Relationship Quality in Services

Abstract

In today’s highly competitive environment, the development of successful relationships with customers is considered a significant competitive advantage. Thus, the maintenance and enhancement of Relationship Quality (RQ) becomes critical for service providers. This chapter aims to analyse the concept of RQ and its antecedents and consequences in the area of services, account for its development and evolution through the last 2 decades, identify the developmental trends in the literature, and offer directions for future research. The field has become more specialised with age and the only area of convergence is the use of trust, satisfaction, and commitment as dimensions of RQ. However, lately RQ is conceptualised as a single dimension concept based on buyer’s perception. Researchers use antecedents that are buyer-related, seller-related, or relationship-related, and the most important consequence investigated is customer loyalty. Lately, RQ research emphasises the importance of the environment effect (technology, economy, culture, etc.), is focusing on multi-industry or multi-country studies, and investigates the relationship of RQ with other major concepts such as service quality.