Is Total Trust Possible?

Abstract

Customers are passionately loyal about doing business with sellers who can always be trusted to act in their best interest over time. This research tries to identify how to develop a total trust relationship. The core antecedents behind this total-trust relationship are reciprocal responsiveness, shared understanding, personal disclosure, customization and cooperative concern. We examine how these antecedents affect satisfaction and trust en route to affecting loyalty. Based on data from insurance services, we empirically test and substantiate the roles of these antecedents in building loyalty. A total-trust framework incorporating services effectiveness and functional efficiency is proposed. Managerial implications and directions for future research are also given.