Premium
The link between social interactions and trust recovery in customer–business relationships
Author(s) -
Rosa Pulga Andréia Alcântara,
Basso Kenny,
Viacava Keitiline Ramos,
Pacheco Natália Araújo,
Ladeira Wagner Junior,
Dalla Corte Vitor Francisco
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of consumer behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.811
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1479-1838
pISSN - 1472-0817
DOI - 10.1002/cb.1788
Subject(s) - interpersonal communication , business , social relation , interpersonal relationship , social relationship , process (computing) , interpersonal interaction , service (business) , psychology , marketing , social psychology , computer science , operating system
Trust plays a crucial role in interpersonal relationships, including customer–company relationships, where the customer expects that a company will behave predictably in any particular situation. Companies do not always fulfill customers' expectations and thereby breach the trust relationship. To avoid negative consequences of this trust violation, companies may issue a formal apology as one possible path to regaining customer trust. In the same way, a previous social interaction, which can increase the customer's levels of oxytocin, can help to recover trust after service failures. In this study, three experiments were conducted as follows: the first manipulating a simulated social interaction with images; the second manipulating a physical social interaction, (i.e., a hug); and the third with exogenous oxytocin administration. The results showed that both physical interaction, (i.e., a hug) and simulated social interaction, (i.e., images of people interacting with each other) had a positive effect on customer trust recovery and provided support for oxytocin release as the underlying mechanism in this process. This research contributes to understanding of the link between social interactions and trust by elucidating the effects of both simulated and physical interactions on trust recovery.