To Switch or Not? Analyzing the Question for Consumers in Turkish Mobile Telecommunications

The purposes of this study are to explore differences between switchers and non-switchers among Turkish mobile phone service users and identify switching barriers and switching facilitators. Exploratory factor analysis and discriminant analysis were performed to analyze the data collected from Turkish mobile phone users which have knowledge about mobile number portability process. The analysis highlights that charging a fair price and satisfying customer support are the two discriminating factors between switchers and non-switchers. Findings also revealed that loss costs and contractual lock-ins are the major hindrances that prevent non-switchers from switching to another services provider, while corporate image along with value for money and attractiveness of alternatives are perceived as leading facilitating factors by switchers to change their services provider. The findings can be utilized by mobile services provider companies for developing and implementing customer acquisition and retention strategies. For future research, we suggest to examine the effect of switching factors on customers switching intention and possible differences between heavy and light switchers.