Interpersonales Vertrauen im deutschen Versicherungsvertrieb - eine empirische Analyse der Kundenerwartungen zum Verhalten der Versicherungsvertreter in der Face-to-Face-Interaktion

This thesis investigates interpersonal trust in German sales distribution. The focus of this research lies on the empirical analysis of customer expectations on the behaviour of tied insurance intermediaries in the face to face interaction. Based on scientific literature, the importance of this interaction in insurance distribution is highlighted by presenting it as an essential part of customer seller relationship. Furthermore, the basics of interpersonal trust are delivered. Behavioural and economic trust oriented theories are given. Interpersonal trust and its features, forms, and phases are shown. The different trust definition approaches are discussed. The antecedences and consequences of interpersonal trust are presented. Finally, the customer expectations of trust and the trust-oriented behaviour of the named salesmen in a social interaction are set out in comparison. In general, an outline of the general customer expectations of service providers is shown. In particular, both is compared the customer expectations of the sellers’ expertise and social competence and the salesmens demonstrated expertise and social competence.
The empirical research analyzes which factors customers expect to trust tied insurance intermediaries in a face to face interaction. It consists of an approach of mixed methods and is divided in a qualitative and a quantitative part. The qualitative preliminary examination consists of discussions with a focus and a pretest group. As a result, 123 items are identified for an online survey to insurance customers (sample n = 1312). The quantitative main study contains four steps. Step A concerns a descriptive analysis. Step B consists of an exploratory factor analysis, which discovers seven factors and 54 items: expected loyal behaviour (16 loading items), expected benefits media-ting behaviour (nine loading items), expected empathic behaviour (eight loading items), expected orientation giving behaviour (five loading items), expected ritual-based behaviour (eight loading items), expected solution-oriented behaviour (five loading items), and expected sympathy genera-ting behaviour (three loading items). Step C includes a reliability analysis of all factors and items. Step D deals with a confirmatory factor analysis, which confirms all factors and items. A reliable and valid measurement model is developed and accepted. An insurance-specific definition of interpersonal trust is derived from it.