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Article
Publication date: 29 January 2021

C.M. Sashi

Technological innovations that resulted in the emergence and widespread adoption of digital communication in recent years have led to a surge of academic and practitioner interest…

3880

Abstract

Purpose

Technological innovations that resulted in the emergence and widespread adoption of digital communication in recent years have led to a surge of academic and practitioner interest in its implications for the co-creation of value and customer engagement. However, in comparison to the attention given to the study of customer engagement in consumer markets, few studies have examined its key role in business markets. This paper aims to examine the impact of digital communication on value co-creation and customer engagement in inter-organizational relationships in business networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Co-creation of value and customer engagement in business networks occurs among interconnected organizations that are partners in intermediate transactions. The paper develops a matrix of inter-organizational engagement among partners in business networks and propositions linking digital communication to value co-creation and inter-organizational engagement.

Findings

The relationships among network organizations may be characterized by the extent of relational exchange and inter-organizational bonds among them. Four types of inter-organizational engagement emerge: transactional partners, loyal partners, trusted partners and engaged partners. The partners co-create value to better satisfy customers.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is an initial attempt to develop a conceptual understanding of customer engagement in business markets and formulate propositions that can be further investigated. Networks of partner organizations co-create value, altering their input and output markets, value addition and products, permitting greater flexibility and customization in satisfying the needs of customers.

Practical implications

The ability afforded by digital communication for real-time interactive communication enables individuals from multiple departments and hierarchical positions within multiple organizations dispersed across geographic locations and industries to maintain contact, quickly and easily communicate task information, build trust and commitment in long-term relationships with network partners and provide superior customer value.

Originality/value

The paper represents a unique attempt to understand the nature of customer engagement in business markets. It discusses how digital communication alters market transactions among partner organizations in a network by facilitating changes in their make/buy decisions. It develops a matrix of inter-organizational engagement in business networks and propositions that improve understanding of the customer engagement concept and provide the foundation for strategies to better satisfy customers.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 55 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2019

Sara Shawky, Krzysztof Kubacki, Timo Dietrich and Scott Weaven

Recognising the potential of social media as an integral driver of communication that can create engaged communities through dialogic or two-way conversations, this study aims to…

10803

Abstract

Purpose

Recognising the potential of social media as an integral driver of communication that can create engaged communities through dialogic or two-way conversations, this study aims to identify and describe the use of social media in creating participants’ engagement in various social marketing programmes conducted worldwide between 2005 and 2017.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 29 social marketing programmes were identified using systematic literature review procedures.

Findings

The majority of the identified programmes used Facebook, and social media were mostly used to share content-based information in an attempt to connect with target audiences, raise awareness and reach less accessible populations with programme messages. Social media served as an extended channel to traditional media efforts, and very few programmes used social media to create mechanisms for supporting their target audiences’ ability to revisit their social media communications and encourage them to act as advocates for the programmes’ activities.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis presented in this paper is limited by the information provided in the identified studies.

Originality/value

Despite the growing popularity and significance of social media as a channel for consumer engagement, little has been done to synthesise how social marketers are incorporating the use of social media in their social marketing programmes. This research fills this gap by providing systematic understanding of the use of social media in social marketing programmes to date.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2019

C.M. Sashi, Gina Brynildsen and Anil Bilgihan

The purpose of this study is to examine how social media facilitates the process of customer engagement in quick service restaurants (QSRs). Customers characterized as…

5697

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how social media facilitates the process of customer engagement in quick service restaurants (QSRs). Customers characterized as transactional customers, loyal customers, delighted customers or fans, based on the degree of relational exchange and emotional bonds, are expected to vary in their propensity to engage in advocacy and co-create value.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses linking the antecedents of customer engagement to advocacy are empirically investigated with data from the Twitter social media network for the top 50 US QSRs. Multiple regression analysis is carried out with proxies for advocacy as the dependent variable and connection effort, interaction effort, satisfaction, retention effort, calculative commitment and affective commitment as independent variables.

Findings

The results indicate that retention effort and calculative commitment of customers are the most important factors influencing advocacy. Efforts to retain customers using social media communication increase advocacy. Greater calculative commitment also increases advocacy. Affective commitment mediates the relationship between calculative commitment and advocacy.

Practical implications

Fostering retention and calculative commitment by using social media communication engenders loyalty and customers become advocates. Calculative commitment fosters affective commitment, turning customers into fans who are delighted as well as loyal, enhancing advocacy.

Originality/value

This study uniquely investigates the relationship between the antecedents of customer engagement and advocacy. It develops the theory and conducts an empirical analysis with actual social media network data for a specific industry where usage of the network is widely prevalent. It confirms that calculative commitment influences advocacy. Calculative commitment not only has a direct effect but also has an indirect effect through affective commitment on advocacy in the QSR context. Further, social media efforts by QSRs to retain customers encourage advocacy. Other customer engagement antecedents do not directly influence advocacy.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2018

Vidyasagar Potdar, Sujata Joshi, Rahul Harish, Richard Baskerville and Pornpit Wongthongtham

The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a process model (comprising of seven dimensions), for identifying online customer engagement patterns leading to…

2912

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a process model (comprising of seven dimensions), for identifying online customer engagement patterns leading to recommendation. These seven dimensions are communication, interaction, experience, satisfaction, continued involvement, bonding, and recommendation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a non-participant form of netnography for analyzing 849 comments from Australian banks Facebook pages. High levels of inter-coder reliability strengthen the study’s empirical validity and ensure minimum researcher bias and maximum reliability and replicability.

Findings

The authors identified 22 unique pattern of customer engagement, out of which nine patterns resulted in recommendation/advocacy. Engagement pattern communication-interaction-recommendation was the fastest route to recommendation, observed in nine instances (or 2 percent). In comparison, C-I-E-S-CI-B-R was the longest route to recommendation observed in ninety-six instances (or 18 percent). Of the eight patterns that resulted in recommendation, five patterns (or 62.5 percent) showed bonding happening before recommendation.

Research limitations/implications

The authors limited the data collection to Facebook pages of major banks in Australia. The authors did not assess customer demography and did not share the findings with the banks.

Practical implications

The findings will guide e-marketers on how to best engage with customers to enhance brand loyalty and continuously be in touch with their clients.

Originality/value

Most models are conceptual and assume that customers typically journey through all the stages in the model. The work is interesting because the empirical study found that customers travel in multiple different ways through this process. It is significant because it changes the way the authors understand patterns of online customer engagement.

Abstract

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Multi-Stakeholder Communication
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-898-2

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Heini Sisko Maarit Lipiäinen

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the current discussion on digitization in companies’ marketing from a customer relationship management (CRM) perspective by…

10219

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the current discussion on digitization in companies’ marketing from a customer relationship management (CRM) perspective by examining the role and objectives of CRM and the exploitation of social media to serve the objectives of CRM in contemporary business-to-business (B2B) companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The data are collected through semi-structured themed interviews with key marketing/sales managers from three B2B firms.

Findings

CRM seems to be moving closer to the company’s core activity and becoming everybody’s business to a greater extent than ever before, but its main goal, to enhance customer relationships, will not necessarily change. Understanding the customer is vital and requires different functions to cooperate closely to ensure the firm has the best possible understanding of its customers. Public social media tools played almost no part in CRM, but closed social media systems might have potential in the future.

Research limitations/implications

The chosen research approach limits the generalization of the results.

Practical implications

It seems likely that firms will benefit from a collaborative working style over the traditional silo approaches. For B2B firms, public social media does not seems to be the most suitable source to serve CRM but private social media channels might have potential in the future.

Originality/value

The lack of empirical examination of the change from company ecosystem to customer ecosystem from a CRM perspective, and the lack of research on social media for CRM in the B2B context, determines the purpose of this study. Furthermore, digitization is a rather new and unstructured phenomenon and many companies are still considering how to reconcile to it.

Details

Journal of Systems and Information Technology, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1328-7265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Letizia Lo Presti, Giulio Maggiore and Vittoria Marino

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is changing how we communicate with customers transforming what we used to buy as products into services. Servitization is the strategy by which the…

1200

Abstract

Purpose

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is changing how we communicate with customers transforming what we used to buy as products into services. Servitization is the strategy by which the services offered in combination with a product become a central part of the offer and the value. This paper aims to focus on a new way to do business by means of mobile conversational commerce identified as a unique touchpoint for customers who wish to experience the product/service.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses the case study method and mobile content analysis of WhatsApp conversations between customer and manufacturing firm to illustrate how an artisan company succeeded with customers using MIM to track the customer journey and engage the customer during the conversation. The customer journey theory and customer engagement cycle were used to detecting the main themes

Findings

The results demonstrate that by channeling a mix between engagement and service practices into one direct touchpoint, it is possible to follow the customers throughout their journey and detect their satisfaction. Nevertheless, the research finds that new skills are needed: two-way communication skills, suitability and social CRM skills.

Practical implications

The results provide guidance for services providers on how to improve customer experience management by allocating investment to conversational commerce as a new way of promoting the customer experience for the digital transformation of manufacturing firms.

Originality/value

This research investigates the importance of human interaction in the digital servitization as a pillar of commerce in this type of service. The paper analyzes the results from the perspective of the supplier of the service and from the perspective of customer experience.

Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2018

Christopher Hazlehurst and Keith D. Brouthers

In this chapter, the authors undertake a systematic review of the literature to identify research exploring the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT). New…

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors undertake a systematic review of the literature to identify research exploring the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT). New ICT include the use of the Internet, mobile communications, and social technologies. The authors find that while interest in the area is increasing, especially among marketing and information systems scholars, there seems to be far less research interest among international business (IB) and strategy scholars. This chapter provides a summary of the research that has been done and discusses some potential future research areas that IB and strategy researchers might wish to pursue. Among these projects are investigating the use of ICT as a tool to aid the internationalization process, improve location choice and entry mode decisions, and identify and create a sustainable competitive advantage. The use of ICT in business is pervasive; As research scholars, we need to build these technologies into our theories and research to help managers determine what works and where certain technologies can help create better performing firms.

Details

International Business in the Information and Digital Age
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-326-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2012

C.M. Sashi

The advent of the internet and in particular the interactive features of Web 2.0 in recent years have led to an explosion of interest in customer engagement. The opportunities…

85102

Abstract

Purpose

The advent of the internet and in particular the interactive features of Web 2.0 in recent years have led to an explosion of interest in customer engagement. The opportunities presented by social media to help build close relationships with customers seem to have excited practitioners in a wide variety of industries worldwide. Academic scholarship on customer engagement, however, has lagged practice and its theoretical foundation is relatively underdeveloped and a better understanding of the concept is essential to develop strategies for customer engagement. This paper seeks to address some of these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper attempts to enhance understanding of customer engagement by examining practitioner views of customer engagement, linking it to the marketing concept, market orientation, and relationship marketing, modeling the customer engagement cycle, and developing a customer engagement matrix.

Findings

The paper develops a model of the customer engagement cycle with connection, interaction, satisfaction, retention, loyalty, advocacy, and engagement as stages in the cycle. It arrays customers in a customer engagement matrix according to the degree of relational exchange and emotional bonds that characterize their relationship with sellers. Four types of relationships emerge: transactional customers, delighted customers, loyal customers, and fans.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is an initial attempt to develop a theoretical framework for customer engagement and further research is required to better understand several aspects of the framework. Future research can also investigate questions stemming from this research, for instance, how different Web 2.0 tools may be used to build customer engagement in consumer and business markets.

Practical implications

Customer engagement turns customers into fans. But for customers to become fans they have to progress through the stages of the customer engagement cycle. In addition to current fans, sellers need a mix of transactional, delighted, and loyal customers who can be turned into fans in the future. A mix of digital and nondigital technologies can be employed to facilitate customers' transition through the stages in the customer engagement cycle.

Originality/value

The paper develops a conceptual model of customer engagement that improves understanding of the concept and provides the foundation for strategies to better satisfy customers using Web 2.0 tools like social media.

1 – 10 of 332