서비스품질 향상을 통해 CS를 증대시키려는 서비스기업의 노력이 한창이다. 그러나 CS를 높임에도 불구하고 ‘만 족한 고객이 왜 떠나는가’에 대한 기업의 고민이 깊어가는 것도 사실이다. 본 연구는 이러한 아이러니에 관심을 두 고 있다. 재구매의도나 추천의도가 높다고 해서 반드시 전환의도나 전환가능성이 낮다는 것을 의미하지는 않으며 충성도와 전환행동이 동전의 양면처럼 한 몸이 아니라 서로 다른 개념이라는 인식을 바탕으로 연구를 시작했다. 서비스충성도와 서비스전환을 별개의 개념으로 두고 CS와 서비스브랜드동일시를 선행변수로 한 인과관계 연구모 형을 설정했다. 서비스품질수준이 비교적 일정수준이상이면서 경쟁사간 지각된 품질 차별화가 크지 않은 산업으로 은행과 패밀리레스토랑을 선정했고, 각각의 실용적 가치와 쾌락적 가치를 측정하여 은행을 실용적 서비스로 패밀리 레스토랑을 쾌락적 서비스로 구분한 서비스 유형간 비교분석을 수행했다. 분석의 초점은 CS와 서비스브랜드동일시 가 서비스충성도와 서비스전환에 각각 어떠한 영향을 미치는가와 서비스 유형간 차이가 존재하는가였다. 연구결과 실용적 서비스인 은행은 CS가 높아질수록 충성도가 높아지고 전환행동은 낮아지는 반면, 쾌락적 서비스 인 패밀리레스토랑에서는 CS가 충성도를 높이기는 하나 서비스전환을 막지는 못했다. 서비스브랜드동일시의 영향은 실용적 서비스에서는 충성도를 높이는데 기여하는 반면 전환행동과는 무관했고, 쾌락적 서비스에서는 충성도를 높 이고 전환행동을 낮추는 역할을 했다. CS-충성도 연결관계는 두 유형의 서비스 모두에서 강력한 영향을 가지므로 중요하다. 실용적 서비스는 고객충성 도를 확보하고 고객이탈을 방지하기 위해 서비스 품질을 개선하여 CS를 향상하는 것이 초점이 되어야 하며, 브랜드 퍼스낼리티에 기반한 브랜드동일시는 부가적 충성도 결정요인으로서 관리하는 것이 좋다. 반면 쾌락적 서비스는 CS 로 충성도를 높일 수는 있어도 고객이탈을 막을 수 없고 브랜드동일시를 강화해야 전환을 줄일 수 있으므로 브랜드 이미지 차별화를 통한 매력적인 브랜드 퍼스낼리티 구축 및 브랜드동일시 증대에 무게중심을 두는 것이 요구된다.

Service companies endeavor to enhance CS in order to retain existing customers. However, an solved question still remains: “Why do satisfied customers defect?” The study emerged from this irony. Even though most of the previous studies have consistently confirmed the positive relationship between CS and customer loyalty, individuals often defect from the brands or the companies with which they were previously satisfied. The author suggests that we need to rethink the meanings of customer loyalty and switching. The premise of the study is that service switching is not an opposing concept to service loyalty since consumers sometimes have positive WOM intention and RPI toward a certain brand as well as switching intention at the same time. The study extends the CS-service loyalty link by adding the constructs of service brand identification and service switching. The integrated structural equation model was empirically tested in a family restaurant sample (a hedonic service sample) and a retail bank user sample (a utilitarian service sample), respectively. The relative impacts of CS and service brand identification on service loyalty and service switching were compared in utilitarian and hedonic services. The results reveal that CS makes service loyalty robust in both utilitarian and hedonic services, and hinder service switching in utilitarian services but has no influence on switching in hedonic services. Service brand identification has a positive influence on servic loyalty in both service types but negative influence on service switching in hedonic services while it has no influence on utilitarian service switching. The relative impact of service brand identification on service switching is greater than that of CS in hedonic services. CS rather than service brand identification has a stronger impact on service switching in utilitarian services. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Service companies endeavor to enhance CS in order to retain existing customers. However, an solved question still remains: “Why do satisfied customers defect?” The study emerged from this irony. Even though most of the previous studies have consistently confirmed the positive relationship between CS and customer loyalty, individuals often defect from the brands or the companies with which they were previously satisfied. The author suggests that we need to rethink the meanings of customer loyalty and switching. The premise of the study is that service switching is not an opposing concept to service loyalty since consumers sometimes have positive WOM intention and RPI toward a certain brand as well as switching intention at the same time. The study extends the CS-service loyalty link by adding the constructs of service brand identification and service switching. The integrated structural equation model was empirically tested in a family restaurant sample (a hedonic service sample) and a retail bank user sample (a utilitarian service sample), respectively. The relative impacts of CS and service brand identification on service loyalty and service switching were compared in utilitarian and hedonic services. The results reveal that CS makes service loyalty robust in both utilitarian and hedonic services, and hinder service switching in utilitarian services but has no influence on switching in hedonic services. Service brand identification has a positive influence on servic loyalty in both service types but negative influence on service switching in hedonic services while it has no influence on utilitarian service switching. The relative impact of service brand identification on service switching is greater than that of CS in hedonic services. CS rather than service brand identification has a stronger impact on service switching in utilitarian services. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

CS, Hedonic Service, Service Brand Identification, Service Loyalty, Service Switching, Utilitarian Service.