Firms in the service industry have experienced a 15-30% drop in customer satisfaction ratings and an estimated $10 billion annually due to the unpredictable tendencies of one of the most significant and fastest growing consumer segments in the marketplace, Generation Y customers. The distinctive behavior of this sizeable generational cohort may be reshaping the business landscape of the 21st century regarding how consumers will relate to service providers in the future. Using the theory of customer satisfaction management system, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the customer satisfaction strategies that business leaders in southern Nigeria use to retain Generation Y customers. The participants included business leaders who have successfully retained Generation Y customers by applying customer satisfaction business strategies in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. The data were collected through semistructured one-on-one interviews with 3 business leaders from different sectors of the service industry. To enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretations, methodological triangulation of the data sources and member checking were used. The process of data analysis included word frequency analysis, coding of related phrases, identification of patterns, and generation of themes around the codes. The themes that emerged from the study were (a) positive brand image creation, (b) social media as an enabler, and (c) quality service and timely delivery. This study may create awareness for business leaders on how to satisfy and retain Generation Y customers. This awareness has the potential of promoting positive social change among business leaders because of the significant contribution profitable businesses bring to the societies and communities.

Background: Robotic lawnmowers are autonomous outdoor mobile robots designed to mow the lawn autonomously. The robotic lawnmower market is rapidly growing and constantly developing. However, adopting robotic lawnmowers on golf courses has been relatively slow due to concerns about game interference, job displacement, and hesitations towards new technology. Factors that caused new challenges for providers in the industry regarding understanding and managing the expectations of professional customers in implementing this technology.    Purpose: Establish how professional golf customers' expectations evolve throughout the customer purchase journey of robotic lawnmowers.    Method: The study is based on the interpretivism paradigm and follows inductive reasoning. By using semi-structured interviews following a purposive sampling approach, qualitative data was created, and an exploratory case study was conducted.    Conclusion: The research developed the current literature on customer purchase journeys and established how customer expectations evolve throughout the journey. Several vital touchpoints were detected, and the study suggests that the customer purchase journey of robotic lawnmowers for professional golf customers has four critical phases: Pre-Purchase, Purchase, Handover, and Post-Purchase. In addition, the findings shed light on how customers' expectations in the purchase journey influenced expectations regarding providers' strategic decision-making.

Sammanfattning  Titel: Hur kan IKEA Family utvecklas för att skapa ökad kundlojalitet?   Datum: 2022-06-03  Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp   Författare: Johanna Lundh och Flora Trast  Handledare: Anders Parment  Sökord: IKEA Family, IKEA, kundlojalitet, kundklubb, kundnöjdhet, kundengagemang  Problemformulering: Denna uppsats ämnar undersöka om det finns potentiella brister inom IKEA Family, vilka dessa brister är samt vilken förbättringspotential det finns för IKEA Family för att generera högre kundlojalitet.   Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka kunskapen om hur IKEA Family bör vara utformad utifrån ett kundlojalitetsperspektiv, samt om det finns några specifika förmåner och möjliga förbättringspunkter som är avgörande för att medlemmarna ska vara lojala. Dessutom kommer det undersökas vilka förmåner kundklubbsmedlemmar anser är avgörande för en väl fungerande kundklubb.  Teori: Teorikapitlet behandlar teorier inom kundlojalitet, kundklubbar, kundnöjdhet, kundengagemang, relationsmarknadsföring och Word of mouth.   Metod: Uppsatsen är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med strukturerade intervjuer. Angreppssättet är abduktiv och forskningsdesignen som har används är en fallstudie då det är ett enskilt företag som undersöks.   Slutsatser: IKEA Familys medlemmarna efterfrågar fler förmåner i form av rabatter och andra erbjudanden som inte erbjuds av kundklubben idag. De förmåner som efterfrågas är främst personliga erbjudanden, rabatter och bonusar. Utöver detta visar denna studie på en avsaknad av kommunikation, där en ökad kommunikation krävs för att medlemmarna ska bli mer engagerade i IKEA Family och på så sätt skapa högre kundlojalitet. Det som bör utvecklas inom IKEA Family är att utöka förmånspaketet till medlemmarna. Det är således dessa förmåner som anses vara avgörande för en välfungerande kundklubb med lojala medlemmar. / Abstract  Title: How can IKEA Family be developed to create increased customer loyalty?   Date: 2022-06-03  Academic level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 credits   Authors: Johanna Lundh and Flora Trast  Supervisor: Anders Parment  Keywords: IKEA, IKEA Family, customer loyalty, customer clubs, customer satisfaction, customer engagement  Problematization: This study aims to investigate potential shortcomings within IKEA Family and what potential for improvement there is for IKEA to generate higher customer loyalty.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about how IKEA Family should be designed from a customer loyalty perspective, and if there are any specific benefits and possible points of improvement which are crucial for the members to be loyal. In addition, it will be investigated which benefits customer club members consider to be crucial for a well-functioning customer club.   Theories: The theories used in this research are within the fields of customer loyalty, customer clubs, customer satisfaction, customer engagement, relationship marketing and Word of mouth.   Method: This study is based on a qualitative research strategy with structured interviews. The research approach is abductive and the research design is a case study.   Conclusions: The members of IKEA Family request more benefits, in the form of discounts and other benefits that are not offered by IKEA Family today. The benefits requested are mainly personal benefits, discounts and bonuses. In addition, this study shows a lack of communication. This is required for members to become more engaged in the customer club and thus create higher customer loyalty. Therefore, IKEA Family should expand their benefit package for members. These benefits are thus the benefits that are considered crucial for a well-functioning customer club with loyal members.

Att utveckla bra relationer med sina kunder är en avgörande faktor för ett företags framgång. Deinteraktioner med företaget som kunden gör kan ses som en resa där bland annat framgångsfaktorernakommunikation, transparens och intern kompetens är väsentliga för en stor kundnöjdhet. Det är mångaföretag idag som utesluter det ena eller det andre på bekostnad av kundnöjdheten.Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats i informatik är att identifiera och beskriva framgångsfaktorer för enförbättrad relation mellan kund och företag samt hur ett CRM-system fungerar som möjliggörare medutgångspunkt i ett kundreseperspektiv. Metoden för denna uppsats är fallstudiemetoden, dåundersökningen gäller en viss situation och unika processer hos det valda fallföretaget. För att fångaspecifika erfarenheter och uppfattningar för fallet, så har semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts.De viktigaste slutsatserna från denna studie är att relationen mellan kund och företag utifrånett kundreseperspektiv bör ses utifrån hur både kunden och företaget upplever det. Båda parternasgrundtankar överensstämmer i hög grad gällande kundens resa, såsom att det finns beröringspunktersom är väsentlig för kundnöjdhet. Det som detta bidrar till är att öka en förståelse för vad som faktisktupplevs värdefullt i en relation mellan kund och företag. Framgångsfaktorerna kunnig personal,kundinformationshantering, att ta hand om kundens förväntningar, kommunikation och transparensoch stöd från ledningen, är alla framgångsfaktorer som hör till kundresans olika faser och bidrar till ennöjd kund. Slutligen har stödfunktioner hos ett CRM-system identifierats för varje fas i kundresan:fördefinierade frågor till kunden, stötta kundsupport, prioritera och hantera ärenden och förmedlaersättningsbeslut till kunden.

In the increasingly competitive world of retail banking, organizations are focusing their attention on customer service as a means of increasing customer loyalty and retention. With this goal of increasing customer retention, the link between the attitudes of the service provider (employee satisfaction), the customer interaction behaviors that those attitudes lead to (customer service quality), and the attitudes that those behaviors generate in the customer (customer satisfaction) has become an increasingly important area of investigation. The goal of this research is to analyze the relationships that exist between these three variables: employee satisfaction, customer service quality, and customer satisfaction in a mid-sized retail bank. Data from three separate surveys collected during the same time period in 137 branches of a regional bank are analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine whether relationships and interactions exist at a banking center level. While results of the analyses did not show a significant relationship between the variables, issues relevant to this determination are discussed and conclusions drawn regarding the nature of these constructs.

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No description available.

Previous research has indicated the prevalence of customer violence towards workers in the service sector, but few studies have looked at the impacts of this violence for LGBTQ2S+ workers. Drawing from survey results (n=208) and interviews (n=11) with LGBTQ2S+ service sector workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario, this thesis explores the rates and experiences of customer violence for these workers, using chi-square analyses to identify relationships between customer violence and independent variables related to workers’ identity and workplace. Further analysis was conducted on qualitative interview data to understand how this violence was experienced, as well as how workers resisted and perceived management’s response. Customer violence was found to be widespread among survey and interview participants, with participants who were racialized as non-white, union members, and in precarious work situations reporting higher levels of violence. Interviews also showed how participants often resisted customer violence through individual means, and perceived support from management to be lacking and contingent upon economic motivations. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / This project explores the rates and experiences of customer violence against service sector workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario, using data drawn from a survey and interviews. Customer violence was found to be common in the sample, and rates of violence were higher for participants who were racialized as non-white, members of a union, and in precarious work situations. Interviews showed how participants often resisted customer violence individually as opposed to with co-workers, and perceived support from management to be lacking and determined by economic considerations.

The rapid advancement in technology-based systems, especially those related to the Internet and World Wide Web, has led to fundamental changes in how banks interact with customers. These developments have propelled banks to be innovative and use alternative delivery channels such as electronic banking with a view to attract more customers, create value for customers, enhance customer satisfaction and ultimately obtain customer loyalty. Within the South African context, a gap in research was identified that dealt with the conceptualisation and measurement of electronic banking service quality. Furthermore, no single empirical or conceptual study could be found that put up the four constructs identified in this study that tested the causal relationships of these constructs. Against this backdrop, the study‘s principal objective was to develop and validate a measuring scale of electronic banking service quality for the South African banking sector. The study also sought to determine the causal relationships amongst the four constructs of the study, namely electronic banking service quality, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. To address these research objectives, the study applied a two-phase design in conducting the research in an effort of enhancing and maximising the outcome of this research endeavour. Phase I of this study comprised a literature review and focus group interviews (qualitative research). An extensive literature review was conducted as an inductive method to build the theoretical foundation of the study, generate the initial pool of items, and define and conceptualise the constructs. Using a deductive method, the focus group interviews were used to generate original items for the development of the scale. Phase II of the study comprised scale refinement and validation of the scale through various interactive statistical applications such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) (quantitative method). Using an exploratory factor analysis, eight determinant dimensions were extracted that constitute electronic banking service quality (EBSQ). These dimensions in accordance of their importance are reliability, system availability, privacy and security, website aesthetics, ease of use, functionality, efficiency, and contact and responsiveness. The Pearson‘s correlation coefficient between each of the eight dimensions and EBSQ was above 0.6 at p<0.01 level of significance showing practical significance. Similarly, the Pearson‘s correlation coefficient among the four constructs, namely EBSQ, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, revealed that there are evidence positive linear correlations among these constructs. T-test statistics and non-parametric correlations were computed to determine the influence of demographic variables such as gender, age, education and income on the perceptions of customers of electronic banking service quality dimensions, electronic banking service quality as a whole, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Employing comprehensive and best practice (inductive and deductive research methods), a measuring scale has been developed and validated for the South African banking sector (primary objective of this study). The purification and validation of the scale involved rigorous statistical methods including exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis through structural equation modelling (SEM) to ensure the reliability, validity and robustness of the scale. Moreover, the study endeavoured to contribute to the theoretical conceptualisation of electronic banking service quality (EBSQ), which is a relatively new concept in South Africa, and indeed, globally. Eight dimensions of EBSQ have identified and operational definition provided for. The dimensions identified in this research can be used to better understand EBSQ, and to measure and improve service quality levels in the banking sector. Ultimately, a model has been proposed providing South African banks with an instrument to measure, manage, and improve their electronic banking service quality. The model has established the building blocks of electronic banking service quality by identifying the main dimensions or attributes of electronic banking service quality that can be used to improve service quality levels. Furthermore, the study determined the causal relationships among four constructs, namely (I) electronic banking service quality (EBSQ), (II) customer value, (III) customer satisfaction and (IV) customer loyalty through regression path estimates (coefficients), mediation analysis and standardised regression weights. Understanding the intricate relationships among these constructs will definitely enhance the banks‘ approach to customer relationship management (CRM) in this digital era in their quest to provide quality services and devise appropriate customer service solutions. In light of the findings of this research, several managerial implications and recommendations are offered. Amongst others, the research revealed that reliability, privacy and security are the top concerns customers have with regard to electronic banking. Therefore, it is recommended that banks invest in the robustness of the websites for banking transactions by using cutting-edge technology to protect their customers from illicit criminal activity, as security and trust are of crucial importance to customers when engaging in online transactions. The sample size (310) used in this research is consistent with previously developed and validated scales and sufficiently meets the requirements of sample adequacy for the study of this nature. Using the scale developed and validated in this study, future research endeavours are recommended to use a bigger sample size to test the robustness of this scale, and obtain more exact and organisation-specific customer perceptions of electronic banking services. It may be worthwhile for future studies to consider developing a measuring instrument from a different perspective, that is, from other customer groups, namely internal customers (employees) of the banks. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.

The rapid advancement in technology-based systems, especially those related to the Internet and World Wide Web, has led to fundamental changes in how banks interact with customers. These developments have propelled banks to be innovative and use alternative delivery channels such as electronic banking with a view to attract more customers, create value for customers, enhance customer satisfaction and ultimately obtain customer loyalty. Within the South African context, a gap in research was identified that dealt with the conceptualisation and measurement of electronic banking service quality. Furthermore, no single empirical or conceptual study could be found that put up the four constructs identified in this study that tested the causal relationships of these constructs. Against this backdrop, the study‘s principal objective was to develop and validate a measuring scale of electronic banking service quality for the South African banking sector. The study also sought to determine the causal relationships amongst the four constructs of the study, namely electronic banking service quality, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. To address these research objectives, the study applied a two-phase design in conducting the research in an effort of enhancing and maximising the outcome of this research endeavour. Phase I of this study comprised a literature review and focus group interviews (qualitative research). An extensive literature review was conducted as an inductive method to build the theoretical foundation of the study, generate the initial pool of items, and define and conceptualise the constructs. Using a deductive method, the focus group interviews were used to generate original items for the development of the scale. Phase II of the study comprised scale refinement and validation of the scale through various interactive statistical applications such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) (quantitative method). Using an exploratory factor analysis, eight determinant dimensions were extracted that constitute electronic banking service quality (EBSQ). These dimensions in accordance of their importance are reliability, system availability, privacy and security, website aesthetics, ease of use, functionality, efficiency, and contact and responsiveness. The Pearson‘s correlation coefficient between each of the eight dimensions and EBSQ was above 0.6 at p<0.01 level of significance showing practical significance. Similarly, the Pearson‘s correlation coefficient among the four constructs, namely EBSQ, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, revealed that there are evidence positive linear correlations among these constructs. T-test statistics and non-parametric correlations were computed to determine the influence of demographic variables such as gender, age, education and income on the perceptions of customers of electronic banking service quality dimensions, electronic banking service quality as a whole, customer value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Employing comprehensive and best practice (inductive and deductive research methods), a measuring scale has been developed and validated for the South African banking sector (primary objective of this study). The purification and validation of the scale involved rigorous statistical methods including exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis through structural equation modelling (SEM) to ensure the reliability, validity and robustness of the scale. Moreover, the study endeavoured to contribute to the theoretical conceptualisation of electronic banking service quality (EBSQ), which is a relatively new concept in South Africa, and indeed, globally. Eight dimensions of EBSQ have identified and operational definition provided for. The dimensions identified in this research can be used to better understand EBSQ, and to measure and improve service quality levels in the banking sector. Ultimately, a model has been proposed providing South African banks with an instrument to measure, manage, and improve their electronic banking service quality. The model has established the building blocks of electronic banking service quality by identifying the main dimensions or attributes of electronic banking service quality that can be used to improve service quality levels. Furthermore, the study determined the causal relationships among four constructs, namely (I) electronic banking service quality (EBSQ), (II) customer value, (III) customer satisfaction and (IV) customer loyalty through regression path estimates (coefficients), mediation analysis and standardised regression weights. Understanding the intricate relationships among these constructs will definitely enhance the banks‘ approach to customer relationship management (CRM) in this digital era in their quest to provide quality services and devise appropriate customer service solutions. In light of the findings of this research, several managerial implications and recommendations are offered. Amongst others, the research revealed that reliability, privacy and security are the top concerns customers have with regard to electronic banking. Therefore, it is recommended that banks invest in the robustness of the websites for banking transactions by using cutting-edge technology to protect their customers from illicit criminal activity, as security and trust are of crucial importance to customers when engaging in online transactions. The sample size (310) used in this research is consistent with previously developed and validated scales and sufficiently meets the requirements of sample adequacy for the study of this nature. Using the scale developed and validated in this study, future research endeavours are recommended to use a bigger sample size to test the robustness of this scale, and obtain more exact and organisation-specific customer perceptions of electronic banking services. It may be worthwhile for future studies to consider developing a measuring instrument from a different perspective, that is, from other customer groups, namely internal customers (employees) of the banks. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.