Improving the effectiveness of banks' service guarantees: The role of implementation

The negative impact of frequent service delays on customer loyalty and retention is widely recognised. To address this issue, many banks have initiated some form of service improvement programme and attempted to communicate the change to their existing and prospective customers. Often, however, this rightfully sceptical audience continues to doubt the provider's ability to resolve the problem and may not notice service improvement even when it is achieved. Service guarantees are a powerful mechanism for firms to express their commitment to satisfaction as well as their willingness to compensate customers in the event of service failure. This paper presents the results of a multi-stage study of a major bank's effort to provide a wait-time guarantee. The potential value of the guarantee to customers, the impact of the guarantee on customer dissatisfaction following a negative service experience, and customers' willingness to invoke the guarantee are examined. The implications of the findings highlight the role of implementation in a successful guarantee programme. Recommendations for improving banks' service guarantees are provided.     

The impact of the magnitude of service failure and complaint handling on satisfaction and brand credibility in the banking industry

The present research aims to investigate the effects of service failure and complaint handling on customer satisfaction with complaint handling which consequently impacts overall satisfaction and brand credibility. To examine the objectives of the present research, the authors deployed a sample of 384 respondents in Persian banks within Iran. Structural equation modeling has been used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that the magnitude of service failure negatively effects customer satisfaction with complaint handling. Complaint handling positively affects customer satisfaction with complaint handling. In addition, the results suggest that customer satisfaction with complaint handling positively influences brand credibility and overall satisfaction. Finally, overall satisfaction positively impacts brand credibility. The results revealed that if the complaint handling occurs instantly at the right time, it would have been a positive influence on customer satisfaction and ultimately develop brand credibility. Therefore, banks can adopt customer relationship management systems and processes which enable quick responses to customer complaints. Bank managers could find the results of the present study useful and beneficial in developing complaint handling efforts and expanding appropriate service recovery and brand credibility strategies.     

Customer service quality and financial performance among Australian retail financial institutions

This paper seeks to explore empirically the relationship between customer service quality and financial performance among a representative cross-section of Australian banks and credit unions by correlating customer service quality scores from a sample of retail customers with financial performance measures over a five-year period.Results show that all financial performance measures (interest margin, expense/income, return on assets and capital adequacy) are positively correlated with customer service quality scores. They also show that the credit unions strongly out-perform the banks in customer service quality and also for some measures of financial performance (interest margin and return on assets). The positive link between financial performance and customer service is thus supported in this study. Implications for the three groups of institutions are also discussed.     

Bank image in the UAE: Comparing Islamic and conventional banks

This study investigates how bank customers in the UAE view Islamic banks versus conventional banks and whether this image affects customer loyalties or selection of a bank. We distributed a questionnaire to a convenient sample of UAE bank customers that focused on five areas: bank image, bank products, service quality, cultural aspects and religious factors, in addition to demographic attributes of the sample. The main findings of this study are: first, most UAE bank customers prefer banking with Islamic banks, although they are not satisfied with the quality of products and services; second, customers generally have a positive image of whatever bank they dealt with; third, the regression analysis results indicate that the most important factor in choosing a bank was bank products followed by service quality and then religious factors; fourth, there is a significant difference between how customers perceive UAE Islamic banks versus conventional banks; fifth, there is a significant difference in how customers perceive UAE Islamic banks based on their gender, education and duration of the relationship; and finally, there is a significant difference in how customers perceive UAE conventional banks based on their gender.     

Customer emotional regulation and relationship quality: Evidence from the banking industry

The aim of this paper is twofold: first to examine the extent to which customer perceptions of employee deep/surface acting influence customer deep/surface acting; second to assess the degree to which customer deep/surface acting strengthens/weakens the level of relationship quality (RQ). Survey data were collected from (291) respondents from 13 banks located in Jordan. Two key findings emerged from the current study. First, when customers encountered authentic employees (i.e., deep acting), they were more likely to modify their internal feelings to match the required displays, and less likely to express unauthentic emotions. On the other hand, when customers encountered unauthentic emotions, they were less likely to express unauthentic emotions. Second, customer deep acting is found to be positively associated with relationship satisfaction, commitment, and trust, whereas customer surface acting is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and trust. This study adds to the body of knowledge on the antecedents of RQ through identifying customer emotional regulation as a key determinant of that.     

How does customer motivational orientation affect satisfaction?

This study examines the link between customer motivational orientation and customer satisfaction in the Chinese context. The customer motivational orientation–satisfaction model was tested on 349 Chinese bank customers in Macao, China. Results of structural equation modelling indicated that task-oriented and interaction-oriented customers were not equally responsive to the financial services provided. Specifically, task motivational orientation was directly and indirectly related to customer satisfaction through customer perceived service quality, whereas interaction motivational orientation only linked to customer satisfaction through customer perceived service quality as a mediator. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Online banking in India: An approach to establish CRM

Technology is fast altering the business servicescape. Its role in improving customer service levels is being used strategically and increasingly by service organizations. The service attributes and quality can be enhanced by deployment of technology. The Internet has facilitated convenience in customer interactions and transactions with the banks. Online banking is currently emerging as a new approach in India for providing improved accessibility and expediency to customers. Most banks have their own websites for improving the customer interface and offering online services. The article studies the applicability of online banking in India and its role in fostering relationships with customers and giving them more value. The research was conducted on customers familiar with online banking in India, and their perceptions about online banking were studied. The findings reveal that customers are using the services but are skeptical about the financial transactions and service quality dimensions.     

Satisfaction drivers for Internet service technology among stock brokerage customers in Thailand

Many financial services firms are offering the Internet as a self-service technology (SST), for online stock trading, in an effort to increase effciency and give customers greater access. It is important to understand how this technology will influence customer satisfaction. This paper reports results of exploratory research to identify sources of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the service encounter in Thai stockbrokerage firms. Results show that customers and service providers determine sources of customer dis/satisfaction differently, depending on whether the service encounter is technology-based or interpersonal. Different customer profiles give rise to segmentation in response to the use of Internet technology in this industry.     

Why are some modes of acquisition more profitable? A study of the credit card industry

A key challenge in financial services marketing is attracting good customers to the firm. For most financial services firms, including credit card firms, a good customer is also a profitable customer. Managers would like to use marketing tactics that attract the most profitable customers while closely monitoring and perhaps limiting expenditures on marketing tactics that tend to attract relatively less profitable customers. Therefore, managers need to understand the relative effectiveness of different modes of new account acquisition and the impact that the various modes of acquisition may have on overall account profitability. To date, there have been very few studies that have calculated individual level customer profitability and then investigated the relationship between new customer acquisition source and customer profitability. That is, how do modes of acquisition differ in their ability to attract profitable customers? We answer this question using a proprietary and novel data set from the credit card industry. Of the four modes of acquisition used in this industry, we find that Internet and direct mail efforts generate more profitable customers than telemarketing and direct selling. We provide possible explanations for these findings. Our work adds to the growing literature in customer relationship management and our results have important managerial implications for resource allocation among acquisition strategies.     

Customer retention and cross-buying in the banking industry: An integration of service attributes,satisfaction and trust

Most previous studies have focused on customer retention and have ignored the importance of customers’ cross-buying behaviour. Customer retention seems to be the result of a kind of repetitive decision by the customers, but their decision to cross-buy involves a more complicated process. In this study, the authors examine the effects of locational convenience, one-stop shopping convenience, firm reputation, firm expertise, and direct mailings on both customer retention and cross-buying. The mediating roles of satisfaction and trust in the relationships between service attributes, customer retention, and cross-buying are also examined. The results indicate that banks can use different service attributes to influence customer retention and cross-buying. Trust and satisfaction play different mediating roles in the relationships between service attributes, customer retention, and cross-buying.     

Price satisfaction and personnel efficiency as antecedents of overall satisfaction from consumer credit products and positive word of mouth

The paper aims to explore the potential impact of ‘bank personnel efficiency’ and ‘price satisfaction’ on overall customer satisfaction of consumer credit products and positive word of mouth (WOM). Furthermore it aims to provide bank managers with useful insights into the development of high quality relationships with customers. ‘Personnel efficiency’, is related to the human factor of service quality, while ‘price satisfaction’ refers to the customers’ subjective view of the bank's pricing policy. The research involved a review of the available literature on service quality dimensions and their effect on satisfaction and WOM. For the collection of data, a survey was designed and conducted in the greater area of Athens, Greece. The research questionnaire was administered by means of personal interviews to 750 bank customers. Data analysis, using structural equation modelling, suggests that ‘personnel efficiency’ and ‘price satisfaction’ are antecedents of overall ‘customer satisfaction’, which is a prerequisite for positive ‘word of mouth’.     

银行个人理财服务顾客满意度影响因素

提高顾客满意度是个人理财服务快速发展的关键。本文从顾客角度探讨了我国银行个人理财服务销售人员的特征、品牌资产、关系品质、感知风险与顾客满意的关系,从而寻求提高顾客满意度的关键因素。通过建立假设模型、开发测量量表及对中国7家银行的数据统计分析,本文发现:销售人员特征对我国银行的个人理财服务顾客满意度总影响效果最大,其次为感知风险,再次为品牌资产;关系品质对顾客没有直接影响,但会通过感知风险间接影响顾客满意度。理财经理的素质和能力及品牌的塑造是我国银行个人理财服务发展的关键。     

内部营销、员工满意、服务质量与顾客满意关系研究

为了确定内部营销、员工满意、服务质量和顾客满意之间的因果关系,本文在文献研究的基础上构建了内部营销—员工满意—服务质量—顾客满意关系模型,并以35家商业银行的员工和顾客为实证样本,采用因子分析、结构方程模型检验了模型的假设关系。研究发现:内部营销不能直接影响顾客满意,但可以通过员工满意和服务质量而间接影响顾客满意;员工满意不但直接影响顾客满意,并通过服务质量间接影响顾客满意;服务质量既直接影响顾客满意,也是内部营销和员工满意发挥作用的中间环节。     

We are who we are: Incorporation of individual culture in customer satisfaction models

Despite the increasing recognition that cultural values have a major impact on consumer behavior, few studies have investigated the effect of individual culture on customer satisfaction in the global banking sector. This study designs a model of customer satisfaction that incorporates Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), and tests it among a sample of 227 Arab customers in the UAE banking sector through structural equation modeling using LISREL. Arab customers are reported to have a high UA, and it would thus be pertinent to determine how this cultural trait affects their consumer satisfaction. It was determined that perceived value and UA are direct antecedents of corporate reputation that in turn has a strong effect on satisfaction. Unexpectedly, service quality was not found to affect satisfaction. Various theoretical and managerial implications arising from the study findings are discussed, as well as potential avenues for further research in this important area.     

Let us work together: The impact of customer strategic alliances on IPO underpricing and post-IPO performance

Leveraging the availability of three years of pre-IPO data and related vs unrelated-party customer information for Chinese firms, we examine the impact of customer strategic alliances (CSA) on IPO underpricing from 2007 to 2015. Our core findings suggest that IPO firms with CSAs have less IPO underpricing than those without such a relationship. The decrease in underpricing is more salient for IPO firms that have non-related-party customers. Additional analysis suggests that the core findings are primarily driven by firms with good information environment pre-IPO, including high audit quality, high analyst following, and low earnings management. We interpret the results as indicating that a good pre-IPO information environment enhances the credibility of CSA relationships and signals high IPO quality. Furthermore, we document that a CSA relationship has a positive impact on an IPO firm's post-IPO performance, especially when the firm has non-related-party customers. Overall, CSAs reduce IPO underpricing and enhance IPO returns post-IPO.     

A framework for understanding the evolution of relationship quality and the customer relationship development process

This paper attempts to develop and empirically test a conceptual model of relationship quality (RQ) in the financial sector from the perspective of the individual consumer (B2C). Based on a review of RQ research, the paper proposes a model of RQ from the customer perspective using the constructs most often examined in empirical RQ research (customer satisfaction, trust and commitment) and considers the relative importance of these dimensions within the stages of the relationship development process (RDP). A survey of 150 bank customers was undertaken in Egypt and the results tested using structural equation modelling. Respondents were selected on a convenience sampling basis and administered a questionnaire instrument for completion. The findings show that there is a strong relationship between the customer’s perceived relationship development phase and the perceived RQ. An important contribution of this paper lies in the alternative conceptualization of RQ as composed of three dynamic dimensions which are dependent on the RDP phase or stage. A second contribution is methodological and relates to the development of a modified scale to identify the relationship phases of customers. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, these contributions are unique and have not been made previously to the body of knowledge on service relationship management.     

Earnings performance of major customers and bank loan contracting with suppliers

Using a sample of 3725 loan facility–years for supplier firms that have financial data on their major customers during the period 1995–2011, this study investigates whether the earnings performance of major customers has effect on the price and nonprice terms of loans to the supplier firms. We find that various contracting terms are more favorable for loans to supplier firms whose major customers have higher return on assets (ROA). More importantly, we find that the effect of major customers’ earning performance on loan contracting terms is weaker for the borrowers with prior loan relationships with banks, while it is stronger for the borrowers that are highly dependent on their major customers. Our results suggest that banks take into account major customers’ earnings performance when contracting with their supplier firms, and the informativeness of customer earnings varies with the nature and strength of the customer–supplier relationships.     

商业银行客户投诉的成因和对策

针对目前商业银行对客户投诉工作存在重视不足、管理不到位等问题,本文对商业银行客户投诉的成因进行归纳,主要包括因后台支撑问题导致的客户投诉;因员工服务质量问题导致的客户投诉;因客户自身原因导致的投诉;因银行之外的第三方原因导致的客户投诉等。在此基础上提出如下建议:商业银行应提高管理层和员工对客户投诉工作重要性的认识,建立标准化服务规范和投诉处理的快速反应机制,并通过采取加强对银行员工的技能培训,制定科学的客户投诉考核制度等措施,从而建立起完善、有效的客户投诉管理机制。     

Customers’ dissatisfaction with banking channels and their intention to leave banks: The moderating effect of trust and trusting beliefs

Banks have the challenging task of managing customer experience across many traditional and technological channels in today’s financial services world. Recent studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that many customers are dissatisfied with their experiences across channels that are supposed to provide a seamless experience. This customer dissatisfaction potentially diminishes a financial service organization’s customer base, and requires the firm to rely on a more fickle customer mix and erodes its reputation. This paper investigates the relationship between individuals’ dissatisfaction with their primary bank channel and their intention to leave their bank in the future. The first study examines individuals’ overall trust in their bank as a potential moderator in the relationship that reduces customers’ likelihood to leave the bank even though they are dissatisfied with a particular banking channel. The second study goes one step further and examines the effect of three trusting beliefs about the bank potentially held by the customer: competence, integrity, and benevolence beliefs. Findings indicate that when customers have a high level of trust in their banks, they are less likely to leave their banks even though they are dissatisfied with their primary banking channel. Furthermore, while competence and benevolence beliefs about the bank have a similar moderating effect, integrity beliefs do not.