LISTENING BEHAVIOR AND ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATIONS OF CALL CENTER OFFICERS IN PREVENTING HOSPITAL CUSTOMERS' SWITCHING INTENTIONS

Abstract

Several studies have shown that listening behavior affects customer satisfaction, which in turn has a negative effect on switching intention. In addition, customer behavior intention is also influenced by assertive communications. Does this apply in the context of non-face-to-face communications, such as a hospital call center? The role of hospital call center officers is becoming increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officers must answer questions and provide accurate information. From several studies, the effect of listening behavior and assertive communications on call center officers has not yet been seen. Research using quantitative methods is then done, with a research population of hospital patients in Indonesia who contacted a call center at least once in the last 6 months. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire in Google Docs format that was sent directly via e-mail and Instagram direct messages to respondents. This online survey technique is carried out in a web-based self-administered manner. After testing the validity and reliability, the results of this study proved that listening behavior and assertive communications affect switching intention. This means that the better the listening behavior of hospital call center officers, the higher the tendency of hospital patients to not switch to other hospitals. The same goes for assertive communications. If the hospital call center officer has assertive communications skills, the tendency of hospital patients to not switch to another hospital will increase. As a moderation variable, corporate reputation has been shown to moderate the influence of listening behavior and assertive communications on switching intentions.