Customer satisfaction, behavior intention, attitude, and knowledge: Focus on the antecedents of relationship share in the context of customer relationship management (CRM)

In today's highly competitive business world, customer relationship management (CRM) is emerging as a core marketing activity. Studies have indicated that it costs six times more to acquire new customers than to retain an existing one (Reichheld 1996). Hence, many firms are devoting more attention to maintain and develop relationships with customers, which is likely to increase the customers' willingness to engage in a relationship (CWER) with the firm and increase the customer relationship share (RS) of that firm.; This study offers an in-depth investigation of the factors that influence CWER and RS, and it empirically tests if customer satisfaction (SAT) and CWER affect RS. A conceptual model is derived by drawing on theories taken from multi-disciplinary literature, including marketing, management, information systems, e-commerce, and social psychology.; The model is empirically tested to determine (1) the effect of CWER and SAT on RS; (2) the effect of customers' attitude toward the firm on CWER; and (3) how customers' knowledge and belief about CRM program affect customers' attitude.; The results of this study indicate that SAT and CWER are the predictors of RS; at the same time SAT is also the predictor of customers' attitude toward the firm. The findings of the study also indicate that CWER depends on customers' attitude toward the firm and that attitude depends on customers knowledge and belief about the firm's CRM program.; Thus, the findings of this study will help managers to explain the reasons for the high failure rate of CRM projects from the customers' perspective, a focus which is missing in most of the scholarly studies in the domain of CRM. Finally, this study also provide a framework for several avenues for scholarly research and lays a foundation for future research aimed at enhancing extant knowledge about factors influencing CWER and RS.