Improving relationship quality during the crisis

The economic crisis in Spain has had a considerable impact on the financial sector and has led to a deep and widespread restructuring in the industry. The combination of a vigorous expansion policy and the burst of the housing bubble brought about an economic depression with emotional consequences. As a result, customers have had to use their emotional intelligence to manage a range of emotions and this management has affected the perceived quality of their relationship with their bank. In this article, we develop a theoretical approach starting from the hypothesis that customers' emotional intelligence influences relationship quality. We also explore the possible interactions between the variables that make up the macro-construct of relationship quality. Results from a sample of 1125 customers in a study using structural equations models allow us to confirm these relationships and to reflect on the need to generate strategies that can maximise customers' positive emotional performance.