Does the Customer Complain or Compliment? Nudging Them to Feel Grateful

Authors

  • Bala Subramanian R Rajagiri Business School, Rajagiri College of Social Science
  • Munish Thakur XLRI Xavier School of Management
  • Manjula N Thiagarajar School of Management

Keywords:

Complimenting, nudging, gratitude, complaining

Abstract

Organizations strive to ensure that their products and services align with customer expectations. Customer feedback captures their expectations and provides avenues for making improvements. While most companies inquire about areas that warrant improvement, they remain silent on the aspects that they do well. This study intends to find how the organization approaches the customers for feedback and whether customers can be nudged to give positive feedback. Using secondary data from 30 websites, we captured the elements of customer feedback. Next, we conducted three surveys asking customers about what they liked and what needed improvement. Findings suggest that positively toned questions triggered positive anecdotal experiences. Implications for practice are discussed.

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Published

2022-12-15