Roles of trust on rapport and satisfaction in services

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report antecedent roles of competence, contractual and goodwill trust on rapport and satisfaction in banking services in a developing country context. The study also identifies the mediating influence of these three types of trust between rapport and customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from a sample of 212 bank customers were analysed using AMOS-based structural equation modelling. Findings – While all three types of trust have significant impact on satisfaction, only competence and goodwill trust positively influenced rapport. Results also demonstrate that competence and goodwill trust had complementary mediation impacts in the rapport-satisfaction context; however, mediation influence of contractual trust was not significant. Finally, influence of rapport was found to be positive towards satisfaction. Practical implications – Management should focus on building goodwill and competence trust with bank customers. Bank managers should hire and train employees who are friendly in terms of customer care and are able to develop rapport with customers to increase the latter's satisfaction. Originality/value – The paper tested the influence of competence, contractual and goodwill trust on rapport and satisfaction and verified the mediation impact of trust between rapport and satisfaction.