Consumer Trust in Service Companies: A Multiple Mediating Analysis

Managing Service Quality, Vol. 20, pp. 4-25, 2010

35 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2011

See all articles by Werner H. Kunz

Werner H. Kunz

University of Massachusetts

Roland Kantsperger

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Date Written: January 1, 2010

Abstract

The concept of “trust” has gained considerable importance in the field of marketing during the last decades and is seen as a key mediator of customer relationship marketing. But upon a closer look at the literature, the construct “trust” is conceptualized and measured very differently. Based on a literature review and theoretical work, the purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model of consumer trust in a service company, which distinguishes two fundamental dimensions. Using these dimensions, it is possible to detect different mediating effects of trust in the customer relationship to the service company. Antecedents and consequences of trust are studied in a business-to-consumer services context in the banking industry. To test hypotheses, empirical data are collected from a sample of 232 retail bank customers with checking accounts. By means of a LISREL approach, two rivaling measurement models of trust are compared and show various mediating effects. The empirical data support the two-dimensional model of trust. Further, the two dimensions of trust are mediating the effect of customer satisfaction (CS) differently. In particular, it is shown that “benevolence” has a significantly greater influence on customer loyalty than “credibility.” Finally, beside CS, the customer’s propensity to trust also influences trust.

Keywords: Trust, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, Service Industries

Suggested Citation

Kunz, Werner H. and Kantsperger, Roland, Consumer Trust in Service Companies: A Multiple Mediating Analysis (January 1, 2010). Managing Service Quality, Vol. 20, pp. 4-25, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1859010

Werner H. Kunz (Contact Author)

University of Massachusetts ( email )

M-5-213 – 100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, 02125
United States

Roland Kantsperger

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) ( email )

Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
Munich, DE Bavaria 80539
Germany

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