Value Creation Through Customer Service Experience: A Study Of Selected Churches In Ghana

ABSTRACT

The creation of value has long been recognized as a central concept in marketing and has

been suggested as the main purpose of organizations, a key to success via differential

positioning, and a precursor to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Understanding what value

is and how value is created and delivered to customers has become critical especially for

service firms where there is less tangibility. The main aim of this study was to assess the

value creation process of churches – a social institution – through the service experience

created for the patrons of their services i.e. the church members and how personal factors

affect the assessment of customer value.

This study assumed that churches first create positive service experiences through the

deployment of their service mix in order to create the needed value for their customers.

However, the assessment of value created out of the service experience is moderated by

personal idiosyncrasies of church members. Data was collected from four categories of

churches in Ghana through a structured questionnaire. The analysis method included

ANOVA, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling to test the

hypothesized relationships.

The study identified five elements of church service mix whose deployment influence the

creation of church service experience. The study found no relationship between church

service mix and customer value; but found a positive relationship between church service

experience and customer value. It was also found that members’ personal goals negatively

influence church service experience and customer value creation relationship; while

members’ value for fellowship positively influence church service experience and customer

value creation relationship.

Thus study has contributed to the understanding of value creation and customer experience

within churches, a dominant and non-profit making sector in the Ghanaian economy. The

study has also made some major recommendations to guide future research and church

management.