Investigating the Impact of Word of Mouth Advertising on Customer Experience Management in the Dental Equipment Industry Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

The present study aimed to investigate and prioritize the impact of word of mouth advertising on customer experience in the dental equipment industry. The conceptual model of the research was developed through interviews with fourteen marketing experts. Then, the categories related to word of mouth advertising including 5 categories of credibility, transparency, brand personality, relationship quality and positive and negative advertising were identified. Also, the categories related to customer experience including 4 main categories of satisfaction with sales staff, satisfaction with environment of sales center, customers’ experience of sales centers and diversity of services were identified through interviews and specialized questionnaires and through AHP technique in the form of a questionnaire distributed among the managers of a dental clinic in Tehran. the results of hierarchical analysis showed that among the main categories, satisfaction with sales staff with a weight of 0.302 was ranked first, customers’ experience of sales centers with a weight of 0.244 was ranked second, diversity of services with a weight of 0.229 was ranked third and satisfaction with the environment of sales centers with a weight of 0.225 was ranked fourth. The results of research on the subcategories showed that in the category of customer satisfaction with the sales unit staff, interaction with the weight of 0.219, in the category of satisfaction with environment of sales center, place of sales centers with a weight of 0.228, in the category of customers’ experience of sales centers, customer emotional experience with a weight of 0.251, and in the category of service diversity, after-sales service with a weight of 0.237 had the highest priority from the respondents’ point of view. The results showed that dental equipment sales centers should prioritize categories such as interaction, store place, customers' emotional experience, and after-sales service in their programs.