Boundary-breaking opportunities in service failure and recovery

Purpose The service failure and recovery (SFR) research field has reached its maturity stage and is now at a critical juncture. There are growing calls for fresh perspectives and innovative approaches in SFR research to ensure its continued relevance and growth. The purpose of this paper is to identify boundary-breaking opportunities in SFR research by fundamentally challenging some of the central assumptions of the field. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a unique “review of reviews” methodology to synthesise findings from 19 prior SFR reviews, complemented by an in-depth analysis of 116 primary articles published in the past five years. Findings This paper makes several contributions. First, it identifies and critically evaluates the central underlying assumptions of SFR, highlighting their inherent limitations in light of emerging conceptual and substantive developments. Second, it offers alternative perspectives that reframe these assumptions and open up new avenues for research. Third, within each alternative perspective, we propose specific research ideas that can benefit from further exploration. To develop the ideas, we build on recent conflicts and negative events in the marketplace. Our review of reviews approach also enables us to track how frequently such ideas have been proposed in prior reviews. Finally, the paper briefly discusses some methodological considerations for conducting more impactful research. Originality/value This paper leverages insights from prior SFR literature reviews and recent research and steeps into real-world marketing issues to challenge the central assumptions of the field and recommend future research avenues.