Exploring the role of service touchpoints on the path to financial, behavioral and relational customer outcomes: insights from a B2B service context
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 20 December 2021
Issue publication date: 15 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how and to what extent customer-provider service touchpoints impact business customer perceptions and outcomes in the context of long-term business-to-business (B2B) service relationships. To this end, the authors will assess the chain of effect path for different service touchpoints between business customers and service providers – and the long-term impact both on customer perceptions and financial, behavioral and relational outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Enabled by a five-year panel data set, seemingly unrelated regression model methodology is applied to test the proposed conceptual framework. Data are obtained for a sample of 2,175 B2B insurance service companies between 2013 and 2017.
Findings
Study results shed light on the significance of the sales force in B2B settings, as one of several key service touchpoints – together with firm expertise, service reliability and excellence – driving robust relationships, profitability and cross-buying. Firm-initiated contacts and tangible touchpoints are proven to be ineffective – even damaging in some instances – in terms of driving business customer perceptions.
Originality/value
The paper delivers empirical evidence providing insight on how service touchpoints and business customer perceptions have a long-term impact on customer outcomes. This has yet to be addressed in B2B service settings – despite being of vital interest to marketers, as the longitudinal approach of the research aids service firms in gaining a better understanding of company-customer touchpoints and the extent to which different factors have a decisive, lasting impact on B2B customer outcomes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate the financial support received from the projects ECO2017-83993-P (MICINN, FEDER), SS54_17R (Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo) and the grant “Ayuda para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores, del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades” (PRE2018-085652) assigned to Andreea Trifu. Lily (Xuehui) Gao, Iguácel Melero-Polo and Andreea Trifu are members of the research group Generés (http://generes.unizar.es/en/).
Citation
Gao, L.(X)., Melero-Polo, I., Ruz-Mendoza, M.Á. and Trifu, A. (2022), "Exploring the role of service touchpoints on the path to financial, behavioral and relational customer outcomes: insights from a B2B service context", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 37 No. 11, pp. 2260-2277. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-02-2021-0100
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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