Customer relationships with service personnel: do we measure closeness, quality or strength?

Abstract

The magnitude, degree or extent of a customer relationship with a service worker or provider/firm has variously been referred to in the services literature as relationship closeness, relationship quality, or relationship strength. This has led to inconsistency in both the terminology and measures used. We summarize this literature and proceed to provide clear guidelines as to when each of these terms is appropriate. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.