Integrated Model of Customer Loyalty in the Context of the Mobile Telecommunications Service Industry: Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction

This study was conducted to investigate the major determinants of customer loyalty and to develop an integrated model of customer loyalty in the context of the mobile phone telecommunications service industry. Accordingly, the degree of the impact of the determinants on customer loyalty and the mediating role of customer satisfaction were evaluated. Mobile phone subscribers were selected as the unit of analysis for the study. A structured questionnaire was administered, and data were collected from 755 mobile phone subscribers. A Structural Equation Model was used to test the hypotheses of the study. The study revealed that customer satisfaction, perceived value, and switching costs significantly affect customer loyalty. Moreover, customer satisfaction plays a critical role as a mediator, and it fully mediates the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty, and corporate image and customer loyalty in the context of the mobile phone telecommunications industry. The results of the study are decisive, and the empirical findings can be useful for service providers to identify the major determinants of customer loyalty in the context of mobile phone telecommunications service and understanding the extent to which their subscribers are loyal.