کاوشهای مدیریت بازرگانی (Jan 2023)
Factors affecting the customers’ silence and their behavioral and non-behavioral responses: A case study of domestic airlines travel service customers
Abstract
Introduction: Customer satisfaction is critical to the survival of any business. Previous research has focused primarily on customer complaining behavior, but research on non-complaining or silent customers is limited, and there are no extensive studies on this subject. The aim of this study is to identify the effective factors on domestic airline travel service customers and their behavioral and non-behavioral responses. This research is of qualitative type based on a data-based method. The statistical population consisted of the customers of domestic airline travel services. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and the data analysis method was performed using open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Finally, a qualitative model was designed. As the results showed, previous customer dissatisfaction experience, change costs, the need for collective grievance, personality traits, habituation and lack of grievance culture are the reasons for the silence of domestic airline travel service customers. Silent customer behavioral responses also include negative word of mouth advertising, customer misbehavior, customer voice and exit. Non-behavioral responses include loyalty and neglect.Methodology: This research is applied and exploratory, and its method is based on the grounded theory done by means of semi-structured interview tools. The statistical population of this research is the customers of domestic airline travel services. During the past year, they have experienced using the travel services of domestic airlines at least five times. Accordingly, in-depth interviews were conducted with domestic airline travel services customers, during which the interviewees expressed their views, memories, events, and issues and problems on domestic airlines. The data saturation was finally achieved in the 20th interview. Theoretical saturation refers to the stage where the interviewer arrives at repetitive and similar answers from the interviewees and the continuation of the interview does not help to receive new and varied answers. The method of data analysis is in three steps including open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Finally a model was presented.Results and Discussion: In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 clients of domestic airline travel services using the grounded theory method. In their interviewees, they shared their memories, events and experiences. In the 20th interview, theoretical saturation was obtained, and the data were analyzed based on three methods of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Finally, a model was presented by the researchers According to the results, the variables of previous unsatisfactory experiences, the need for collective grievances, personality traits, lack of accountability, costs of change, habituation, and lack of grievance culture lead to the silence of domestic airline travel service customers. Customer behavioral responses also include negative word of mouth advertising, bad treatment by customer, customer voice and exit, and non-behavioral responses include loyalty and neglect.Conclusion: Understanding and retaining the customer is one of the most important aspects of customer relationship management. The ultimate goal of any business is to meet customer needs and create a culture of customer orientation. This issue is of importance in the service sector; Due to its intangibility, it is more and more important to make customer orientation, provide maximum customer satisfaction, create loyalty, regardless of the needs and desires of customers, and solve the problems raised by them. It does not happen without hearing the customer's voice. Dissatisfied customers who tend to be silent can be dangerous. Complaining customers are the company's best friend, because a complaint warns the company that it is losing customers. Domestic airline travel service companies can identify these factors, remove barriers as well as follow up and take the necessary and effective measures to solve the problems raised by customers to create a competitive advantage and better implement the culture of customer orientation. They can also help customer loyalty and thus improve the service. In the present study, the customers of all domestic airlines have been studied in general. For more detailed studies in the future, it is suggested that the behavior of the customers of each airline be examined and researched separately. The behavior of silent customers in public and private organizations or foreign airlines should also be examined and compared. This study is based on the behavior of the culture of the Iranian society, and the results may not be transferable to other cultures. The subject of this research has been researched for the first time in the country and, due to the lack of similar previous research in the country, it is not possible to study it accurately with predictive approaches.
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