人際關係、轉換成本、和行銷變數對壽險服務業顧客轉換意圖影響之研究

Effects of Relationship, Switching Costs, and Marketing Programs on Customer Switching Intentions in the Life Insurance Industry

壽險服務具有高度複雜與無形的特性，傳統上一直認為關係行銷是壽險服務最好的工具之一。但人際關係是否能有效防止顧客因競爭廠商提供的行銷攻勢而轉換，是本研究欲探討的重點。本研究建立一觀念架構，並以台灣的壽險市場為例，探討台灣壽險服務業的顧客在考慮轉換服務提供者時，競爭廠商的價格、產品多樣性、人際關係、轉換成本對顧客的相對重要性，及人際關係和轉換成本是否對競爭者的價格和產品發生干擾效果。聯合分析的結果顯示，壽險業顧客在同時考慮現有服務者的關係，轉換成本，及其他廠商的行銷變數時，人際關係雖然有助於防止顧客轉換廠商，但其相對重要性遠低於行銷變數與轉換成本。此外，以轉換成本為主的防禦策略比人際關係更能發揮對競爭廠商價格與產品策略的干擾效果。

As life insurance is a highly complex and highly intangible service, the relationship-based personal selling approach is often considered one of the most important tools in the life insurance business. However, the extent to which such relationships protect incumbent insurance firms from new competitors and their marketing programs is still an unresolved question. This study develops a conceptual framework of how relationship and marketing variables influence customers’ choice of insurance firm and test the framework empirically in the Taiwanese life insurance market. Conjoint analysis shows that interpersonal relationships between customers and service providers serve as a disincentive but are less important than both switching costs and marketing variables. Moreover, interpersonal relationships do not play the effective role of switching barriers as switching costs do if the competitors induce switching by product strategies.