| Keywords [eng] |
Managerial response quality, Informativeness, Personalisation, Empathy, Online customer reviews, Consumer trust, Perceived responsiveness, Perceived responsibility, Emotional relief, Satisfaction with response, Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), Public review platforms, Webcare / service recovery |
| Abstract [eng] |
The main purpose of the master’s thesis is to empirically examine how managerial response quality – namely, informativeness, personalisation, and empathy – in response to online customer reviews influences consumer trust. These effects are evaluated through the mediating roles of perceived responsiveness, perceived responsibility, emotional relief, and satisfaction with the response. There are three main sections that this thesis consists of: theoretical analysis, research methodology, and empirical data analysis. The theoretical analysis evaluates online reviews as a form of electronic word-of-mouth, introduces types of managerial responses (appreciative, promotional, defensive, accommodative), considers the factors shaping response effectiveness (timeliness, empathy, tone, consistency), and conceptualises customer trust within service recovery and webcare contexts. The research methodology presents a quantitative survey-based approach using a scenario-based experimental design. A single online questionnaire exposed respondents to a hotel review and managerial response and measured perception variables on a 7-point Likert scale. The final valid sample consisted of 212 respondents, and the data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics. The empirical results confirm that informativeness, personalisation, and empathy significantly influence perceived responsiveness, perceived responsibility, and satisfaction with the response. Furthermore, these customer evaluations were found to positively contribute to customer trust toward the service provider. Thus, all hypothesised relationships within the proposed conceptual model were supported. Based on these findings, the study concludes that high-quality personalised managerial responses visible on public review platforms represent a strategic tool for strengthening consumer trust and positively shaping purchase intent. Therefore, businesses are encouraged to prioritise empathetic, informative, and personalised responses to online reviews to foster trust, enhance reputational strength, and increase conversion potential among online audiences. |
