Relational Benefits in Services Industries: The Customer's Perspective

A study examines the benefits customers receive as the result of engaging in long-term relational exchanges with service firms. Findings from 2 studies indicate that consumer relational benefits can be categorized into 3 distinct benefit types: confidence, social, and special treatment. Responses se...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 1998-04, Vol.26 (2), p.101-114
Main Authors: Gwinner, Kevin P, Gremler, Dwayne D, Bitner, Mary Jo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advantages
Brand loyalty
Consumer behavior
Consumers
Cost control
Customer relations
Customer services
Marketing
Service industries
Statistical analysis
Studies
Weight control
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:A study examines the benefits customers receive as the result of engaging in long-term relational exchanges with service firms. Findings from 2 studies indicate that consumer relational benefits can be categorized into 3 distinct benefit types: confidence, social, and special treatment. Responses segmented by type of service business show a consistent pattern with respect to customer rankings of benefit importance. Management implications for relational strategies and future research implications of the findings are discussed.
ISSN:0092-0703
1552-7824
DOI:10.1177/0092070398262002