Influence Of Customer Participation On Information Technology Services

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer participation (CP) influences the two contrasting relationship maintenance mechanisms: dedication and constraint, and identifies its antecedents in the context of business-to-business information technology (IT) services.Design/methodology/approach - An empirical study was conducted through a survey of 126 firms receiving IT services in Taiwan. The partial least squares method was used to test the conceptual model of the study.Findings - The results indicated that CP positively relates to IT service quality, thereby influencing satisfaction (i.e. dedication). In addition, CP was also found to be positively associated with switching costs (i.e. constraint). Both satisfaction and switching costs have significant influences on loyalty. Furthermore, IT capabilities, organizational compatibility, and role clarity are positively related to CP.Research limitations/implications - Longitudinal studies are needed to explore how CP affects the dual mechanisms in different phases of customer-firm relationships.Originality/value - The study contributes to a thorough understanding of the influences of CP on relationship maintenance.