Is anyone pushing to remove resentment? Whilst talking to senior Telecoms execs I’ve noticed a trend. There’s a real focus on getting and retaining the right people in the care teams, and, more strategically, working to remove things that aren’t fair.
The first day I drove to an airport and found they’d introduced a fee to drop off a passenger I was angry.
Anyone who owns a Volkswagen might well be angry in the light of the emission scandal.
These feelings are the same. This is a special kind of angry - it’s resentment! Here at Curzon we’ve been focussing on this and would like to share some thoughts with you. We’re interested in the commercial consequences of resentment, how managers perceive these consequences and what responses are effective.
There are some aspects of resentment that are worth understanding first. Alice McLachlan (McLachlan, 2010) gives a comprehensive account in the opening part of her paper on resentment; to summarise the basics:
- - Resentment comes when we have moral feelings that invoke a concept of right.
- - These feelings are linked to our self-respect and a show our commitment to our moral standards.
- - Conversely, if we don’t feel resentment it’s because we don’t think we have rights or don’t take them seriously.
So when you’re resentful, you’re on your moral high ground. The trouble is that there’s a potential for this to be misinterpreted.
- - Resentment can come over as “Just who do you think you are?” as easily as it does “This isn’t fair.” (McLachlan, 2010)
- - Resentment is the emotion with which others are least able to sympathise… and less easily and more rarely communicated. (Smith, 1976)
- - This makes it likely that managers ignore or rationalise away resentment.
What would you do if you were the MD of an airport? Do you please me and rescind the drop-off charge or continue to make a profit?
The communications industry has had a poor history of Customer Care. A recent survey commissioned by Lithium Technology (LithiumTechnology, 2015) with 2000 respondents found Telecoms ranks higher than both utilities companies and financial institutions in terms of customer service frustration. Underlying this are budget constraints on care leading to lengthy queues and a lack of personalisation. We think a deeper look at resentment is justified where budgets are tight and you need to target the right activities.
Is anyone pushing to remove resentment? Whilst talking to senior Telecoms execs I’ve noticed a trend. There’s a real focus on getting and retaining the right people in the care teams, and, more strategically, working to remove things that aren’t fair. Look at the mobile operator Three’s marketing language: “when stuff sucks #makeitright”. We’ve seen Three’s roaming charges abolished and there’s no price premium for 4G.
