Customer Perception, Failure and Impact

Each customer will process the perception it receives after making a purchase or use a service. But perception is not the same for each customer.

Regarding to the customer perception, Pride and Ferrell describes it as a process of selecting, organizing, and interpretation of information to produce meaning, so that from the definition, it could mean that a person's sensations received through sight, feeling, hearing, smell and touch from each person will have different perceptions of the same situation, because everyone will capture, organize and interpret information in accordance with his own way.

If there is a failure service, then this perception is best understood as an issue in the resolution of problems (problem-solving issues) faced by customers during the service received.

In addition contact or interpersonal relationships (interpersonal contact) performed by the employee service providers with customers during the service recovery is a crucial factor in the perception of the quality of services rendered. In other words, employees play an important role in service recovery and negative experiences. Employees’ ways to handle these service issues will determine the company's brand image which made the migration of customers.

In the event of dissatisfaction or disappointment resulting from the negative perception of service quality, then there are four possible responses of customers, such as customers stop buying products/services of the company, convey the negative words of mouth to family, coworkers, or other close person, customers complain through the mass media, customer organizations, or government agencies concerned, and/or sue the manufacturer or service provider to legal services. If this happens then the company's image and reputation will be damaged and it will be difficult to repair.