments. This research explores customer complimentary behaviours and discloses the importance and power of customers' positive responses. With companies' training programmes, the front-line service providers still often find it difficult and feel frustrated in distinguishing customer characteristics. Gender as a salient indicator could help employees feel much more comfortable in their jobs and be able to provide better services. We investigated whether men or women react differently when they receive satisfactory services. The different responses between men and women disclose the references of male and female customers as well as the potentials of customer recommendation power. Service quality and company profits can be improved by customers' positive responses. This research helps companies to become capable of managing better service quality and effective training programmes by analysing the essential differences in complimentary behaviours between male and female customers.