Short-term and long-term effects of touchpoints on customer perceptions

Abstract

Recent literature highlights the importance of touchpoints, yet fails to test empirically their long-term effects on essential customer perceptions. This study assesses the short- and long-term impacts of different provider-controlled touchpoints on firm expertise, service reliability and service excellence. A random panel dataset of more than 2,000 customers over five years is used to test the proposed model. The results confirm that sales force and product are crucial for long-term customer perceptions, while the effect of consulting, tangibles and standardized contacts is weaker over time. The findings of this managerial-oriented study reveal how the effectiveness of touchpoints changes over time.