The impact of involvement on key service relationships

Thomas L. Baker · J. Joseph Cronin · Christopher D. Hopkins

82 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Services Marketing

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Customer Service Quality and Loyalty Consumer Behavior and Marketing Influence Service and Product Innovation

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to report a study that focuses on the moderating role of involvement in the relationships between customer contact employees' customer orientation and service quality perceptions and satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 869 consumers is drawn from four different service providers, scale measures are validated via confirmatory factor analysis and a conceptual model is tested using non‐monotonic moderated regression analysis. Findings Higher levels of involvement lead to greater levels of consumer loyalty and a lower need for scarce marketing resources. Hence, involvement does play a significant moderating role; in most cases the relationships are stronger for consumers with higher involvement. Research limitations/implications Findings are generalizable only to the four industries investigated. Practical implications Relative to customers with low levels of involvement, managers must be sure to motivate their employees to work with customers to help solve their problems and thus enhance the level of involvement. Conversely, for highly involved customers, contact employees must be aware that they may not play as significant a role in the overall purchase experience as the consumer feels they (the consumer) are an “expert” relative to the products offered. In such cases, customer‐oriented employees' role is to be willing to play a supporting and less important role in a customer's purchase decision. Originality/value While many studies have investigated service quality and satisfaction, the research represents the first effort to determine whether the relationship between these two variables differs based on a consumer characteristic; in this case, involvement.

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References

1981Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error 2000Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments 1988An Updated Paradigm for Scale Development Incorporating Unidimensionality and Its Assessment 2010Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer 1980Heuristic versus systematic information processing and the use of source versus message cues in persuasion.1990Evaluating Service Encounters: The Effects of Physical Surroundings and Employee Responses 1990The Service Encounter: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents 1983Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement

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