Service convenience on call centers: Impacts on repurchase

Abstract

This study aimed to test the relationship between service convenience (time and effort expenditures), in a Call Center setting, and customers repurchase behaviour. A database of 133 783 customers and 376 057 contacts were analyzed in what concerns three Call Center performance indicators, representative of customers’ time and effort: First Call Resolution (FCR), Average Handling Time and Repeated Calls. Time and effort expenditures on Call Centers were proved to be related to repurchase. Customers at early stages of their relationship with the service, low value customers and those participating on loyalty programs, were the most sensitive to time and effort expenditures on Call Centers. Understanding the impact of customers’ time and effort on customers repurchase behaviour and knowing the customers less likely to wait and expend efforts, managers must seek to improve Call Centers performance, and select who are the customers to answer first.