The influence of hospitable design and service on patient responses

ABSTRACT

A study of 216 respondents examined a medical center environment’s influence on patient responses. A stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model was adapted to the theory that more hospitable healthcare servicescape elements will affect patients’ overall satisfaction with healthcare experience, loyalty intentions, and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. Servicescape elements included atmospherics of the healthcare environment, service delivery by healthcare staff, physical design of the healthcare environment, and wayfinding. Results of structural equation modeling confirmed that the four servicescape elements – had a significant impact on patients’ overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience. Furthermore, overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience predicted patients’ loyalty intentions and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. The study makes a significant contribution to the empirical modeling of patients’ behavioral responses to hospitable healthcare environments.     

Customer perceived value,satisfaction, and loyalty: the role of willingness to share information

This study proposes and tests an integrative model to examine the relationships among customers’ willingness to share information, satisfaction, perceived value, and loyalty in a retailing context. This study extends research on customers’ willingness to share information from trust and privacy concerns toward key outcome measures such as perceived value, customer satisfaction, and loyalty, and is thus among the first to model customers’ willingness to share information with companies in robust theoretical retailing frameworks. The proposed relationships were tested using data from two retailing contexts – groceries (N = 429) and do-it-yourself (DIY) (N = 895). Findings from the two samples suggest that both perceived value and satisfaction are significant determinants of customers’ willingness to share information with a company. Although some differences emerge in the two studies, structural modeling largely supports the hypothesized framework and positions customers’ willingness to share information as an important antecedent of their loyalty intentions and behavior. This study provides practitioners with preliminary insight into the relationship between willingness to share information and perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. This study advances retailing research, as it is one of the few empirical studies investigating the role of customers’ willingness to share information in driving loyalty and its relationship with perceived value and satisfaction in a retailing context.     

Brand Commitment Role in the Relationship between Brand Loyalty and Brand Satisfaction: Phone Industry in Malaysia

Abstract

To maintain a competitive advantage, the strategy of the creation and maintenance of brand loyalty plays a vital role. The main aim of this study is to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationships among different factors i.e., brand personality, image, experience, satisfaction, trust and commitment that have direct and indirect effects in the creation of brand loyalty. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was applied to test the relationships in this study. The findings indicate that brand personality, brand image and brand experience are key sources of brand satisfaction.     

Customer Satisfaction with Consumption Systems

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research examines how satisfaction toward a product and its associated services offered together by a single provider jointly affects behavioral intentions toward the provider.

Design/methodology/approach: In this study, empirical tests were conducted using longitudinal data spanning 5 years from a multinational company that offers both products and associated services as part of a consumption system to their customers.

Findings: Results show a joint congruent effect of product and services satisfaction on behavioral intentions is linear and positive. It appears that offering great service cannot compensate for less-than-adequate satisfaction toward the product. The results further highlight decreasing customer sensitivity to improvements in both sources of satisfaction and imply that focusing on too high levels of one type of satisfaction for their customers can actually be counterproductive for firms.

Research Limitations: Our model was tested using the data obtained from a single firm. Future research could test this model with data from multiple firms in various different industries and establish broader generalizability to the findings.

Practical Implications: Findings provide managers with insights on how to allocate resources across product and service spaces and to manage product and services revenues over time. Results also indicate that customer behavioral intention ratings are more weighted on product quality over the service received by them. However, mere improvements in the product cannot provide the highest desired results and therefore quality improvements in the product need to be complemented by improvements in service quality.

Originality/Value: There is a rapid emergence of the phenomenon of manufacturers providing both products and services as an integrated consumption system to their customers. While the provision of both product and service subsystems by the same firm leads to certain synergies, there are obvious costs to the development of new service capabilities and coordination with existing product capabilities. Our research intends to address this issue.     

Satisfaction,loyalty and repatronage intentions: Role of hedonic shopping values

Today the Indian traditional retail shopper visiting various hypermarkets formats for purchasing and enjoying their valuable time with their family members and friends, as these formats offer hedonic shopping values. Therefore, this research paper focused on hypermarket shoppers of central India and the main objective of this study is to identify the role of hedonic shopping values on creation of satisfaction, loyalty and repatronage intentions with the help of proposed research framework based on 329 responses. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) is use to analyze and validate the proposed research framework. The result supports the relationship between hedonic shopping values with customer satisfaction, loyalty and repatronage intentions. The study also demonstrate the moderating role of gender on these relationship, which shows that both male and female consumer have different level of shopping behavior when it comes to see the influence of hedonic shopping values. Therefore, this research paper would help hypermarket retailers to design their retail store environment more attractively to maintain the optimum customer satisfaction level that enhance the loyalty and repatronage intentions in the customer in this current competitive retail scenario.     

When Satisfied Consumers Do Not Return: Variety Seeking's Effect on Short‐ and Long‐Term Intentions

Even satisfied consumers frequently do not come back, which challenges loyalty theory and marketing practice. It is reasoned that variety‐seeking tendencies will significantly affect short‐term revisit intentions, whereas satisfaction and regret will mostly determine long‐term revisit intentions. Thus, the influence of satisfaction on loyalty is hypothesized to be critically dependent on the time perspective of the intentions, now or later, and variety seeking. A representative survey (N = 400) in eight Spanish cities supported these predictions. Multivariate moderated‐mediation analyses revealed that indeed the influence of satisfaction, regret, and variety seeking critically depends on the time perspective of the behavioral intentions.     

Revisiting the Satisfaction–Loyalty Relationship: Empirical Generalizations and Directions for Future Research

This extensive literature review highlights the state of the art regarding the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, both attitudinal and behavioral. In particular, it brings to light several issues that should be carefully considered in analyzing the efficacy of customer satisfaction in explaining and predicting customer loyalty. In fact, for many years companies all around the world have heavily invested in customer satisfaction in the hope of increasing loyalty, and hence, consequently, profitability. But after having gone through a detailed analysis, it is clear that this link it is not as strong as it is believed to be and customer satisfaction is not enough to explain loyalty. In fact, the major findings of this review are captured in the form of a few empirical generalizations. We generalize that, while there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, the variance explained by just satisfaction is rather small. Models that encompass other relevant variables as moderators, mediators, antecedent variables, or all three are better predictors of loyalty than just customer satisfaction. Further, the satisfaction–loyalty relationship has the potential to change over time. Similar weaker findings are uncovered and the study offers specific guidelines on who, when, and how much to satisfy. Finally, suggestions for future research to explore this domain are offered.     

Analyzing Customers' Switching Intentions in the Telecom Sector

ABSTRACT

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has not only affected customers' behavioral patterns, but also increased competition among telecom operators. Against this backdrop, the study examines the relationship between customers' switching intentions and attitude towards MNP, customer loyalty, and switching barriers. It also investigates the impact of these intentions on actual switching or staying behavior of customers. Data were collected from a sample of 260 telecom customers comprising university students. Findings reveal that customers' switching intentions would largely depend upon switching barriers perceived by them. Switching intentions predict both actual staying and switching behavior. Our understanding of switching barriers is limited to those involved in switching from a current service provider to a new service provider. Future research can examine the barriers associated with returning to the original provider and the effect on the decision to leave in the first place, especially in the case of contractual agreements such as BSNL. The present study will help practitioners and telecom service providers in understanding the factors affecting customers' switching intentions to prevent switching.     

汽车服务业服务质量、顾客满意度与顾客忠诚度的实证分析

为了探讨汽车服务行业服务质量、顾客满意度与顾客认知、情感、意向、行为等四类忠诚度之间的关系,我们对广东省7家汽车4S店进行实证调查,结果发现:服务质量对顾客的认知、情感和意向忠诚度有直接的影响;顾客满意度对顾客四类忠诚度都有直接的影响,且顾客满意度对态度忠诚的影响大于其对行为忠诚的影响;在顾客四类忠诚度中,对顾客行为忠诚有直接影响的是认知忠诚和意向忠诚,其中意向忠诚的影响程度较大。     

Loyalty program rewards and their impact on perceived justice,customer satisfaction,and repatronize intentions

This study examines three types of rewards in a retail loyalty program context (under-reward, equity-reward, and over-reward) and their impact on perceived distributive justice, customer satisfaction, and repatronize intentions. The results from a between-subjects experiment showed that equity-reward produced higher levels of perceived distributive justice than both under-reward and over-reward. Moreover, equity-reward and over-reward produced higher levels of both customer satisfaction and repatronize intentions than did under-reward. Yet there were no differences in satisfaction and repatronize intentions for equity-reward and over-reward. These outcomes suggest that loyalty programs have the potential of not boosting members' loyalty, at the same time as they may reduce loyalty among non-members.     

Satisfaction with Online Commercial Group Chat: The Influence of Perceived Technology Attributes, Chat Group Characteristics, and Advisor Communication Style

This study examines online commercial group chat from a structuration theory perspective. The findings support the influence of perceived technology attributes (control, enjoyment, reliability, speed, and ease of use) and chat group characteristics (group involvement, similarity, and receptivity) on customer satisfaction and the moderating role of advisor communication style on these influences. Furthermore, our results show that chat group characteristics influence customer satisfaction directly as well as indirectly via perceived technology attributes. Online chat satisfaction in turn influences behavioral intentions. Finally, group-level perceptions are found to add considerably to perceptions at the individual level. Our study illustrates that structuration theory provides a sound foundation for theoretical development and empirical investigation of online group chat. Also it shows that retailers need to carefully manage the intricate interplay between technology, chat groups, and online advisors to foster a satisfying experience for customers.     

The Effect of Cultural Distance on International Marketing Strategy: A Comparison of Cultural Distance and Managerial Perception Measures

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to examine whether service convenience increases customer satisfaction that fosters customer loyalty in Indian commercial banks. A cross-sectional study of 352 retail banking customers through questionnaires was conducted. The population of the study is retail urban customers of banks in Rajasthan. Responses are analyzed using structural equation modeling. Dimensions of service convenience are decision convenience, access convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, and postbenefit convenience. Decision convenience was found to influence customer satisfaction more than the other dimensions of service convenience. Customer satisfaction furthers customer loyalty. The article emphasizes the significance of SERVCON on customer satisfaction for the Indian banking sector. The direct impact of SERVCON on customer loyalty is also studied.     

间断性服务业顾客忠诚维度及其影响因素

This research empirically studies customer loyalty in the intermittent service industry with samples from the catering business in Beijing. Results show that customer loyalty in the intermittent service industry is composed of three causally related dimensions, namely cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, and behavioral loyalty. Factors influencing customer loyalty in the intermittent service industry are customer satisfaction, service quality, and customer perceived value (CPV), in descending order of significance. These factors vary in their function mechanisms and effects on different dimensions of customer loyalty. __________ Translated and revised from Shuliang jingji jishu jingji yanjiu 数量经济技术经济研究 (The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics), 2007, (3): 91–101     

Understanding the causes of defection among satisfied B2B service customers

Abstract

Many research studies conclude that satisfaction is strongly and positively related to repurchase intentions and loyalty behaviour. However, companies are often faced with the perplexing question of why some customers, who are satisfied, still switch suppliers given the right circumstances. To answer this question, an exploratory research study was conducted in the facilities-management industry with business-to-business service customers. The study was conducted in two stages: an exploratory stage that focused on the industry as a whole, and a confirmatory stage that focused on lost customers from one specific company. It was found that switching motives and actual reasons for switching are quite different. Customers, despite being satisfied, are more likely to switch suppliers for price reasons than they originally stated.     

Antecedents of customer loyalty: An empirical synthesis and reexamination

Despite the importance of customer loyalty, no comprehensive, empirical work has attempted to assess the general findings across academic studies. The study intends to fill that void by conducting a meta-analysis of empirical findings on the predictors of customer loyalty. Although findings of this study support all the hypothesized main effects, they indicate stronger effect size for trust than for other determinants of loyalty. The study also tests the robustness of previous findings across various research and measurement contexts. The analysis of moderating effects reveals several interesting findings. For instance, attitudinal loyalty measures seem to be a plausible surrogate for behavioral loyalty measures. The effects of customer satisfaction and trust on loyalty are less prominent when products are purchased on a regular and relatively short (as opposed to an irregular and relatively long) purchase cycle. Factors that largely relate to product performance (e.g., satisfaction, quality) have a weaker impact on loyalty in B2B than in B2C settings. Some relationships (e.g., the effect of quality on loyalty) become stronger over time. Furthermore, our results detect consistently weaker effects from studies using single-item (relative to multi-item) loyalty measures.     

The Impact of “Encouragement” in the Development of Professionals for the Non-Profit Service Sector

Abstract

This study examines the role of perceived intent in the context of penalty evaluation. Based on prior attribution research, the study proposes that customers' responses to penalties are different depending on their perceptions of the organization's intent of using penalties. Using the data collected across the service industry, the study shows that when customers perceive the organization's intent as defensive rather than offensive, their evaluations of the penalty and the organization (e.g., perceived justice, satisfaction, behavioral intentions) are more positive than when they do not. Managerial implications are offered.     

The importance of customer satisfaction in explaining brand and dealer loyalty

The positive influence of customer satisfaction on brand and dealer loyalty is often taken for granted. In this study we attempted to prove whether this relationship really exists. In order to do so we examined the case of an automobile‐dealer network. Three different types of customer satisfaction were distinguished: (a) satisfaction with the car; (b) satisfaction with the sales service and (c) satisfaction with the after‐sales service. It was expected that all three types of satisfaction would have an influence on brand loyalty as well as on dealer loyalty. More specifically, it was expected that satisfaction with the car would be the major determinant of brand loyalty and that satisfaction with the service (both sales‐ and after‐sales service) would be the major determinant of dealer loyalty. Furthermore, a study of the literature revealed that dealer loyalty might also significantly affect brand loyalty.

In the empirical part of the study, customers (n = 416) of different automobile‐dealers of the same brand were asked to fill in a mailed questionnaire. The three different types of customer satisfaction and the intention to buy the same brand of car again, as well as the intention to buy from the same dealer again were measured. The customers were also asked why they would buy the same brand (again) or from the same dealer. In general, the analyses of the results revealed that: customer satisfaction with the car, as well as dealer loyalty are major determinants of brand loyalty; customer satisfaction with the sales service as well as with the after‐sales service are major determinants of dealer loyalty and dealer loyalty is an intervening variable in the relation between satisfaction and brand loyalty. Furthermore, it was found that the strength of the relationship between different types of satisfaction and loyalty indicators differs markedly between various market segments (private/business use of car and new/used car buyers). Several marketing implications are presented. A distinction may be made between the implications for the manufacturer of the physical product and the automobile dealer rendering the service.     

Predicting satisfaction and intentions to use online food delivery: What really makes a difference?

ABSTRACT

Online food delivery (OFD) is no longer a new concept for the majority of Americans. Large food delivery companies make millions in revenues and those numbers are expected to increase. This study was conducted to investigate customer intentions to use OFD services through the evaluation of satisfaction, food quality, and OFD service quality. The OFD service quality was assessed via e-SELFQUAL dimensions, and included perceived control, service convenience, customer service, and service fulfillment. The study determined that food quality, control, customer service, and service fulfillment affect customer satisfaction in online food delivery services. Customer satisfaction showed a strong positive impact on behavioral intentions to use OFD.     

Reasoned Action and Food Choice in a Transitional Economy

ABSTRACT

This study examines predictive factors of consumer behaviour in food, employing a study of 485 Romanian respondents using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Drawing on a structural equation models approach, causal paths for six products were estimated. Habit emerged as the most significant predictor of behavioral intention. The results of this empirical study support the notion that attitudes and habits influence behavioral intentions toward food consumption. A modification of the TRA, within the context of income constraints, is proposed in the form of willingness to consume. Competing structural models are discussed, and the implications of the study for both marketers and consumers are highlighted.     

The effects of distributive,procedural, and interactional justice on customer retention: An empirical investigation in the mobile telecom industry in Tunisia

The framework offered in this study provides empirical evidence concerning the interaction between distributive, procedural and interactional perceived justice and loyalty program satisfaction on relational satisfaction in the mobile telecommunication context. Firms that rely on justice perception for strategy implementation are able to attain customer retention. This study suggests a theoretical model of customer retention that aims at investigating the role of satisfaction with loyalty program on relationship marketing. The structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothetical relationships. A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to a total of a convenience sample of 520 customers of multiple mobile phone companies. The target population includes customers who have subscribed to a loyalty program. Results show that distributive justice moderates the relationship between satisfaction with the loyalty program and relational satisfaction. The results highlight the need to focus on distributive justice in order to nurture satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction with the loyalty program is a key predictor of a satisfactory relationship with the operator and customer retention.