Retrospective: service failure and loyalty: an exploratory empirical study of airline customers

Purpose This paper aims to reflect on the paper “Service failure and loyalty: an exploratory empirical study of airline customers” published 18 years ago. It positions it in the evolving literature on relationship marketing and suggests directions for further research and developments in the area. Design/methodology/approach A review of key contributions of the paper to the study of relationship marketing and the effects of service failures on relationships identifies emerging strands of research. Findings The concept of a “relationship lifecycle” is now widely used in marketing for identifying customer segments. Different points in the lifecycle are associated with differing sets of relationship expectations and levels of tolerance to service failure. Customer relationship management has tended to morph into customer experience management where principles of relationship lifecycles have been applied to mapping customer “journeys” through a service process. Practical implications The original study informed practices of managing relationship expectations and handling failed expectations, depending on a customer’s length of relationship with a company. Although relationship marketing was originally conceived as an integrator of marketing cues, its emphasis on cognitive evaluations may have been too limiting and customer experience management has since introduced additional affective dimensions. Originality/value The original paper had been widely cited and generated discussion and important further research. It has value as part of the emerging landscape of services marketing research. This retrospective analysis locates this historical development with reference to currently popular issues of customer experience management

Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets

Edited by two experts in the fields of business and marketing, Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets is designed to help you build Internet relationships that lead to customer retention and long-term loyalty. With this book, you will be able to offer customers the benefits they seek in the virtual marketplace and serve their best interests. Examining Web sites, e-mail, data mining, and other technology, this valuable tool can help you attract and keep the customers who will be the most profitable for your business. Despite many predictions that electronic marketing would create high profits for lower costs, many businesses have been discouraged by low yields due to ineffectual methods of obtaining and maintaining customers. Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets provides multiple frameworks, strategies, and techniques around which to organize your company’s electronic marketing plans. It shows you how to calculate trends, predict customer loss and gain, and prevent dissolution through analysis of the customer’s ever-changing needs. This volume also utilizes examples of real successful companies that have used the Internet to the fullest extent, like Staples, Dell, and Amazon.com. Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets is an excellent resource for individuals engaged in any aspect of business relationships, from customer service managers, consultants and corporate trainers in marketing, to owners of major corporations, online businesses and entrepreneurs, and students in the field. Specifically, you will gain information on the following: business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) exchanges—similarities, differences, and how the Internet has changed these relationships the prospects of the Internet for marketing and customer relationships—predictions, positive effects, and negative effects from its inception to today how to develop and maintain a loyal customer base via the Internet improving B2B exchanges and business buyer relationship management through seamless Internet integration how to create a Web site that satisfies loyal customers and draws in new customers Featuring several charts, tables, and graphs, this guide provides effective measures that you can institute to ensure your company’s longevity. Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets will help you create marketing strategies that will successfully meet the needs of your customers and enhance your business reputation

Developing Relationship Equity in International Markets

One fundamental premise driving relationship marketing theory and practice is that a firm's relationships with its customers enhances their satisfaction and loyalty to the firm and that such loyalty contributes to higher profitability for the firm. We label the outcome of relationship marketing strategies as relationship equity and using extant research from the U.S. and Europe, we suggest strategies for enhancing relationship equity in international markets. We suggest that relationship equity can be developed through both personal relationships and consistent processes and outcomes. We visit core assumptions of relationship equity in the context of international markets and advocate that relationship marketing strategy needs to be conceptualized and executed differently in different countries. We also offer specific implications for relationship marketing theory and practice in international markets

Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets

SUMMARY. Customer relationship management, or CRM, has found increased attention in both the academic and managerial worlds of marketing in recent years. While the Internet has greatly enabled the application of CRM in fostering loyal customers, the preliminary results on the effectiveness and efficiency of technology-based CRM has been far from discouraging. The authors identify various contentious issues behind the various key concepts of relationship management and identify several areas that deserve closer academic scrutiny and managerial inspection. The paper also comments on the extent to which Internet technology can brin

Issues and perspectives in global customer relationship management

Over the past few decades, cross-border business has experienced unparalleled growth. This growth is due to advances in communication and information technologies, privatization and deregulation in emerging economies, and emergence of the global consumer. As the era of globalization continues to manifest through the emergence of global companies, the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) in these companies has become increasingly significant. Global CRM (GCRM) is the strategic application of the processes and practices of CRM by firms operating in multiple countries or by firms serving customers who span multiple countries, which incorporates relevant differences in business practices, competition, regulatory characteristics, country characteristics, and consumer characteristics to CRM strategies to maximize customer value across the global customer portfolio of the firm. In this article, the authors present an overview of the GCRM environment and the challenges in formulation and implementation of CRM across national boundaries as a source of sustained advantage. The authors also provide a conceptual framework for GCRM and recommendations for future research in Global CRM