SERVICE SWITCHING, WORD-OF-MOUTH, AND NEW PROVIDER SEARCH: A FIVE COUNTRY EXPLORATORY STUDY

Based on a conceptual framework provided by Keaveney (1995), the current study explores the reasons service customers switch providers and the related post-switching behaviors in five countries. Specifically, we identify statistically significant differences between the investigated nations in 1) the frequency of the types of reported switching incidents, and 2) the word-of-mouth (private voice and public complaint) behavior. Search strategies for a new service provider were not found to differ substantially across the countries. The paper includes a discussion of the managerial implications of the findings as well as study limitations and potential future research directions.