An empirical study of relationship quality in a service setting: a Chinese case

Purpose - The paper's aim is to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of the relationship between providers and consumers of a "high-credence" service, in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach - A model of antecedents and outcomes was constructed. Relationship quality was conceptualized as the degree of trust in and satisfaction with the service provider. Data collected in face-to-face interviews with over 200 clients of 12 health-care clinics questionnaire survey were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, to test six hypotheses. Findings - The findings support the hypotheses and show that the service providers' expertise, empathy, likeability, and communication effectiveness significantly influenced relationship quality, leading in turn to the likelihood of re-patronage and word-of-mouth recommendation. Research limitations/implications - The study suggests ways in which service providers can improve the quality of the customer relationship. Findings can be generalised only with caution, given the focus on health-care delivery in a Chinese society. Future research could usefully investigate other high-credence service sectors. Originality/value - Empirical data have examined the association between four possible antecedents and relationship quality in a real-world setting, and suggest practical actions for planners of customer relationship strategy in the high-credence context.