Sport customer relationship management, competitive advantage, satisfaction, loyalty, and complaint management

Abstract

Customer relationship management (CRM) in sports venues is a strategy for interacting with customers and managing the activities necessary for an effective and enduring customer relationship. This study investigates the impact of CRM on loyalty and the moderating role of reducing customer complaints. Data were collected from clients of sports venues (n=384). The structural equation method surveyed the effect of variables and the PLS Smart Partial Least Squares Approach analyzed the patterns. The Hayes process examined the moderating effect of customer complaints reduction. Findings showed that CRM leads to increased loyalty, satisfaction, and competitive advantage. Also, reducing customer complaints (R² = 0.81) moderated the impact of CRM success on customer loyalty. Therefore, making proper relationships with customers, satisfying them, and increasing the level of service facilities are the most important determinants of loyalty in sports venues. The reduction of customers' complaints can lead to increased loyalty and subsequently lower marketing expenses.