A customer-service worker relationship model

True loyalty, defined by a high relative attitude in addition to high repea t purchase, is an extremely valuable asset to the service firm - as the cus tomer's search motivation for competitive alternatives is reduced he/she sh ows an immunity to the pull of competition and provides favourable word of mouth. A conceptual model presents the likely influence of customer relatio nships with service workers on the development of true customer loyalty to the service firm. It is suggested that strong customer relationships with a firm's service personnel lead to true customer loyalty to the service firm as positive attitudes towards service staff are transferred directly to th e firm. In situations where a strong relationship develops between the cust omer and only one particular service worker, true loyalty to the service fi rm will be an outcome of high personal loyalty and therefore be dependent a n the continued availability of the service worker. To assist managers in e ncouraging relationship development between high value customers and their service personnel, Potential antecedents of relationship strength have been identified These include: the amount of perceived benefits/rewards the cus tomer receives from the service worker, the age of their relationship, the service contact intensity, the customer's perceived risk in acquiring the s ervice, the customer's interpersonal orientation and the service worker's c ustomer orientation as perceived by the customer.