Fenomena perpindahan pelanggan jasa merupakan faktor kunci yang mempengaruhi keberhasilan perusahaan jasa, karena berdampak langsung pada kinerja perusahaan, seperti peningkatan biaya operasi, penurunan pangsa pasar dan profitabilitas. Untuk mengatasi perpindahan pelanggan jasa, perusahaan perlu memahami faktor pengaruhnya. Umumnya studi perpindahan pelanggan jasa dikaitkan dengan masalah ketidakpuasan pelanggan (Bolton, l993). Tetapi penelitian lain menemukan bahwa tingkat kepuasan yang tinggi tidak menjamin pelanggan tidak berpindah (Reichheld, 1996). Penelitian ini mencoba mengungkapkan mengapa hal itu terjadi dan bagaimana mengatasinya, melalui pengujian empiris. Berbagai penelitian sebelumnya menyimpulkan kecenderungan yang berbeda; yaitu: (I) Faktor kepuasan saja tidak cukup untuk menjelaskan perpindahan pelanggan jasa, tetapi dibutuhkan faktor lain, seperti perhatian perusahaan pada hubungannya dengan pelanggan, atau investasi relational (Bansal & Taylor, 1999), dan kualitas alternatif jasa yang bersaing dipasar (Capraro et al.. 2003); (2) Selanjutnya, pengaruh kepuasan terhadap perpindahan pelanggan jasa bersifat dilematis alau non-linier, sehingga membutuhkan variabel moderator, seperti switching barrier (Jones, l998) dan karakteristik pelanggan (Homburg & Giering, ZOOI); (3) Sedangkan terhadap pengaruh tak langsung kepuasan pada perpindahan pelangggan jasa, penelitian ini menguji juga faktor intervensi dari variabel lain, yaitu komitmen relasional (Roberts, 1989). Pada intinya, penelitian ini mencoba mengatasi kekurangjelasan masalah perpindahan pelanggan jasa, dengan mengembangkan teori intensi berpindah pelanggan jasa yang dipengaruhi oleh lnvestasi relational, kepuasan, dan kualitas alternatif. Untuk menguji kelayakan model, dikumpulkan data kuantitatif dan kualitatif. terhadap pelanggan telpon seluler berbasis Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), dengan menggunakan populasi mahasiswa Universitas Indonesia. Untuk menguji model dan data empiris, digunakan metoda analisis Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), dengan bantuan perangkat lunak LISREL 8.72. Hasil pengujian menyimpulkan bahwa ketiga pendekatan tentang kecenderungan terjadinya perpindahan pelanggan jasa, dapat dlterapkan secara bersama-sama. Penelitian ini memperlihatkan bahwa: (a) kepuasan, investasi relasional, dan kualitas alternatif terbukti berpengaruh terhadap intensi berpindah, (b) komitmen relasional memediasi hubungan kepuasan dengan intensi berpindah. (C) hubungan kepuasan dengan komitmen relasional bersifal non-linier, dimoderasi oleh switching barrier (investasi relasional dan kualitas alternatif) dan karakteristik pelanggan (variety seeking dan keterlibatan pelanggan). Penelitian ini membuktikan bahwa intensi berpindah pelanggan jasa dapat dicegah melalui pembentukan komitmen relasional pelanggan. Disamping itu, komitmen relasional tidak dipengaruhi langsung oleh kepuasan, melainkan oleh interaksi antara kepuasan dengan variabel moderator: switching barrier- dan karakteristik pelanggan. Implikasi manajerial adalah untuk mengatasi perpindahan pelanggan jasa. penyedia jasa perlu memperkuat komiitmen relasional pelanggan. Komitmen relasional yang kuat dibangun dengan meningkatkan investasi relasional, melalui pembentukan ikatan sosial dengan pelanggan, yaitu dengan membangung klub pelanggan. pembentukan klub pelanggan merupakan penerapan pemasaran relasional untuk menutupi kesenjangan hubungan penyedia jasa dengan pelanggan yang bersifat low contact dan low customization.

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Customer-switching phenomenon is a factor which determines the success of a service corporation, inasmuch as it has direct impact on the productivity of the company such as operational costs, market decline, and profitability. To properly administer to this phenomenon, it is important that the corporation perceive the impacts. Traditionally, the study on customer switching phenomenon is identified with dissatisfaction on the part of the customers (Bolton, l998). However, other studies show that high satisfaction measure does not guarantee that customer-switching will not take place (Reichheld, 1996). This study attempts to reveal why this phenomenon occurs and, through empirical assessment, how to resolve the matter. Numerous studies in the past have provided different conclusions: (1) Satisfaction factor alone is insufiicient to explain customer-switching phenomenon. Other reasons are required, such as the corporation?s concem for customer relation, or relational investment (Bansal & Taylor, 1999), and the quality of alternative services in the market (Capraro et al., 2003); (2) Furthennore, the relation between customer satisfaction to customer-switching is dilemmatie or non-linier- Thus, as a consequence, a moderating variable is required, namely .switching barrier (Jones, 1998) and customer characteristics (Homburg & Giering, 2001); (3) On the indirect impact domain of customer-switching phenomenon, this study also attempts to examine the intervention factor from another variable, namely the relational commitment (Roberts, 1989). As the gist of the matter, this study intends to deal with the ambivalence regarding customer-switching phenomenon by elaborating thc intentional theory, influenced by relational investment, satisfaction factor. and the quality of alternative services. In assessing the feasibility of the model. quantitative and qualitative data are accrued from cellular telephone customers using Global ?System for Mobile Communication (GSM), the population being students of Universitas Indonesia. Model and empirical data are analyzed by employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. with the assistance of LISREL 8.72 software. The examination concludes that the three approaches pertaining the tendency of custotner-switching can be applied simultaneously. The investigation reveals that: (a) satisfaction, relational investment, and the quality of altemative services prove to he directly atifecting the customers? intention to switch. (b) relational commitment mediates customer satisfaction with the intention to switch. (c) customer satisfaction and relational commitment is characterized by non-linear interaction. moderated by switching barrier (relational investment and the quality of alternatives) and customer characteristics (variety seeking and customer involvement). This study proves that the intention to switch can be prevented by elaborating on the relational commitment to thc customers. Moreover. relational commitment is not directly influenced by customer satisfaction, but by the interaction between satisfaction and moderating variables: switching barrier and customer characteristics. The implication on the managerial domain to prevent customers from switching is by improving the corporation?s relational commitment. Strong relational commitment is established by promoting relational investment. which can be done by building strong social ties with customers. specifically by establishing a customer club. Customer club is an application of relationship marketing strategy to bridge the gap between service provider and customer, which is originally characterized by low contact and low customization.