Customer Retention: With Special Reference to Telecommunication Industry in Sri Lanka
K. A. Silva
Lanka Com Services (Pvt) Limited, Colombo, Sri Lanka
S. T. W. S. Yapa
Department of Decision sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura,
Nugegoda, Sri Lanka samanyapa@sjp.ac.lk ABSTRACT
The landscape of the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka has been changed drastically since the deregulation of telecommunication sector in early 1990s. Number of service providers has been increased from one, i.e state monopoly, to more than 70 within a short period of time. With the increased competition telecom service providers find it difficult to retain the existing customers. In that context the objective of this research explanatory
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The relationship is seen as mediated by social norms and situational factors. Cognitive, affective, and conative antecedents of relative attitude are identified as contributing to loyalty, along with motivational, perceptual, and behavioural consequences ( Dick and Basu , 1994).
In the customer centred business, survival remains to the degree that customer satisfaction is met. Previous research studies have shows that the repurchase intent was the main benefit of customer retention. However, some had identified multiple benefits like repurchase intent, price tolerance, willingness to recommend etc. In reaching retention, vendors should manage satisfaction and consequences of Customer Loyalty (Naranyandas, 1998). Loyalty too has a pyramid effect that suggests of having hierarchy in loyalty levels between customer and vendor. Change in loyalty level will manifest itself in the presence of specific attitude and behaviour (Aaker, 1991).
Customer loyalty and satisfaction are integral part of customer retention process. Customer Retention is a primary measure of loyalty. There is a positive relationship between changes in satisfaction and share of wallet. In particular, the initial satisfaction level and the conditional percentage of change in satisfaction significantly correspond to changes in share of wallet. Income and length of the relationship negatively
The company knows the demands of the customers and they are well orientated in the service and the knowledge of the products and this is the element that makes them prosperous. Jean’s Rare Find Books belief in customer service and satisfaction enables a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere and in return produces a strong customer loyalty for the company. Customer satisfaction and customer retention externally and internally is measured by the perspective of the customers and thus implements the reason for the company’s prosperity. Customer perspective is a key factor on how the customer views the company.
Retention is a reflection of a customer’s willingness to remain with a particular company’s service or products and is useful to measure customer loyalty. The relationship
This literature review explores the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and how do these theories affect businesses in hospitality industry. Hence, there are many researchers that have studied about these two concepts that will help people to better understand about the two theories.
Many marketers agree that by reducing customer’s to competitors defection by only 5 per cent, companies can improve profits by anywhere from 25 per cent to 95 per cent. There is no question this will be a great advantage and could benefit any retailer. It is for this very reason why consumer’s relationship marketing and using tools such as loyalty scheme is
Customer loyalty is much harder to obtain that customer service satisfaction. The most important first step is to satisfy the customer by meeting their expectations. Customers only give a company one chance and if they aren’t satisfied they will not do business with that company again, as well as tell others of their experience. The next step would be to exceed the customer’s expectations. If a business goes above and beyond to assist the customer they begin to build loyalty. The next step is to truly surprise the customer. In order to dominate the marketplace the company must find a way to make them selves stand out with their product or service, accompanied with phenomenal customer service. Once this has been done customer satisfaction and loyalty will be gained. “Acquiring a new customer can cost four or five times more than keeping a current customer” (Bestmark, 2013). So it’s essential to keep the current customer’s happy and coming back for more.
As indicated by previous studies on satisfaction and loyalty are partitioned into three classes. The principal classification is gotten from administration and study on the satisfaction and loyalty relationship is performed by and large and in hierarchical level. Fulfilment is the foundation of faithfulness that effects on authoritative gainfulness. The second classification has focused on individual level and has examined keeping up client in light of second time purchasing aim. These variables have a critical disappointment in view of the current distinction between one's longing and his/her conduct. The second class asserts that dedication is influenced by fulfilment regardless of the fact that their relationship is not coherent. The third
1. How can companies deliver customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty? 2. What is the lifetime value of a customer, and why is it important to marketers? 3. How can companies cultivate strong customer relationships? 4. What is the role of database marketing in customer relationship management?
The main objective of retention is to continue ongoing relationships with customers. Brand loyalty is considered difficult to measure. So, experts generally use customer engagement as an effective indicator of loyalty.
It is imperative to satisfy customers and give them an amazing experience at the company. While it cost less to sell to existing customers and companies can increase profit by selling to the same customers; if customers are satisfied, there is more chance they will come back for more services or products. Satisfied customers are a free marketing for the company. However, it is the opposite if customers are dissatisfied. Dissatisfied customer will tell 8 to 10 people about his or her experience (O’Brien, A & Marakas, G. 2004). If by any reason, representatives see that the customer is not satisfy, they should act fast and fix the problem. Furthermore, there is more chance for sale representatives to sell to an existing customer that to a new customer. A good strategy for customer retention is to reward good customers. Companies can easily do
Similarly, Molinari, Abratt, and Dion (2008) assert that there is a direct and strong link between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty behavior. If the customers enjoy the product or service, they will not be bothered to become loyal to the company. In other words, high levels of satisfaction commonly occur when the customer is delighted or happy with either the products or services provided by a business supplier. As Caceres and Paparoidamis (2005) state, customer satisfaction levels are determined and influenced by many elements. For example, it is commonly admitted that the customers will naturally repeatedly return to the company when things are done right, or in other words, business service companies successfully meet the customer’s expectation (Gil-Saura, et. al., 2009). Furthermore, increases in satisfaction could result to increase customer loyalty. A business enterprise, which could address the elements moderating the level of satisfaction of customers, probably would reach the higher level of loyalty. In other words, customer satisfaction is likely to improve customer loyalty in general.
In order to operate a successful and profitable business, certain strategies must be put in place. One very important strategy is customer relationship management. To ensure that every customer has the opportunity to receive exceptional customer service and the ability to become a loyal customer, an organization must follow these steps. First, the organization must evaluate their current customer service strategies and organizational goals. This will help decipher strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Once the organization’s weaknesses are determined, action must be taken immediately. The weaknesses should act as opportunities, while the strengths can be used as something to capitalize off of. If an organization lacks a loyalty program, their next step would be to design one that correlates with their business model and organization goals. Once an organization redesigns their customer service strategies and customer loyalty programs, they will need to accurately apply metrics to successfully measure the value of the changes being made.
In order to build and sustain a competitive edge, service organization need to strive to maintain a superior quality of services in an effort to gain customer loyalty, hence improving customer retention rates.(Kadampully,1998)
Loyal customers are excessively important to any business, and businesses spend great amount of their time, energy and money analyzing and captivate those customers. However, the usual definition of a loyal customer that we consider is a high spending customer, and that definition is imperfect. Marketing to customers — based on true loyalty — requires more: complicated measurement, better spend data, and considering that a regular customer is not the same as a loyal customer.
Many companies today have come to the conclusion that customer loyalty is not effortlessly achieved since customers have so many options and alternative to choose from. Customers are the decision makers of where and when to shop. The research in this chapter will focus on what factors or elements impact customer’s loyalty. According to Harvey Thompson (2004), there are numerous factors that influence customer’s loyalty. One of these factors is the price of the products rather than the perception of value. Another factor is the attribute of the product and how well it caters to the customers wants and needs. Service is another element in which the customer measures their experience and evaluates whether they
The term “Brand Loyalty” also called as “Customer Loyalty” has been in the business industry since a very long time as a model to be used in conducting business. But it wasn’t until the mid to late 1900’s that the term was actually given its due importance by making it a vital part of advertising and marketing. The concept of marketing evolved substantially from being focused on sales of a product to having Customer satisfaction to be its focal point. Studies further revealed that there was a positive correlation between customer satisfaction and Brand Loyalty.