Trust in industrial service relationships: behavioral consequences, antecedents and the moderating effect of the duration of the relationship

Building on previous studies which suggested that trust is a critical factor in facilitating exchange relationships, the authors investigate with empirically derived data the role of service quality and customer bonding as antecedents of trust in relatively newer vis-à-vis a relatively mature relationship between the provider of business-to-business services and the client. The findings presented here show that the time element is critical to the effect that both service quality and successful customer bonding bear in trust development. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that not all dimensions of the quality of the service offered by the provider contribute equally in the provider’s trustworthiness. Similarly, specific customer bonding techniques foster the extent to which the client trusts the service provider while others do not have an impact on the trustworthiness of the provider.