Total Quality Management (TQM) for Sustainable Customer Loyalty
Read this article. The paper seeks to demonstrate how implementing TQM can be a precursor to sustainable customer loyalty. While reading, reflect on how your favorite store or brand seeks to maintain your satisfaction and loyalty. What in particular do they do that keeps you a loyal customer?
Methodology
Conceptual research approach has its purpose and target to develop concepts and analyze them mainly by reasoning. The explanatory design was adopted because the paper aimed at putting together different ideas or perspectives relating to the subject understudy in a bid to understand and explain "what" "why" and "how" total quality management translates to sustainable customer loyalty. However, in this paper efforts are geared towards attending to these limitations by relying on literature that captures the subject matter. The literature utilized in this paper comprised of academic articles, journals, research working papers, sustainability reports collected from reputable sources. In collating the relevant literature, articles that undergo peer review process before being published were included while those that do not undergo peer review process were excluded.
Propositions
Continuous product improvement and customer loyalty
Studies such as Dapper et al. have revealed that essential to all TQM systems is improving the quality of the products and services provided by an organization. Chen & Mau opined that customer loyalty is the most critical issue to be measured in an organization and it is necessary to create customer loyalty due to the intense competition and saturated market situations because the world is turning towards the loyal customers from satisfied ones as it is the most integral part of the present businesses. Based on the above discussion it is observed that the literature supports the link between continuous product improvement and customer loyalty. Therefore, this study proposes the first hypothesis in a new context that:
P1: Continuous product improvement can sustain customer loyalty.
Top management commitment and customer patronage
Previous research in TQM practices emphasizes that top management commitment plays a very crucial role in driving TQM implementation and the overall success of the organization Top management must initially believe in TQM and thereafter show its commitment in order to implement TQM successfully. When top management is fully committed, a high-quality product will be produced and it will lead to customer satisfaction and once customers are satisfied they remain loyal. Top management commitment will also help enhance maintaining of customers and offering of higher value products in order to attract new customers and to uphold the loyalty of customers. Based on the above, it is proposed that:
P2: Top management commitment to TQM can enhance customers' patronage.