Creating Trust and Commitment in B2B Services
(A2019-8834)

AUTHORS

Silvia Boßow-Thies, FOM - University of Applied Science, ifes Institute; Oliver Gansser, FOM - University of Applied Science, ifes Institute; Bianca Krol, FOM - University of Applied Science, ifes Institute

KEYWORDS

Trust ; Commitment; B2B

ABSTRACT

In an ever-changing environment, business relationships are becoming increasingly complex. This applies in particular to the B2B service sector due to the intangible nature of the services. The combination of a personal and an organizational level of the relationships further heightens this complexity. Trust might lower uncertainty and complexity and help maintain commitment. Based on structural equation modeling and a sample of 1,692 participants this study provides insights into the drivers of trust in organizations and in salespersons, and their impact on commitment. The results show that both are important, while trust in a salesperson far surpasses the effect of trust in an organization. Furthermore, reputation and service quality influence trust in organization while social skills and low selling orientation affect trust in salespersons. To sum up, our study is the first to provide a comprehensive trust-model in the B2B service market. It might serve as guide for future research.