66) Which of the following approaches would not be effective in service recovery?
A) Listening to the customer
B) Providing a fair solution
C) Resolving the problem quickly
D) Interrupting the customer
E) Responding sympathetically
67) From a retailer’s perspective, which of the following is a good rule for resolving customer
complaints?
A) Motivate store employees to assume they know what the customer is complaining about.
B) Interrupt customers when they are airing their complaints.
C) Allow the customers to complain if they feel they have not been treated properly.
D) Instruct store employees to assume what solution the customer is seeking.
E) Encourage store employees to have an antagonistic attitude when handling customer
complaints.
68) A sales associate who is confronted by a customer whose newly purchased smartphone does
not function should
A) refer the customer to several different store employees to get the issue resolved.
B) always assume he or she knows what the customer is complaining about.
C) allow the customer to air the complaint without any interruption.
D) have an antagonistic attitude toward the customer.
E) offer the customer a discount on the next item he or she purchases.
69) Distributive fairness is
A) customers’ perceived fairness of the process used to resolve service complaints.
B) customers’ perception of a retailer’s customer service on the basis of reliability, assurance,
tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness.
C) customers’ perception of the benefits received compared with their costs in terms of
inconvenience or monetary loss.
D) the retailer’s rigid adherence to the set guidelines in order to reduce variability in handling
customer complaints.
E) the standard approach used by a retailer to deal with all customer complaints.
70) Kevin is a salesperson selling electronic goods. A customer complains about problems with the
music player purchased by him the previous week. He requests a replacement. Kevin explains the
store’s exchange policies and asks the customer to fill out a complaint form. Therefore, Kevin is
dealing with the customer’s problems with
A) service equity.
B) consistent fairness.
C) perceptual equity.
D) distributive fairness.
E) procedural fairness.
71) Loretta went to a store to buy thermal underwear. The underwear had been featured in an
advertisement for $24.99 a pair. She was disappointed to learn that the underwear sold out within
two days and complained to the sales associate. The sales associate offered to deliver the
merchandise directly to Loretta’s home. Loretta was satisfied with how her complaint was handled.
Jane, another customer, also came to the store with the intention of buying the thermal underwear
and complained about the merchandise being out-of-stock. In addition to offering to deliver the
merchandise to her home, the sales associate offered Jane the product at a discounted price of
$21.99. In trying to resolve both customers’ problems, the sales associate was dealing with
A) distributive fairness.
B) consistent fairness.
C) procedural fairness.
D) service equity.
E) perceptual equity.
72) ________ is the perceived fairness of the process used to resolve complaints.
A) Variable fairness
B) Perceptual equity
C) Procedural fairness
D) Service equity
E) Distributive fairness
73) Procedural fairness
A) significantly increases the variability in handling customer complaints.
B) is achieved when store employees have an antagonistic attitude when handling complaints.
C) is customers’ perceptions of the benefits received compared with their costs in terms of
inconvenience or monetary loss.
D) makes customers feel they have been dealt with fairly when store employees follow company
guidelines.
E) empowers store employees and gives them more flexibility to resolve complaints than
distributive fairness.
74) Jack went to a bakery and ordered a dozen bagels for work. When he got to work, he
discovered that the bagels were stale. The next morning he stopped by the bakery to complain. All
of the following would be appropriate ways to deal with Jack’s complaint except
A) giving him a coupon for free coffee.
B) giving him a $5.00 discount on his next purchase.
C) offering him a free replacement.
D) referring him to other employees at the bakery.
E) providing him with a coupon for a free breakfast.
75) Retailers can minimize the time taken to get a problem resolved and increase customer
satisfaction by
A) assuming what the customer is complaining about or what solution the customer is seeking.
B) minimizing the personal attention given to the customer and resolving the problem abruptly.
C) empowering the first contact employee to act quickly to solve the problem.
D) referring the customer to several different employees to get the problem resolved.
E) directing customers to leave feedback on the store’s website.
76) How do all employees of a retail firm and the elements of a retail mix contribute to services
that increase the value of the merchandise to customers?
77) What is the difference between personalized services and standardized services?
78) What are the five customer service characteristics that affect customer’s opinions of service
quality and what constitutes customer satisfaction?
79) How has technology changed customer expectations with regard to retailers?
80) How can retailers reduce the knowledge gap?
81) What is the standards gap and how can retailers effectively decrease this gap?
82) What are the ways in which the use of technology is reducing the delivery gap?
83) Define communications gap. What can be done by a retailer to reduce this gap?
84) What are the steps involved in effective service recovery?
85) Why is it important to empower employees for quick resolution of customer problems?