Service loyalty: implications for service providers

Service industries have been, and will continue to be, largely responsible for much of the domestic and international economic growth in the USA. Service loyalty, which can be obtained by building relationships and providing excellent customer service, is often the key factor that builds competitive advantage for service providers. The main goal article is to provide a conceptual framework for service loyalty, but one that is not based on empirical support. Contends that this framework can assist service providers in determining the type of loyalty conditions that are likely to exist for specific service industries. Offers in addition some guidelines with which to devise appropriate marketing strategies for each service loyalty condition.