Higher Education Student Complaint Behavior in a Complex Service Ecosystem: A Value Co-creation Perspective

During the global covid-19 pandemic, most of higher education institutions (HEIs) were forced to migrate to an e-learning methodology in order to continue their academic activities. At the same time, the student complaint behavior (SCB) increased due to new experiences of dissatisfaction or non-satisfaction. In this context, and seeking to ensure student satisfaction, HEIs have managed this behavior in the same form that companies do with their customers. Therefore, we present a critical analysis on the generic and standardized approach in the literature and practice to understanding and managing SCB in the same way as customer complaint behavior (CCB) is managed. A review of the literature on the theories and studies related to SCB and CCB and the student/customer treatment debate are presented, highlighting the complexity of higher education (HE) service, which is considered a pillar of development due to its social value. The authors argue the suitable application of the Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), specifically its value co-creation premise, as well as the principles of the Service Ecosystem theory to differentiate SCB from CCB. This may allow HEIs to continue to ensure student satisfaction through the management of their complaints without compromising educational quality and service sustainability. The reflection hereby presented is limited to the Latin America region educational contexts and their structures. durante la pandemia global de COVID-19, la mayoría de las instituciones de educación superior (IES) se vieron obligadas a migrar hacia la metodología de e-learning con el fin de dar continuidad a sus actividades académicas. Al mismo tiempo, el comportamiento de queja de los estudiantes (CQE) reportó un incremento como resultado de nuevas experiencias de insatisfacción. En este contexto, y buscando garantizar la satisfacción de los estudiantes, las IES han gestionado el CQE de la misma forma que lo hacen las empresas con sus clientes. Por lo tanto, este trabajo presenta un análisis crítico frente al enfoque genérico y estandarizado -tanto en la literatura como en la práctica-que pretende la gestión del CQE bajo los mismos principios con los que se gestiona el comportamiento de queja del consumidor (CQC). Con tal fin, se presenta una revisión de la literatura sobre las teorías y estudios relacionados con el CQE y el CQC y el debate en torno a la gestión del estudiante/cliente, destacando la complejidad inherente a la prestación del servicio de e