Navigating service recovery: a model for mobile ISPs in South Africa

Purpose This paper aims to address the lack of industry-specific service recovery frameworks for internet service providers (ISPs) in South Africa by identifying essential service recovery attributes and evaluating the impact thereof on customer satisfaction and customer behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study focuses on the theory of perceived justice and determines how mobile ISPs in South Africa can effectively manage service recovery activities. A reputable marketing research business was used to collect data by means of an online survey sent to respondents who had previously complained about service failures with mobile ISPs in South Africa. In total, 484 surveys were gathered, and the data was analyzed to confirm or reject the proposed hypotheses using confirmatory factor analysis and Structural equation modeling. Findings The findings confirmed all the relationships in the suggested service recovery model, indicating that service recovery attributes, including compensation, response speed in dealing with service failure, apology from the service provider, and providing an explanation, can improve customer satisfaction after service failure. Practical implications Practical implications include the establishment of guidelines that mobile ISPs can follow to create successful service recovery plans that align with customer fairness expectations after a service failure occurred. Originality/value This research proposes a framework for servicing recovery in South Africa’s mobile ISP industry, illuminating the critical factors of customer satisfaction and loyalty in the wake of service failures. Furthermore, it serves as a counterargument to the one-size-fits-all application of the justice theory within diverse contexts, as customers show less concern for fairness in principle and more concern for prompt and transparent resolution in developing markets characterized by frequent service disruptions and unreliable infrastructure.