Strengthening customer relationships and the development potential of service enterprises

Abstract

Purpose: The aim is to indicate how strengthening customer relationships affects the 6 development potential of enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: The reasoning is based on the results of a study on a group of 184 service enterprises employing more than 10 employees. The research was carried out in 2022. The research tool was an original survey questionnaire, which was assessed for reliability. After formal evaluation, the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis, including the use of descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistics. Findings: Research has shown that most of the activities of service enterprises in the area of strengthening relationships with customers have a positive impact on the development potential of enterprises, including enterprise revenues, market share, the level of employment and investments in the company, and the level of use of new technologies and information solutions. Research limitations/implications: The research conducted has its limitations in the form of a small research group from the Silesian Voivodeship. In the future, it is planned to expand the research on a representative group, which will enable a broader exploration of the problem and the identification of the determinants of the competitiveness of service enterprises in the era of a difficult business environment. Practical implications: The results of the study on a group of service enterprises allow management practitioners to indicate which activities in the area of strengthening customer relationships positively determine the enterprise's potential, which determines its market competitiveness. Originality/value: The novelty of the study is the analysis of the impact of activities in the area of strengthening customer relationships on the company's results, called development potential, which determines the market competitiveness of service enterprises. The research results can be a guide in managing customer relations in service enterprises. Keywords: customer orientation, customer relations, enterprise development potential, organizational flexibility, management. Category of the paper: Research paper.