1 | 04-12-2019
Thesis defense
Customer Support Channels: Exploring Drivers and the
Relationship with Customers’ Satisfaction and Loyalty
Table of Contents
› Relevance › Theory › Conceptual Model › Methodology › Results Part A › Results Part B › Discussion › Managerial implicationsRelevance
›
Not much research has appeared yet about the drivers of channel selection in the post-purchase stage, although a lot is changing within customer support and the channels through which this is offered.Theory
›
Customers increasingly use new online channels in all phases of the customer journey: the pre-purchase phase, purchase phase but also in the post-purchase phase (Neslin & Shankar, 2009).›
In a time where various online support channels emerge and customers’ voice is increasing, companies realize that customer support is essential to assist their customers and differentiate from competitors (Parasuraman et al. 2005; Zeithaml, 2009).›
As a natural owner of a large part of the customer journey, customer support can provide invaluable insights (Lotz et al., 2018).›
What drives customers’ channel selection in the customer support context? (RQ1)Methodology
› Data
▪ Customer survey
▪ 1012 respondents (6,5%)
› Part A: Multinomial Logit Model 𝜋𝑖𝑗 𝑒𝑥𝑝(𝑋
′ 𝑖𝑗𝛽)
1+σ𝑘=1𝑛−1𝑒𝑥𝑝(𝑋′𝑖𝑘𝛽)
› Part B: Mediation Analysis
Results Part A
› Model (LL, R2, AIC) Likelihood ratio test
› Reference level ‘telephone’
› Significant parameters:
▪ Chat : Household married with kids
(β = 1,033; p-value = 0,036; odds = 2,808)
▪ Chat : Age
(β = -0,041;
Results Part B
› 𝑍𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 10,656
› 𝑍𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 3,889
› Significant at the
Discussion
Task complexity Online support channels
Gender (male) Online support channels
Education Online support channels
Age Online support channels
Household with kids Online support channels
Channel experience Firm and channel loyalty
-Managerial implications
› Chat
▪ …ease of use because of contact speed (Pieterson
& Van Dijk, 2007) and quickly, costless and effortless gathering of information (Chaparro-Peláez et al., 2016).
▪ …customers nowadays expect quick and effective
resolutions from service encounters (Zendesk, 2019).
▪ …personalization, social interactions and immediate
response can be ensured for low cost (Elmorshidy, 2013).
▪ Focus on younger aged segment with kids
› Satisfactory channel experience should be priority
Limitations and future research
› Exclusively focused on Ziggo customers (telecom)
› Omnichanneling
› Closing times
› Churn intention
› Situational factors
▪ Pphysical setting (weather)
▪ Temporal issues (time of the day, urgency) ▪ Antecedent stage (mood)
› Marketing activities
