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     

The interrelationships among service quality,customer satisfaction,and customer loyalty: Examination of the fast-food industry

The purpose of this study was to use customers’ perspectives to develop a conceptual model for improving service quality and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The 197 samples were selected from customers of leading fast food franchise enterprises in Taiwan. The research results indicate that service quality positively influences customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Service quality positively influences customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. The research findings indicate that managers need to ensure they have efficient service quality to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty levels.     

Integration of standardization and customization: Impact on service quality,customer satisfaction,and loyalty

The basic objective of this study is to analyse the direct and indirect impacts of standardization and customization on customer satisfaction and loyalty through service quality. The service quality has two dimensions: technical quality and functional quality. A framework is developed by extending Grӧnroos’ model of service quality by including the antecedents of service quality. A questionnaire-based survey collected data from 315 customers of three service industries: healthcare, hospitality, and education. The data was analysed and the model validated using PLS-SEM. The findings show that: (1) integration of standardization and customization of service offerings is critical for improved service quality; (2) standardization has higher impact on service quality when compared to customization; (3) functional quality has higher impact on customer satisfaction when compared to technical quality; and (4) customer satisfaction has a significant effect on customer loyalty. The contribution of this study is the development of an integrated framework to analyse the roles of standardization and customization on service quality.     

基于消费者感知价值的品牌忠诚研究

消费者的品牌忠诚能给企业带来诸多营销优势,消费者的品牌感知价值是品牌忠诚形成的主要驱动因素。消费者的品牌感知价值存在性别差异和品类差异,这种差异直接影响消费者品牌忠诚的形成。对企业进行市场细分及制定差异化品牌营销战略具有重要借鉴意义。     

Airline customer satisfaction and loyalty: impact of in-flight service quality

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the in-flight service quality on airline customer satisfaction and loyalty. This study analyzed the data from passengers of two classes: prestige (business) and economy. The results suggest that there are different factors of in-flight service quality that are important according to the customer seat class. In the case of the prestige class, there were six service quality factors of importance: alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage, responsiveness and empathy, reliability, assurance, presentation style of food, and food quality; while the economy class showed five important service quality factors: responsiveness and empathy, food quality, alcoholic beverage, non-alcoholic beverage, and reliability. These findings imply that airline companies’ in-flight service should have different delivery strategies based on the customer seat class.     

Perceived value and customer loyalty in financial services

Taking into account how expensive it is to maintain customer loyalty programmes, it is necessary to know which aspects of the firm’s service are the ones that really deliver value to the customer. The aim of this paper is to study the relationships between perceived value, satisfaction and consumer loyalty in the financial services market, in order to know which factors are the most important for gaining the customers’ loyalty. A personal survey was made of 200 customers of financial entities, and structural equations models were used to test the relationships posited.     

The impact of high-performance work systems in the health-care industry: employee reactions,service quality,customer satisfaction,and customer loyalty

The purpose of this study is to empirically test the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on employee attitude, service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in health-care organisations. The proposed research model was tested using structural equation modelling for hypotheses, based on data collected from 196 pairs of employee–customer respondents in four selected hospitals with more than 500 beds. The results indicate that hospitals can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through efficient operations, employee engagement, and service quality. One of the key findings of our study is that HPWS in health-care organisations influence employee reaction and service quality.     

Building loyalty in e-commerce: Impact of business and customer characteristics

Abstract

Understanding, building, and predicting customer loyalty in e-commerce are critical activities for long-run profitability. Successfully carrying out these activities is challenging due to the complex mix of both business organization and customer factors that may influence and drive e-loyalty. We demonstrate that business factors, such as credibility, e-satisfaction and site knowledge, and customer factors, such as inertia, innovativeness, and aggressiveness, influence e-loyalty. Our analyses show that business credibility is affected by the reputation of the e-business and its congruence with the customers’ self-image; e-satisfaction by the customers’ value perception, care, and choice; and site knowledge by customer experience, involvement, and expertise. Business factors account for about 75% of the explained variation in e-loyalty and customer factors for the rest. Understanding the controllable business and uncontrollable customer factors that drive customer loyalty should enable e-commerce retailers to continually assess these factors and make appropriate changes in marketing strategy.     

Internet service providers' service quality and its effect on customer loyalty of different usage patterns

This study attempts to investigate the dimensions of an ISP's service quality, and their effects on customer loyalty in high-tech services. Data was obtained from 1231 internet users. The analyses include segmenting ISPs' customers on the basis of their usage pattern and evaluating their perceptions of Internet service quality dimensions. Through the use of structural equation modelling and bias correct bootstrapping techniques, the study confirms that service quality dimensions can influence both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. These effects, however, are different across different groups of ISP customers. The contribution of the present paper stems from the modelling of mediation effects and the incorporation of Internet usage that can help better explain the impact of service quality dimensions on customers' loyalty in high-tech service settings.     

Combined effects of franchise management strategies and employee service performance on customer loyalty: a multilevel perspective

Although franchisee performance is likely to be influenced by franchisors’ management strategies, little is known about whether and how franchisors’ strategies affect franchisee employees’ performance. This study examines the combined effects of three franchisor management strategies, namely innovative culture, support services and autonomy on service performance of the franchisee store employees and the loyalty of their customers. Data were collected from a total of 38 employees and 679 customers of 25 franchisee stores. The study employs multilevel analysis on a nested data-set created by matching customer data with employee data for each store. The results reveal that customer loyalty of a franchisee store is positively influenced by the service performance of its employees and the support services received by the employees of the store from its franchisor. On the other hand, it has been found that franchisor management strategy such as innovative culture and autonomy negatively influence customer loyalty of the franchisee store. The paper discusses relevant theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.     

Service value and switching barriers: a personal values perspective

This research aims to investigate how customers, the key actors in a service relationship, perceive service value and switching barriers. The study is framed along the means-end-chain theory of personal values and theory of customer resources in the service-dominant logic. Hypotheses about the impact of personal values on customer value, switching barriers and customer loyalty were tested using structural equation modeling of survey data obtained from the health care and retail banking sectors in Vietnam. The results show that in both sectors, personal values have a significant impact on perceived process and outcome value as well as on perceived economic and relational switching barriers. Economic barriers were found to affect loyalty in the banking sector, in the same way that relational barriers affect loyalty in the health-care sector only. Loyalty in both sectors is influenced by process but not by outcome value. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

The influence of customer loyalty program design on the relationship between customer motives and value perception

Despite the strong use in marketing practice, the effectiveness of loyalty programs is still heavily questioned among researchers. In our study we present an empirically tested framework that views customer loyalty programs (CLPs) with their differing designs as a moderating tool in a means-end relationship between customer motives and value. By disentangling customer value perceptions of loyalty programs we contribute to the remaining question of the efficacy of CLPs and set the road for further research. Our results support the argument that CLPs can be an effective tool and are not only something that adds to the value of a product or service, but rather creates value by itself. However, this is only the case for programs that target prevailing customer motives and hence provide a higher level of perceived value.     

Impact of operational innovations on customer loyalty in the healthcare sector

This study investigates the effects of operational innovations, such as application of advanced information technology (IT) systems and supported knowledge and skills (SKSs), on care quality and customer loyalty in the healthcare industry. A research model is proposed based on previous studies and examined the relationships among the constructs using the structural equation modeling approach. Research data were collected through a survey of patients and employees of participating hospitals in Korea, with a patient and an employee as one set. The results of the study indicate that operational innovations result in improved customer closeness, which is associated with IT systems usage and SKSs for delivery of quality care, which have a positive impact on patient satisfaction and customer loyalty. Thus, hospital managers should encourage employees to generate new ideas for work efficiency, care quality, customer loyalty, and organizational performance.     

Building customer trust and loyalty: an empirical study in a retailing context

This paper integrates the seller's characteristics and the consumer's individual characteristics in testing the person-to-person and person-to-firm effects of trust on loyalty in the department store. A multidimensional model of the behavioural components of trustworthiness is used to examine their differential effects on consumer trust. The results reveal that the effects of behavioural components of trustworthiness on trust in salespersons and trust in department stores are different. Trust in salespersons contributes to the trust in the department stores they work for. In addition, although both trust in department stores and trust in salespersons are expected to enhance customer loyalty, person-to-person trust has stronger influence on loyalty than does person-to-firm trust. The findings also suggest that customers' individual characteristics should be considered in assessing the role of trust in business relationships other than sellers' characteristics.     

Influence of customer application experience and value in use on loyalty toward retailers

This study aims to explain the mechanism by which user experience with retailer applications could lead to loyalty toward retailers. The data were collected through a survey in Indonesia (n = 717). The results support the positive impact of customer experience (i.e., sensorial experiential state, affective experiential state, interactivity, and relative advantage) on value in use. Value in use mediates the effects of customer experience on satisfaction and loyalty toward retailer application. In turn, these two constructs increase loyalty toward the retailer. These findings contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of the impact of retailer applications on the customer-retailer relationship.     

Online value creation in small service businesses: the importance of experience valence and personal values

Perceived value is of great interest in current marketing research. However, in the area of Internet as a shopping channel of small businesses, there has been little analysis of customer perceived value and its determinants. This paper examines two little analysed aspects of value creation, experience valence and personal values. The analysis of data from a survey of tourism service purchase shows that experience valence, in terms of relevant information, ease of use and customer service, clearly influences perceived value after the online shopping experience. In contrast, only personal values of sense of security and sense of accomplishment influence perceived value.     

Effects of customer loyalty on customer entitlement and voiced complaints

The value of customer loyalty has been well documented by academicians and practitioners. Nevertheless, prior literature has paid little attention to the negative consequences of customer loyalty, for example, entitlement behaviors (e.g. requests for deeper discounts) and complaint behaviors (voicing dissatisfaction to the company). This research empirically examines the effects of customer loyalty on entitlement and voiced complaint behaviors in the context of Frequent Flyer programs in airline industry. Base on partial least squares-structural equation modeling, the results show that (1) customer loyalty has a positive effect on customer entitlement, which is the extent to which customers expect special treatment from the company; (2) the effect of customer loyalty on voiced complaints is fully mediated by customer entitlement; (3) perceived status of loyalty programs amplifies the entitlement behaviors of loyal customers, while tangible rewards of loyalty programs mitigate the entitlement behaviors of loyal customers. Theoretical and managerial implications are elaborated in the discussion section.     

The effects of interaction behaviors of service frontliners on customer participation in the value co-creation: a study of health care service

This research explores the roles of various interaction behaviors of service frontliners in activating customer participation and creating customer value in the context of health care service. Based on the data of 285 paired patient–physician cases of serious chronic diseases, the analysis revealed that individuated, relational, and empowered interactions expressed by a service frontliner play a critical role in activating customer participation, leading to a higher level of perceived value; while ethical interaction has a direct-only impact on perceived value. These results imply that frontliner interaction can be further broken into participation-activating interaction and value-enhancing interaction. Both of which eventually lead to the improvement of customer value.     

Investigating the service brand: A customer value perspective

Despite considerable interest in the nature and role of marketing using a service perspective [Vargo S., Lusch R. Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. J Mark 2004; 68 (1): 1-17] there is limited research about branding. Research to date tends to be qualitative [e.g., Berry L. Cultivating service brand equity. J Acad Mark Sci 2000; 28: 128-137; de Chernatony L., Segal-Horn S. The criteria for successful services brands. Eur J Mark 2003; 37 (7/8): 1095-1118] rather than quantitative. This research closes this gap by developing and testing a theory of the influence of the service brand on the customer value-loyalty process. The model includes the traditional influence of brand image plus three additional influences that more fully reflect the broader service perspective (company image, employee trust, and company trust). Using survey data of a sample of 552 airline customers, the analysis shows there is a direct influence of all the aspects of the brand on customers' perceptions of value. In addition brand image, company image and employee trust have a mediated influence on customer value through customers' perceptions of service quality. Finally the analysis shows that a service brand does not have a direct influence on customer loyalty but rather its influence is mediated through customer value. This paper concludes with a discussion of the managerial and research implications.     

The moderating role of switching barriers on customer loyalty in the life insurance industry

In recent service management literature, researchers have incorporated switching barriers as an important potential influential factor on customer loyalty and found that the impact of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty might vary under different switching barrier conditions. However, switching barriers and their importance in the life insurance service contexts have received little in-depth attention. This study aims to examine the impact of switching barriers as a potential moderator on the complex interrelationships among the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction in the life insurance service context. The main findings of this study show that the switching barriers do have a moderating effect and play a crucial role in winning customer loyalty.