Proceedings of The 2nd International Conference on Applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting
Year: 2019
DOI:
Communication with Customers in Relationship Marketing. Comparative Study for Companies from Belgium and Romania
Prof PhD Nicolae Al. Pop, PhD cand. Raluca Nastase Anysz and PhD cand. Andrada Baba
ABSTRACT:
Communication is the basis of human interaction and a success factor of the human species. Communication is more complex and differently codified in a digitalized and globalized world characterized by harsh competition. Companies must have in-depth knowledge of communication patterns and tools, in order to achieve their purposes and maintain successful relationships with loyal customers. This study makes a qualitative analysis of communication patterns for companies from Belgium and Romania, active in a large area of diverse business fields. The data was collected through questionnaires and phone call conversations. The concept of communication was split into factors that were tested though 11 questions, referring to five work hypotheses: (1) direct communication is a top tool for companies; (2) customers’ satisfaction is a top priority for companies; (3) customer loyalty is more important than customer acquisition; (4) national culture is not essential in the communication with customers; (5) companies prefer classic channels of communication over modern ones. The comparative analysis led to the confirmation or disproval of each of the afore-mentioned hypotheses. Furthermore, the influencing factors of communication are clarified through the outcome of the study. For a successful communication, companies need to analyse the given context under its most relevant aspects, be aware of the characteristics of the communication type used, take into consideration the relevant objective and subjective factors and build in meaning, joint purpose, learning potential and adaptability.
Keywords: relationship marketing; communication; comparative study; marketing study; qualitative research.