The effect of inoculation messages on service recovery

Purpose Service failure is detrimental for both enterprises and customers; therefore, it is particularly important and cost effective for service enterprises to take precautionary measures rather than provide recovery after service failure. Based on the inoculation theory, this research examines the impact and the boundary conditions of inoculation messages on the effectiveness of service recovery. Design/methodology/approach The proposed research model is examined through two scenario-based experimental studies. A total of 627 datasets was collected and analyzed with the SPSS program with the PROCESS tool to examine the moderation (Model = 1) and three-way interaction (Model = 4) effects. Findings The research findings show that inoculation messages moderate the relationship between recovery measures and customer satisfaction. Specifically, there is a positive relationship between service recovery and recovery satisfaction, which can be further boosted with inoculation messages. Importantly, inoculation messages eliminate the significant difference between the effects of expected recovery and high recovery. However, inoculation messages are only effective for enterprises with high brand equity. Originality/value These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the service recovery practice of service enterprises.