Managing overall service quality in customer care centers

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to clarify the interdependencies among three main stakeholder groups and to show how to manage overall service quality in customer care centers. Design/methodology/approach -A framework of the relations among the target groups of a customer care center was developed. A survey methodology with a 3608 approach that encompasses top management, employees and final customers as three main target groups was conducted. The sample incorporates 58 customer care centers and seven industries in Germany and Austria. Besides the management interviews, we received 1,580 completed questionnaires by employees, and 2,010 completed questionnaires by customers. Multiple regression analysis was applied on multi-item measurement scales of the three different levels. Findings -We were able to show that employee satisfaction is the main factor for driving customer orientation. Further management efforts resulting in employee orientation will facilitate the job of employees and increase employee loyalty. Research limitations/implications -Only 16 customer care centers participated in all three parts of the study. Practical implications -Companies should consider the needs of their employees and possibly initiate measures to foster employee satisfaction. A strict quality orientation could signal a low level of trust toward the employees. It is essential that firms invest in their employees and apply an employee-oriented management style. Originality/value -The study encompasses three relevant stakeholder groups on a broad empirical base, which is unique until now in the research field of customer care centers. Interdependencies among the three perspectives could be revealed.

Customer Care Service Management is Moving Forward to Achieve Sustainable Customer Retention in Every Industry. Does it play a Role to Increase Brand Retention?

“…Following Kantsperger and Kunz (2005), CC or CU (current clients) brand retention is a strategy of outer promoting to hold current market share and settling on adequate decisions with the goal that competitors don't outdo them by any means. In other words, long term premise CC or CU brand retention is chiefly setting up hierarchical advertising and operational exercises to retain CC or CU and make them multi-buy purchasers (Munusamy et al, 2010).…”

“…MOs provide needs based customer care service to retain CC or CU long term (faithful customer status). CC service refers to creating brand retention or expanding purchasing propensity at a similar brand for the long term (Kantsperger and Kunz, 2005). 1 shows a diagram of our assumption regarding the correlation between brand retention and the actual customer care service quality delivery system.…”

“…In every industry, customer care service is becoming a sustainable strategic choice since the seventeenth century (Kantsperger and Kunz, 2005). Enhancing their competitive advantage, lots of companies have started developing and introducing innovative green services instead of offering regular things already available in the market.…”

“…Enhancing their competitive advantage, lots of companies have started developing and introducing innovative green services instead of offering regular things already available in the market. Having such activities dramatically increases the retention level of the final consumer through customer care and therefore the company achieves a sustainable financial stability (Kantsperger and Kunz, 2005). The expectations of the final consumer can remain the same or change in their next purchase decision or consumption because of the satisfaction gained from the last time they purchased services or goods (Lewis and Mitchell, 1990).…”

The mediating effects of first call resolution on call centers’ performance

“…Importantly, knowledge management is an effi cient means of assisting companies ' ability to learn from each customer interaction. 4,6,23 Within the customer contact centers, knowledge management has been consistently argued as a good means of gathering customer information, specifi cally information on personal and transactional data such as complaints, enquiries, claims feedbacks and so on. 24 On the whole, knowledge management in contact center industry is said to require a culture where every customer contact is perceived as a learning skill and each customer interaction as a chance to knowledge building and an opportunity to collect latest information about the customer.…”