Relationship Quality and Customer Voluntary Performance Behavior: A Perspective of Social Exchange

Abstract

The importance of developing and maintaining long-term relationships with customers is generally accepted in relationship quality (RQ) of marketing literature. Moreover, how firms can motivate their customers to display customer voluntary performance behavior (CVPB, which refers to helpful, discretionary customer behaviors that support the ability of the firm to deliver service quality) is just a focal point of hospitality relationship marketing and has attracted scholars` attention. This study is to develop a model examining relationships between three social exchange antecedents (determinants of RQ: customer satisfaction, trust, and commitment) and three CVPB (loyalty, cooperation, and participation) in lodging services. The findings indicate that theoretical constructs and hypotheses are almost supported. For academicians, the results provide theoretical insight into the motivation for customer voluntary behaviors through an empirical investigation. For practitioners, the findings provide ideas about how to develop customers as partners in service quality.