THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND RELATIONSHIP QUALITY ON CUSTOMER RETENTION - A CRITICAL REASSESSMENT AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Customer satisfaction with a company's products or services is often s een as the key to a company's success and long-term competitiveness. I n the context of relationship marketing, customer satisfaction is ofte n viewed as a central determinant of customer retention. However, the few empirical investigations in this area indicate that a direct relat ionship between these constructs is weak or even nonexistent. The over all purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual foundation for investigating the customer-retention process, with the use of the conc epts of customer satisfaction and relationship quality. The article in volves a critical examination of the satisfaction-retention relationsh ip, and the development of a more comprehensive view of the customer's quality perception. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.