TeliaSonera Finland’s new roaming service: how is it perceived by B2B customers, and how does it affect loyalty in the customer relationship?
Rantaniemi, Aleksi (2015)
Rantaniemi, Aleksi
2015
Kuvaus
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Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this research is to study if TeliaSonera’s new international roaming service “Exact” is a definitive aspect for B2B customers in choosing the services provider, and what is its effect on overall satisfaction and loyalty in the customer relationship. The research question is “How is the new roaming service perceived by B2B customers, and how does it affect loyalty in the customer relationship?”
Customer loyalty is divided into two approaches in this study, namely behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. The behavioral approach conceptualizes loyalty as repeat purchasing behavior and a calculative, non-affective state where repeat purchasing can stem from, for example, switching barriers such as lack of attractive alternatives or switching costs. The attitudinal approach, contrastingly, defines loyalty as a psychological state leading to the customer’s willingness to maintain the relationship as a result of, for example, the company’s relational strategy, attachment to the company or brand, or superior customer experience. Furthermore, these two loyalty constructs are affected by a number of drivers of loyalty, which are being studied in this thesis.
As a conclusion, it is found that the “Exact” service does in fact affect customer loyalty in a number of cases. However, despite having been a major factor for some customers’ loyalty, for the majority loyalty mostly stems from other factors, such as technical functionality in general or customer service. In the majority of cases loyalty was found to be more behavioral than attitudinal. Finally, in spite of the fact that for many the “Exact” service is not a primary source of loyalty, it is concluded that it is still a likely contributor to customer loyalty.
Customer loyalty is divided into two approaches in this study, namely behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. The behavioral approach conceptualizes loyalty as repeat purchasing behavior and a calculative, non-affective state where repeat purchasing can stem from, for example, switching barriers such as lack of attractive alternatives or switching costs. The attitudinal approach, contrastingly, defines loyalty as a psychological state leading to the customer’s willingness to maintain the relationship as a result of, for example, the company’s relational strategy, attachment to the company or brand, or superior customer experience. Furthermore, these two loyalty constructs are affected by a number of drivers of loyalty, which are being studied in this thesis.
As a conclusion, it is found that the “Exact” service does in fact affect customer loyalty in a number of cases. However, despite having been a major factor for some customers’ loyalty, for the majority loyalty mostly stems from other factors, such as technical functionality in general or customer service. In the majority of cases loyalty was found to be more behavioral than attitudinal. Finally, in spite of the fact that for many the “Exact” service is not a primary source of loyalty, it is concluded that it is still a likely contributor to customer loyalty.