Relational bonds, customer engagement, and service quality

ABSTRACTRelational bonds represent a vital concept in relational marketing. Past research indicates that it can increase customer satisfaction and foster WOM. Although relational bonds have been shown to provide a long-lasting competitive advantage, the theoretical mechanisms underlying these relationships are less clear. This study investigates the relationships among relational bonds, customer engagement, service quality, satisfaction and WOM. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to customers who received aesthetic medicine services from a large medical center in Taiwan. The survey yielded 500 usable responses, with a response rate of 98.61%. The partial least squares method was utilized to obtain parameter estimates and test proposed hypotheses. Measurement accuracy was assured given satisfactory reliability and convergent/discriminant validity assessments, and all hypotheses were supported. The results indicate that relational bonds affect the extent of customer engagement, wh...