Customers' motivations for maintaining relationships with service providers

Abstract

Understanding why customers are receptive to relationships with service providers is a key issue in relationship marketing. This paper suggests that four broad drivers—environmental variables, partner variables, customer variables and interaction variables—affect customers' receptivity to relationship maintenance. Customers may maintain relationships either because of constraints (they “ have to” stay in the relationship) or because of dedication (they “want to” stay in the relationship). The potentially differential effects of these dual motivations on customers' subsequent relationship attitudes and behaviors are examined. A model of relationship maintenance is developed and propositions are presented regarding the antecedents and consequences of customers' relationship maintenance. Theoretical and practical implications of the paper are discussed.