Service Failure, Service Recovery, Customer Complaint Behavior, Satisfaction, and Trust in Public Healthcare

Abstract

This study aims to examine and analyze the effect of service failure on customer satisfaction and its implications for trust. In addition, this study investigates the mediating role of customer complaint behavior and service recovery in the relationship between service failure and customer satisfaction among BPJS patients at Bahteramas Regional General Hospital, Southeast Sulawesi Province. This research adopts a quantitative approach with an explanatory research design. The population consists of BPJS patients and/or patients’ family members who have experienced service failures, submitted complaints, and received service recovery at the hospital. A total of 130 respondents were selected as the research sample. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using the Structural Equation Model–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) technique.

The results indicate that service failure has a negative and significant effect on customer complaint behavior and service recovery. Furthermore, customer complaint behavior has a positive and significant effect on service recovery, but does not have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. The findings also reveal that service recovery has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, which in turn positively and significantly influences trust. In addition, a reciprocal and significant relationship is found between customer complaint behavior and service recovery. The mediation analysis demonstrates that service recovery plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between service failure and customer satisfaction, whereas the mediating role of customer complaint behavior is not consistently supported. Overall, these findings highlight the critical importance of effective service recovery in mitigating the negative impact of service failure and enhancing patient satisfaction and trust in public healthcare services.

Keywords:  service failure, customer complaint behavior, service recovery, customer satisfaction, trust, BPJS patients