關係慣性與轉換障礙對「滿意度-顧客留存」關係之影響－－以金融服務業為例

The Effects of Inertia and Switching Barriers on Satisfaction-Retention Relationship: A Case of Financial Service Industries

滿意度一向被視為顧客忠誠度的重要決定因子，然而顧客滿意與顧客留存兩者間關係的穩定度一直未有定論。滿意的顧客不一定持續購買，不滿意的顧客也未必離開，顯示滿意度與顧客留存之關係中存在干擾變數。本文即在探討轉換障礙（轉換成本與其他廠商吸引力）與關係慣性，在顧客滿意度與顧客留存之間的關係中所扮演的權變角色。本研究以金融業為例，取得470 份金融業顧客有效問卷，經階層迴歸分析以檢定二元、三元交互效果。結果顯示，滿意度所代表的情感忠誠雖然正向影響顧客留存意圖，但轉換成本會弱化此一關係，且有身不由己的俘虜忠誠現象；其他廠商吸引力則迫使需要有更高的滿意度才能將顧客留存在現有關係中。關係慣性除顯現虛假忠誠的主效果外，二元交互效果檢定顯示具有弱化滿意度影響力的重要性。然而三元交互效果檢定顯示，關係慣性對此兩項轉換障礙（轉換成本與其他廠商吸引力）在滿意度—顧客留存間之干擾作用的影響力卻呈現不對稱情形、亦即關係慣性能強化轉換成本的阻絕效果，並減低滿意度的影響力，使顧客留存的可能性上升、但另一方面關係慣性卻無法節制其他廠商吸引力的外拉效果。

Satisfaction has been regularly viewed as a prerequisite for loyalty and customer retention. However, satisfaction does not always result in customer retention, and it is equally obvious that dissatisfaction does not necessarily result in switching. The relationship between satisfaction and customer retention has been found to vary under different contingent conditions. In this study, we consider how the effect of satisfaction on customer retention varies with differing levels of switching costs, alternative attractiveness, and relationship inertia. Therefore, we examine the relationship between satisfaction and customer retention by incorporating the two-way and three-way moderating effects of switching barriers. With a sample of 470 customers of banks in Taiwan, we used a hierarchical regression to test our hypotheses. All of our hypotheses except for Hypotheses 6 were supported. Satisfaction, switching costs and relationship inertia would positively affect customer retention but alternative attractiveness would negatively affect customer retention. In addition, both of switching barriers and relationship inertia would moderate this satisfaction-customer retention relationship. Switching costs may trap customers to stay with the focal service provider as captive loyalty even if they feel unsatisfied, yet alternative attractiveness strengthens the importance of satisfaction to keep customers to stay. In addition, customers with high inertia will remain with focal service providers even though they are dissatisfied with their service performance. In other words, satisfaction has a reduced effect on customer retention as switching costs and inertia increase and alternative attractiveness decreases. There is also potential for three-way moderating effects among these variables. This possibility arises from the fact that customers have different combinations of switching costs, alternative attractiveness and relationship inertia. Thus, we deploy two three-way interaction terms (relationship inertia*switching costs*satisfaction, and (relationship inertia* alternative attractiveness *satisfaction) to test the moderating effect of relationship inertia on the relationships among satisfaction, both switching barriers and retention. Three-way interactions yield additional insight into the role of satisfaction in customer retention and the results of the two-way moderating relationships. The results show that relationship inertia not only independently has a positive relationship with retention, previously proposed as spurious loyalty, but also plays a role as an important moderator. Relationship inertia has asymmetric influences on the moderating effects of switching costs and alternative attractiveness in the satisfaction-retention relationship. Relationship inertia strengthens the moderating effect of switching cost on the satisfaction-retention link, nevertheless has no significant effect on the moderator role of alternative attractiveness. In short, as relationship inertia increased, switching costs have a more positive moderating effect on satisfaction-customer retention relationship.