ABSTRACT
The review of academic literature indicates the preponderance of interest on the concept of customer service strategy. In spite of this growth, there is an absence of a holistic model that considers the impact and role of environmental factors in the development of customer service strategy. In this study, given that there is no universal definition of customer service strategy, we introduce five dimensions to the meaning of customer service strategy. We then develop a framework that advances an institutional economics-led model of customer strategy, which captures the influence of external and internal environmental factors in the crafting of a successful customer service strategy. Our study has contributed to the strengthening of academic knowledge within the customer service domain and customer marketing in general while providing recommendations for the African context. Going forward, we call for further exploratory research and suggest how measures can be developed to capture the constructs.
