Affective commitment, trust, perceived value and service quality as predictors of customer engagement in the South African open medical aid industry

Abstract

The South African open medical aid industry is undergoing various challenges and is experiencing increased pressure to improve its service offerings. This is because customers of open medical aid providers are becoming progressively more educated about the various healthcare products and services available. As a result, customers are better equipped to make informed decisions concerning the available open medical aid options, which may lead to switching from their current open medical aid to a competitor when their needs are not met by the current medical aid product and service offerings. Consequently, open medical aid providers must retain and improve customer engagement by building strong relationships with their customers. Therefore, this study aims to determine if affective commitment, trust, perceived value and service quality predict customer engagement within the context of the open medical aid industry of South Africa. The study considered existing literature and a quantitative descriptive design. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to draw the sample through self-administered questionnaires, which resulted in a total of 307 questionnaires collected for data analysis. A standard multiple regression analysis was also conducted. Results indicated that affective commitment, customer trust, perceived value, and service quality could be predictors of customer engagement.