Bartleby Called to account

摘要

NOTHING IS MORE likely to sabotage a brand's reputation than a customer complaint that goes viral. Social media often blow the problem out of proportion, leading television programmes and newspapers to pick up the story, which is invariably one that pits plucky members of the public against some heartless corporate Goliath. Consumer gripes-and stories about them-have multiplied during the pandemic as many services were cancelled because of lockdowns. Rupert Younger of Saied Business School at the University of Oxford says that views of companies are centred on the issues of capability and character. Firms' capability is expressed in the quality of their products. The way that firms handle customer disputes, meanwhile, speaks to their character. If that quality is undermined, it can take time to rebuild public confidence. Research suggests that people and organisations alike tend to be judged by the worst thing they do.