Technology handling capability of Customers and front line Staff: The key determinants to Customer Relationships in the Modern Banking Services-Evidence from Kerala

Managing customer relationships is the most challenging task faced by modern service providers. Customers can be retained by establishing a lasting bondage with them by providing better than what they expect and keeping them happy so that they should not even think about another service provider. Banking service providers are offering IT enabled banking services to their customers and modern customers cannot avoid the technology driven services. Hence the capacity to deal with the technology driven services will definitely influence the customer experience and hence it can shape the relationship with the bankers. At the same time, the ability of the bank staff to provide technology driven services in real time without any confusion is a pre requisite for satisfying customers who visit the branches. In this background, the technology handling capability of the customers and front line staff is conceptualised as a key determinant in customer relationship management in banks. The study establishes that technology handling capability of the customers and the staff is significantly influencing the intensity of customer relationships in banking sector