The Influence Factors Of Customer Loyalty Study On General Hospital

PurposeThe study aims to construct influence factors model of hospital customer loyalty, which is considering the characteristics and particularity of healthcare services.Through theoretical and empirical study, we want to analyze the influence factors and explore the ways of culturing customer loyalty in the hospital. The conclusions of this research can be used to making decision, because it can help hospital improving medical service quality and enhancing hospital marketing competitive ability.ObjectsObject of Questionnaire Survey:T hospital's outpatients and patients (T hospital is a Gradeâ…¢-A General Hospital in ShanXi province)Object of Interview:hospital administrators, medical staff, hospital customersMethodsUse literature analysis, interview and so on to construct the influence factors model of hospital customer loyalty and design questionnaire. Then adopt SPSS 13.0 and SmartPLS2.0 to process related data.Results1. According to literature analysis and interview.we construct the influence factors theoretical model of the hospital customer loyalty which consistent with the characteristics of healthcare services.Besides.we take shape of the hospital customer loyalty factor questionnaire which has very high reliability and validity. It can take reference for the other hospital when they carried out the similar survev. 2. Using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the gathered data.we acquire that the path coefficient between the customer value, customer satisfaction and so on to customer loyalty were statistically significant.The path coefficient among the influence factors were also statistically significant.Customer value had direct affect and indirect affect by the customer satisfaction and customer complaint to customer loyalty, the direct path coefficient was 0.254. the indirect effectiveness was 0.171.The customer satisfaction also has direct and indirect affect by the customer complaint to customer loyalty, the direct and indirect effectiveness were 0.316 and 0.044.While the other three factor-relationship trust.switching barrier.customer complaint only have direct affect to customer loyalty, the direct effectiveness were 0.147.0.163.-0.105.3. Statistical analysis also showed that the loadings between latent variables and measured variables were statistically significant.There are six measured variables whose loading is maximum in its block.They are respectively the effect of treatment.overall satisfaction, hospital reputation, technology replacer. direct complaint, the probability of repeat purchase.Their loadings are 0.827.0.832.0.839.0.842.0.846.0.851.ConclusionThis study not only summarized the influence factors of customer loyalty of hospital in theory, but also verify the assumptions between various factors and customer loyalty through empirical research. Meanwhile we calculated the effectiveness of different factors to customer loyalty. We knowed that customer value is the maximal impact to customer loyalty, followed by customer satisfaction, switching barrier, relationship trust, and customer complaint. We should emphasizethe customer complain which has the negative impact to customer loyalty.Through analyzing the correlations between measured variables and their latent variable.we can acquire that there are six specific factors which have a greater impact to respective latent variable, such as the effect of treatment, overall satisfaction, hospital reputation etc.SuggestionAccording to the actual situation of T hospital and the outcome of PLS-SEM analysis, we concluded that the hospital should continue to improve health care quality and service quality. Try its best to diagnose accurately and timely and provide warm-hearted service. Throuhg the superb medical technology and the high level of service quality.the hospital will win customer loyalty to a certainty. The hospitals should strive to focus on all links of the process of medical services and do customer expectation management.These measurements could improve the customer loyalty even more.In order to attract and retain customer, hospitals need to strengthen customer complaint and customer relationship management and build the appropriate switching barriers.Assumption for future study1. Introducing some actual data of hospital management as variables, we will analysis the customer loyalty factors model from the practical usefulness.2. Analysis the variety of influence factor and their effect proportions between the customer in different levels hospitals and the different types customers in the same hospital.