Relationship Quality Model

The relationship quality model is a model of service quality in quality management that refers to dynamic aspects of the service creation process. It was developed by Veronica Liljander and Tore Strandvik. The aim of the models of service quality is the quality assessment from the demand point of view and the mapping of the services offered by companies in the overall context. First implications or starting points for quality management measures of a service company can be derived. A quality management system for services is to be understood as the combination of various modules from a logical point of view in order to ensure a systematic analysis, planning, organization, implementation and control of quality-relevant aspects of a company's service program, both internally and externally.

history

This model was developed in 1993 by Veronica Liljander and Tore Strandvik. Unlike Boulding et al. Liljander / Strandvik do not try to dynamize an originally static quality model, but instead include constructs in their consideration that are related to the process orientation and the importance of the customer-service provider relationship.

Relationship quality model from Liljander / Strandvik

Liljander and Strandvik have included numerous constructs in their consideration that are related to process orientation and the importance of the customer-service provider relationship. The focus of process orientation is the process character of services. Services often represent an activity or a process and are requested for their sake. Essential characteristics of the process orientation in the service are the necessity of the involvement of the customer in the service process and the characteristic of the immateriality of services. For a good result, the friendship between the customer and the service provider is important, which is why service providers need to build and maintain a personal relationship with the customer.

In the Liljander and Strandvik model, customer satisfaction is distinguished from service quality. In addition, this model assumes that customer acquisition depends on a positive quality of service and customer satisfaction that help the company's success. According to their model, customer satisfaction arises only on the basis of a specific purchase experience, and from this the quality can be assessed without the customer having made use of a service. Buying behavior also depends on customer satisfaction, which is influenced by the quality assessment.

In the model they assume that the positive quality of service and customer satisfaction can lead to higher customer loyalty. However, this continues to be a determinant that is of great importance for the company's success. According to Liljander and Strandvik, the (dissatisfaction) can only arise from a service provider-customer contact, because they see the service quality from an “external” and the satisfaction from an “internal” perspective. In addition, in their opinion, the quality can be assessed without the customer actually using the service. Satisfaction is more closely related to customer behavior than to the quality assessment.

Liljander and Strandvik differentiate between two levels of contact between a service provider and its customers. This is an episode and a relationship.

episode

An episode is defined as an event of all interactions between supplier and demander with a clearly defined start and end point. The starting point refers to services that are offered to the customer prior to purchase in order to assist the seller in winning the order. The endpoint refers to services that are offered after the purchase. An episode represents the complete act of providing a service and can consist of several transactions (e.g. initiation, agreement and realization of a goods transaction). It is also characterized by a financial and social exchange as well as an exchange of services and information.

relationship

A relationship consists of at least two episodes. A relationship can be designed differently depending on the continuity and frequency of the service used. In the case of continuously used services, the first episode usually represents the beginning of a relationship, and in the case of less continuous and seldom used services, the second episode is not a sufficient condition.

Behavior with relationship and episode satisfaction according to Liljander / Strandvik

The behavior of customers and service providers is defined with relationship or episode satisfaction. Thus, relationship satisfaction represents a so-called global view and episode satisfaction a phase-specific view. The separation of satisfaction and service quality corresponds to the satisfaction rating only in service contact (insider perspective) and quality rating (outsider perspective). The quality and satisfaction assessments are differentiated from one another in the model on the two levels on the basis of a value that has the form of a relationship or episode value.

Liljander and Strandvik also assumed that episode satisfaction and relationship satisfaction have no impact on customer behavior. This assumption was confirmed when the model was analyzed on the basis of a hairdressing service. A possible reason for this result could be that the past episode dissatisfaction was more taken into account in the formation of relationship satisfaction.

The relationship dissatisfaction results from the fact that a certain quality is perceived on the basis of a given tolerance zone and this is compared to the respective “victim” of the customer.

Relationship satisfaction is an important determinant of customer behavior, which is expressed through the constructs “commitment” and “loyalty”. In addition, the behavior is related to the ties or so-called "bonds" to the company. These bonds can be interpreted as exit barriers; they are perceived negatively by customers and are also hardly controllable by the service provider.

Commitment

Commitment describes the inner attitude of a person to orientate oneself on an agreement, purchase intention, on certain goals and values. Nine commitment constellations can form between the customer and the service provider. These result from the positive, negative or indifferent commitment of the customer or the service provider to the relationship.

Positive commitment

The prerequisite for a valued relationship is a high level of customer commitment. If there is a high level of commitment on the part of the service provider, there is mutual commitment and if the service provider has a low level of commitment, the customer is treated negatively.

Indifferent commitment

If the customer does not feel bound to the company or perceives few differences between the offers from the other service providers, then there is an indifferent commitment because the customer has neither positive nor negative commitment. This usually happens when, for example, the customer uses the service out of habit. With such indifferent commitment, the customer has neither positive nor negative commitment to the company.

Negative commitment

Once the customer has a negative commitment, it is a forced relationship. This is most often the case when e.g. B. there is a lack of alternatives or formal ties. But the service provider has a big one, no or no interest in the relationship.

Implications of the model

In order to be able to use the model in practice, certain implications are necessary. First, the service provider must define the relationship from the customer's point of view. Afterwards, this relationship with the best or profitable customers should be improved. And at the end of the day, the relevance of the individual transactions in an episode or specific episodes of a relationship should be made clear.

One disadvantage of this model is when it comes to measuring episode performance. It is difficult to get information about the relationship quality with the help of a single measurement, because different influencing factors can arise on the customer and company side.

Service quality chain of success

In order for a service provider to be able to offer optimal quality, it should be able to identify the different requirements of customers and prioritize them according to reality. Three prerequisites should be met in order to be able to build up and expand the quality of the desired services. The customer must first recognize and appreciate the advantages of the services offered by this provider so that he is able to differentiate these services from the other competitors. When customers notice the differences in quality, customer loyalty can develop. In addition, the advantages of the services compared to other providers should be noticeable and significant for customers, because only then can purchasing behavior change positively.

Nowadays companies are less focused on service quality. This neglects the facts that faulty quality can have negative consequences for the company. The companies put customer acquisition in the foreground and customer loyalty does not receive any attention. Then the customers do not want to bind themselves to the company and those who are from the customer base usually migrate. When customer expectations are fully met, customer satisfaction increases. There is also the possibility that the customer selects this provider again and binds himself to the company. Subsequently, the quality of the service for the customer is the most important criterion that influences the loyalty to the company. The first link in the chain of success is the relationship between external and internal factors. The last stage of the success chain is also dependent on external and internal factors.

Service quality is becoming more and more important in science and in practice. Quality management not only looks at the economic aspects of the service sector, but also at the competitive advantages that can be achieved. The situation of the service markets today demands a lot from the quality management of services. The quality of service has thus become an important competitive factor.

Individual evidence

^ Manfred Bruhn: Quality management for services. Manual for successful quality management. Basics-Concepts-Methods. 10th edition, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2016, ISBN 978-3-642-33992-9 , therein: Liljander / Strandvik 1993, pp. 118ff., Pp. 141ff.

literature

Manfred Bruhn: Quality management for services. Manual for successful quality management. Basics-Concepts-Methods. 10th edition, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2016, ISBN 978-3-642-33992-9
Marc-Oliver Kaiser: Success factor customer satisfaction: Dimensions and measurement options. In: Business Studies. Volume 64, 2nd edition, 2004, ISBN 978-3-503-07833-2
Manfred Bruhn, Britta Murmann: National customer barometer: measuring quality and satisfaction. Wiesbaden 1998, ISBN 978-3-409-12334-1
Masing, Tilo Pfeifer, Robert Schmitt (eds.): Handbook quality management. 5th edition, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3446407527
Manfred Bruhn, Heribert Meffert: Handbook of service marketing. ISBN 978-3-8349-3661-5

[1] Manfred Bruhn: Quality management for services. Manual for successful quality management. Basics-Concepts-Methods. 10th edition, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2016, ISBN 978-3-642-33992-9 , therein: Liljander / Strandvik 1993, pp. 118ff., Pp. 141ff.