Exploring the role of service touchpoints on the path to financial, behavioral and relational customer outcomes: insights from a B2B service context

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how and to what extent customer-provider service touchpoints impact business customer perceptions and outcomes in the context of long-term business-to-business (B2B) service relationships. To this end, the authors will assess the chain of effect path for different service touchpoints between business customers and service providers – and the long-term impact both on customer perceptions and financial, behavioral and relational outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Enabled by a five-year panel data set, seemingly unrelated regression model methodology is applied to test the proposed conceptual framework. Data are obtained for a sample of 2,175 B2B insurance service companies between 2013 and 2017. Findings Study results shed light on the significance of the sales force in B2B settings, as one of several key service touchpoints – together with firm expertise, service reliability and excellence – driving robust relationships, profitability and cross-buying. Firm-initiated contacts and tangible touchpoints are proven to be ineffective – even damaging in some instances – in terms of driving business customer perceptions. Originality/value The paper delivers empirical evidence providing insight on how service touchpoints and business customer perceptions have a long-term impact on customer outcomes. This has yet to be addressed in B2B service settings – despite being of vital interest to marketers, as the longitudinal approach of the research aids service firms in gaining a better understanding of company-customer touchpoints and the extent to which different factors have a decisive, lasting impact on B2B customer outcomes.

The View of IT-Consuming Firms on the Key Digital Service Capabilities of IT-Producing Firms

“…Another product capability, availability (H1b), for example, of security, different aspects of functioning, and mobile adaptation, has an effect on one aspect of digital performance, namely operational. Given that availability mainly refers to the functionality of e-commerce investments (Gansser et al, 2021;Gao et al, 2021;Rita et al, 2019;Wagner et al, 2020) and the understanding of how an organization is able to better conduct its operations (Chatterjee et al, 2021;Mithas et al, 2011), it is reasonable that availability directly affects only operational performance. In this case, the impact on financial and sales performance may arise indirectly and later through operational performance.…”

“…Further, service ability (H2a) was not considered equally remarkable, which challenges the results of previous studies (cf. Blut et al, 2015;Gao et al, 2021;P. L. Huang et al, 2019;Roth & Menor, 2003;Setia et al, 2013;Sousa & da Silveira, 2017;C.…”

“…These three subcategories are based on the original work of Lapierre (2000) and have been used by several previous studies (e.g., . Table 1 shows the contents of the subcategories based on several studies on the quality of products, services, and relationships (Blut et al, 2015;Gao et al, 2021;Gotzamani & Tzavlopoulos, 2009;E. Y. Huang et al, 2015;Oliveira & Roth, 2012;Parasuraman et al, 2005;Tzavlopoulos et al, 2019;Wagner et al, 2020;Zeithaml et al, 2002;R.…”

“…C. C. Yang et al (2009) studied service capability in logistics and concluded that the courtesy of sales representatives, as well as reliability and accuracy, are considered important attributes of logistics service capability. C. S. Yang (2016) considered that consuming firms value reliability, flexibility, and efficiency as the service capabilities of producing companies, and Gao et al (2021) further emphasized overall service excellence.…”

The emergence of B2B omni-channel marketing in the digital era: a systematic literature review

“…The result is that once traditional touchpoints are being joined by those within the digital channel. The challenge is that touchpoints play distinctive roles throughout the B2B customer-provider relationship, and as the number of touchpoints within the omni-channel that reside outside direct provider control increases, they may exert unanticipated influence on the customer-provider relationship (Gao et al, 2021). As B2B customers have moved to or enhanced online channel engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic (Pandey, 2021;Alonso-Garcia et al, 2021b), it is reasonable to assume that IMC and digital marketing as a part of IMC is an aspect of OCM that requires specific attention in future B2B marketing campaigns.…”