Customer engagement: Innovation in non-technical marketing processes

AbstractEconomic globalization and growing competitive pressure require companies to invest more and more time and resources in innovation. Innovation may be technical in nature or linked to non-technical processes such as new approaches to channel linking, relationship building and customer portfolio management.This article takes a closer look at customer engagement as non-technical innovation linked to marketing capabilities and commercial processes. We analyzed a sample of 176 people in the Spanish mobile telecommunications sector. Our findings suggest that this new approach to client portfolio management boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to a commitment to spreading positive word-of-mouth. Such manifestations of engagement appear to significantly enhance performance for companies which foster non-transactional behaviors among their customers. Implications for management are discussed in the final section of the study.