Sport Management Studies

The Role of Customer Relationship Management in the Customers' Loyalty to the Recreational Sports Centers

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Abstract
Customer relationship management is called to all preliminaries with the aim of attraction, keeping touch, optimizing of long term and invaluable relationship between the organization and the customer. To achieve this, all the recreational sports complexes could improve their condition in the competing market, utilizing the advantages of customer loyalty. The present study aims at examining the role of customer relationship management (CRM) in the customers' loyalty to the recreational sports centers in Mashhad. This study uses a descriptive-correlative method which was conducted in the field. The population included all customers of recreational sports centers (swimming pools, bodybuilding and aerobics clubs) in Mashhad who had at least 6 months of membership. Using cluster sampling, 4 regions out of total 13 regions in Mashhad were randomly selected. The sample size was determined 384 people and after discarding the corrupt questionnaires, the statistical analysis was done on 356 questionnaires. In order to gather data on CMR, a researcher-made questionnaire was used whose validity was (α=0.88) and for loyalty, Liu's questionnaire (2008) was applied which was estimated as (α=0.85). To analyze the demographic characteristics, we used descriptive statistics and at the inferential statistics level we simultaneously utilized the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson's correlation and multivariate regression. The study results showed that there is a positive significant relationship between CRM and the customers' loyalty (P<0.001, r=0.464). Also, among the CRM components, attraction and retention of customers were stronger predictors for their loyalty (P<0.001, t=5.924). Therefore, good communication with the customers and enhancing the facilities are the most important factors of attraction and retention of customers in the recreational sports centers.

Keywords

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Sport Management Studies
Volume 8, Issue 36
June & July 2016
May and June 2016
Pages 189-208

  • Receive Date 10 October 2013
  • Revise Date 21 September 2016
  • Accept Date 27 July 2014

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