Desenvolvimento e validação fatorial da Escala de Relacionamento com Clientes (ERC)

Abstract

rEsuMoConsiderando a importância do desenvolvimento do relacionamento entre as empresas e seus clientes, este trabalho tem por objetivo validar um instrumento científico capaz de mensurar tal relacionamento, destacando a satisfação e a lealdade como pressupostos para a sua construção e manutenção. A pesquisa, de natureza quantitativa, utilizou-se de Análise Fatorial Exploratória para a validação experimental do instrumento e de uma amostra de 627 clientes de diversas empresas. Os resultados encontrados mostram que a Escala de Relacionamento com o Cliente (ERC) possui uma estrutura unifatorial, explicando cerca de 64% da variância e com confiabilidade de 0,92 (α de Cronbach). O trabalho contribui com a produção científica nas áreas de marketing e afins, uma vez que a ERC pode ser utilizada em estudos diagnósticos e relacionais. Ademais, a contribuição do estudo estende-se à área organizacional, visto que o instrumento pode auxiliar gestores no sentido de incrementar o relacionamento que desenvolvem com seus clientes e melhorar os resultados organizacionais.palavras-chave Satisfação, lealdade, CRM, instrumentos de medida de relacionamento com clientes, marketing de relacionamento. AbSTRACT Considering the importance of developing the relationship between companies and customers, the objective of this study is to validate a scientific instrument capable of measuring such a relationship, emphasizing satisfaction and loyalty as assumptions for its construction and maintenance. This quantitative research used exploratory factor analysis for the experimental validation of the instrument and of a sample of 627 customers from various companies. The results show that the Customer Relationship Scale (CRS) has a one-factor structure, which explains about 64% of the variance, and a reliability rating of 0.92 (Cronbach's α). The work makes a contribution to scientific production in the areas of marketing and the like, since the CRS can be used in diagnostic and relational studies. The study's contribution also extends to the organizational area, given that the instrument may help managers build relationships with customers and improve organizational results.

Customer Relationship Management Scale for the Business-to-Consumer Market: Exploratory and Confirmatory Validation and Models Comparison

“…Thereafter, CRMS was validated through EFA (Rozzett & Demo, 2010a, 2010b. The results presented a one-factor instrument with 20 items (Rozzett & Demo, 2010a), namely the complete version, consistent with the literature review.…”

“…6, No. 11;Demo (2010a2010b; conducted to develop and validate the CRM scale, used as basis for this research.…”

“…Concerning CRM measures, we found some studies with scale validation that were mostly based in the works of Wilson and Vlosky (1997), Sin, Tse and Yim (2005), Agariya and Singh (2012a), and Rozzett and Demo (2010a;2010b; Finally, Rozzett and Demo (2010a;2010b; conducted three studies in Brazil to develop and validate a scale for the (B2C) market to assess customer's perception of relationship with companies in general. Three customized scales were adapted and validated based on Rozzett and Demo's scale: for amusement parks (Vasconcelos & Demo, 2012); for video-games (Batelli & Demo, 2012); and for beverages (Lopes & Demo, 2012).…”

“…The studies of the development and validation of the CRMS in Brazil (Rozzett & Demo, 2010a;2010b; were the basis for the validation in the US because it is the only one found on the literature addressed to the B2C market in general. Item generation of the CRMS validated in Brazil was based on a broad literature review regarding CRM (Ryals & Payne, 2001;Campbell, 2003;Zablah et al, 2004;Ngai, 2005;Payne, 2006;Wahlberg et al, 2009;Kumar et al, 2011), as well as on interviews with various customers from different organizations that highlighted the relevance of items concerning customers satisfaction and also loyalty intention as possibly predictors of a long-term relationship.…”

“…Considering both the strategic relevance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for organizations nowadays, and the lack of measuring scales customized for the business-to-consumer (B2C) market as well as the importance of validating a scale in different countries for improved generalizability, the main objective of this study is to validate the Customer Relationship Management Scale (CRMS) in the US, based on the previous CRM scales that Rozzett and Demo (2010a;2010b; developed and validated in Brazil. We found some CRM scales in the literature (e.g., Wilson & Vlosky, 1997;Sin, Tse & Yim, 2005;Öztaysi, Sezgin & Özok, 2011) but none focused on the customer's relationship marketing perception in the B2C market in general.…”