E-Mail Service Quality of Profit and Not for Profit Organisations in the Tourism Industry

The use of the Internet by companies to present themselves and enabling interactive communication with their customers has been common for years. Despite the vast application of corporate e-mail for information exchange there seem to be no standards for appropriate e-mail communication in the event of a complaint. Profit organisations in particular should have implemented effective service recovery and communication strategies to engage in valuable interaction and relationships with their customers. Thus, this study investigates the e-mail communication behaviour of profit organisations and non profit organisations (NPOs) in tourism. Their replies in general and their reactions to inquiries and complaints in particular were studied. A mystery study among 136 airlines and 152 National Tourist Offices (NTOs) offers valuable insights. The results indicate a low response rate for both types of organisations. Airlines seem to have a better service recovery strategy resulting in more polite replies to complaints.

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