Multichannel Service Relationships

The emergence of multichannel service delivery has important implications for the management of service relationships. The research presented in this book probes the nature of multichannel service relationships by examining how the drivers of good service and customer loyalty vary between the online and offline channels. The research confirms that customer-relationship management theory is well supported in both the online and offline contexts, providing general support for a chain of impact in which effective service will enhance the quality of the firm-customer relationship, and thereby increase loyalty perceptions of a customer. The research does, however, reveal some interesting insights into how the service delivery channel influences the interpretation of, and interplay between, the key constructs of service quality, relationship quality, and customer loyalty.