Customer service quality, emotional brand attachment and customer citizenship behaviors: findings from an emerging higher education market

Abstract

This study examined the impact of university services on customers’ (students’) Emotional Brand Attachment (EBA) and Customer Citizenship Behaviors (CCB). The main reason for examining this association was to explore the role customer service generated EBA played in motivating students to exhibit voluntary and extra-role behaviors. Using 568 completed research questionnaires, the proposed hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. In addition, mediation effect of EBA on customer service quality and CCB relationship were tested. The research findings indicated that reputation and academic aspects (primarily represented by teaching quality and student–faculty bonding) were most influential in creating EBA and subsequent willingness towards extra role and voluntary behaviors. The outcome of the mediation analyses showed that non-academic aspects (such as effective complaint resolution, IT support and administrative assistance) had a full mediating effect, whereas access and reputation had partial mediating effect, on students’ citizenship behaviors.