The importance and formalization of service quality dimensions: a comparison of Chile and the USA

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Guesalaga ◽  
Dennis Pitta
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
Hofstede’S Cultural Dimensions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Purpose – Services account for a very large portion of the economic activity in most countries. While there is abundant academic research on service quality, which has focused mainly on determining service quality dimensions, understanding service quality antecedents, and relating service quality to key outcomes, such as customer satisfaction and performance, there is, however, limited research on an increasingly relevant issue, which is how service quality perceptions differ among cultures. The aim of this research is to address this question. Design/methodology/approach – The research used two identical surveys administered to managers in two different cultures. One survey was in English for the US sample and one was in Spanish for the Chilean sample. The surveys measured the importance of the five SERVQUAL service dimensions as well as relevant information about the respondent's experience, position and type of company at which he/she worked. Each country was examined for significant characteristics using Hofstede's cultural dimensions. Hypotheses were developed reflecting the differences expected by the characteristics of the cultures in which the respondents worked. Data was analyzed to extract meaning from the data using ANOVA. Findings – Of the five service quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy), reliability is the most important in both countries. Responsiveness is the second most important. Three of the hypotheses testing the difference in perceived importance among service quality dimensions between Chile and the USA, were supported. H1: no difference exists between the two countries in the importance of tangibles, is supported (p=0.000). H2: reliability is more important in Chile than in the USA, is also supported (p=0.039). H3: responsiveness is more important in the USA than in Chile, is supported as well (p=0.012). Research limitations/implications – Use of MBA students as survey respondents limits the generalizability of the results. Despite the fact that each subject was employed in a managerial position within a firm, each subject was also enrolled in an MBA program. Arguably, the subjects are all employed in business but differ from others who are not in degree programs. Practical implications – The research highlights the need to attend to perceptions of service quality globally. The Hofstede cultural dimensions provide a clear and easy to apply framework that allows companies to identify what is important in a host culture. That information will enable service quality adjustments that offer the potential of improving customer satisfaction and firm success. Originality/value – The current research is the first to use two tested conceptualizations to assess differences in service quality importance across cultures. It explores the relationship of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, with perceptions of service quality. It hypothesizes which service quality dimensions will be important based on the characteristics of the culture in which they are delivered. No other study has compared service quality perceptions between the USA and Chile. Each country has a vibrant, free market economy. The study provides a foundation for approaching other markets in Latin America and in countries with similar cultural dimensions.

Nonlinear impact of online retail characteristics on customer satisfaction and loyalty

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 152-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerson Tontini ◽  
Júlio Cesar da Silva ◽  
Eliane Fátima Strapazzon Beduschi ◽  
Elis Regina Mulinari Zanin ◽  
Margarete de Fátima Marcon
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Fault Recovery ◽  
Online Retail ◽  
Content Type ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Service Accessibility ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the nonlinear impact of online retail stores’ quality dimensions on general customer satisfaction and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative approach, 429 online users answered a closed questionnaire regarding their present satisfaction with 26 service attributes, their general satisfaction and loyalty. Using factorial analysis with Varimax rotation, five service-quality dimensions are studied: service accessibility/speed, fault recovery, buying reliability, service and site flexibility and site interaction/feedback. Penalty and reward contrast analysis identifies the Kano model classification of the service-quality dimensions, and the nonlinear impact of these dimensions, and customer satisfaction, on customer loyalty. Findings – The results show that there is a nonlinearity between quality dimensions, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The dimension “service accessibility/speed” has a one-dimensional impact on customer satisfaction, but with higher reward impact than penalty impact. “Fault recovery” is a “must-be”, “buying reliability” and “service flexibility” are “attractive” and “site interaction/feedback” is one-dimensional. Besides, the dimension “service accessibility/speed” has also a direct impact on loyalty if achieving above-average performance, thus reinforcing general customer satisfaction. Originality/value – Few previous papers explore this nonlinearity in online retail services. So, future studies should lead to a theoretical and practical understanding of managing these services. Understanding this nonlinearity may help companies to better identify what improve or offer to customers.

The impact of perceived service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi Kant ◽  
Deepak Jaiswal
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Public Sector Banks ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In the present competitive scenario in the Indian banking industry, service quality has become one of the most important facets of interest to academic researchers. The purpose of this paper is to determine the dimensions of perceived service quality and investigate their impact on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context, with special reference to selected public sector banks in India. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the empirical study, the authors validate a measurement model using structural equation modeling for investigating the impact of perceived service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. The study sample consists of 480 respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India; the data were collected through a structured questionnaire utilizing a seven-point Likert scale while implementing a purposive sampling technique. Findings The perceived service quality dimensions identified were tangibility, reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy, and image. The empirical findings revealed that “responsiveness” was found to be the most significant predictor of customer satisfaction. On the other hand, “image” (corporate image) has a positive but the least significant relationship with customer satisfaction followed by all other constructs. The exception is “reliability,” which is insignificantly related to customer satisfaction in Indian public sector banks. Research limitations/implications The study cannot be generalized in the context of Indian banking sectors, as it only focused on the public sector. The findings of this study suggest that the six dimensions of perceived service quality model are a suitable instrument for evaluating bank service quality for public banks in India. Therefore, bank managers can use this model to assess the bank service quality in the context of Indian public sector banks. Originality/value There is dearth of research focusing on corporate image as a dimension of perceived service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context. Furthermore, similar studies were rarely found in the Indian context, especially within the public banking sector. Hence, this paper attempts to accomplish the research gap by empirically testing the satisfaction level of a large sample of the population in NCR toward six dimensions of perceived service quality rendered by selected public sector banks in India.

Perceived overall service quality and customer satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 908-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedigheh Moghavvemi ◽  
Su Teng Lee ◽  
Siew Peng Lee
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Foreign Bank ◽  
Foreign Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions

Purpose Foreign and local banks in Malaysia are competing in terms of skilled staff, innovative products and services, rendering quality services and customer satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to examine the overall service quality and customer satisfaction of both foreign and local banks. Design/methodology/approach The data used to test the hypothesis were collected from 748 foreign and local bank customers in Malaysia. The research model was analysed using a structural equation modelling technique. Findings Results show that knowledge and staff competencies, as well as convenience of the bank is more significant for local bank customers while bank image and internet banking are important components for foreign bank customers. The results also reveal that foreign bank customers have higher satisfaction as compared to local bank customers. Research limitations/implications No analysis is undertaken of any difference in the service quality dimensions between banks of different size. Further research on banking services could usefully test services quality dimensions across banks of different sizes. Practical implications The findings serve as a valuable reference for local banks understand service quality challenges they may face from foreign banks in this competitive industry. Findings suggest that, to provide high-quality services, financial institutions need to heighten customer satisfaction differentiation strategies. Originality/value The outcomes of this study enhance the knowledge on the performance of both local and foreign banks in Malaysia as well as customer satisfaction, which are invaluable to all bank managers and industry players in improving their services.

The Relationship between Service Quality Dimensions, Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Technology based Self Service Banking

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajiv Sindwani ◽  
Manisha Goel
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
Bank Managers ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Self Service ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty

The technology based self service banking (TBSSB) refers to automated banking services that customer avail without interaction with bank employees. This paper investigates the relationship between dimensions of TBSSB service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The paper also examines the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the relationship. The dimensions are identified and confirmed by conducting EFA and CFA respectively using SPSS 16.0 and AMOS 20.0. Dimensions of TBSSB SQ are identified as Convenience, Reliability & Security, Responsiveness and Personalization. AMOS 20.0 is used to investigate the relationship between dimensions using SEM. It is found that Convenience and personalization have significant effect on customer satisfaction, and personalization and customer satisfaction have significant effect on loyalty. Customer satisfaction is also confirmed as a mediating factor. This study may help bank managers to investigate the customers' quality perceptions about TBSSB services and enlighten banks about the aspects of services to be focused.

An assessment of service quality and resulting customer satisfaction in Pakistan International Airlines

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 486-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faizan Ali ◽  
Bidit Lal Dey ◽  
Raffaele Filieri
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
International Airlines

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess foreigners and overseas Pakistanis’ evaluation of the quality of the services provided by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and its effect on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of 498 respondents was used to test the hypotheses of the study through structural equation modelling. Findings – The results of this study indicate that all of the hypotheses are supported and customer satisfaction of PIA customers is influenced by all of the five service quality dimensions (AIRQUAL), including airline tangibles, terminal tangibles, personnel, empathy, and image. Research limitations/implications – This research examines the relationship between service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. The study focuses on the evaluation of overseas Pakistanis and foreigners regarding the service quality of PIA. The main limitation of this study is that it focuses on PIA: thus, the results cannot be generalised. Practical implications – The results indicate that managers should focus on different dimensions of airline service quality in order to enhance customer satisfaction. Originality/value – This study would enable PIA to have a better understanding of the effects of service quality, which will lead to passengers’ satisfaction and encourage the development of long-term relationships with their customers.

Service quality and customer satisfaction in Ghanaian retail banks: the moderating role of price

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bedman Narteh
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bank Managers ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Retail Banks

Purpose Various models and scales exist in the literature to measure retail bank service quality without any attempt at integrating them and the moderators have often been under explored. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the SERVQUAL and BSQ models and moderated the resulting scale with price in order to examine service quality and customer satisfaction with retail bank services in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study is quantitative and the survey methodology was used to collect data from 560 retail bank customers. The result was analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings The study provides an expanded model for measuring retail bank service quality as seven of the eight latent constructs emerged as service quality dimensions when moderated with price. It is significant to also note that five of the constructs – tangibles, reliability, assurance, empathy and price – from the direct relationship emerged as the dimensions of retail bank service quality that positively and significantly predicted customer satisfaction. Practical implications The study provides insight into customer behavior with the quality of retail bank services in Ghana. The resulting broader dimensions provide an integrated and expanded model as well as pointers to bank managers on service quality and customer satisfaction cues to enable them attract, serve and retain customers. Originality/value The study is the first of its kind to integrate two of the popular models to measure retail bank service quality and to use price as a moderator of this relationship. The resulting scale, which comprised of variables from the two models, provides support for the approach used in the current study.

scholarly journals Determinants of service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study of private banking sector

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafikul Islam ◽  
Selim Ahmed ◽  
Mahbubar Rahman ◽  
Ahmed Al Asheq
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Private Banking ◽  
Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of various service quality dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, visibility, employee commitment and access to service on customer satisfaction in the private banking sector of Bangladesh. The research also investigates the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty and effect of demographic variables on customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers distributed 320 self-administered survey questionnaires among private banks' customers in Bangladesh and obtained 200 useable responses with a 62.5% valid response rate. The research data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) approaches. Analysis of variance and logistic regression have also been used to obtain the supplementary findings.FindingsThe research findings indicate that visibility, responsiveness and employee commitment have positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, whereas reliability and access to service are found to have insignificant influence on customer satisfaction of private banking services. The findings of this study also revealed that customer satisfaction has positive and significant relationship with customer loyalty. But except respondents' occupation type, all other demographic variables have no statistically significant relation with customer satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused solely on the private banking sector of Bangladesh, and thus the results may not be applicable to other service sectors.Originality/valueThis study conducted on customers' perception of private banking services is based on extended service quality dimensions and its relationship with customer satisfaction towards loyalty. The present research findings are anticipated to offer the guidelines for improving the customer satisfaction and loyalty of private banking services in Bangladesh as well as other countries.

Service quality and customer satisfaction in thermal tourism

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Silvestri ◽  
Barbara Aquilani ◽  
Alessandro Ruggieri
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relational Quality ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Employee Characteristics

Purpose Satisfaction in the tourism sector is a highly sensitive subject, and customer satisfaction (CS) has a significant impact on the choice of destinations made by tourists and on the decision to recommend them to friends or acquaintances. The purpose of this paper is to give empirical evidence of the dimensions of service quality (technical, functional and company image (CI)) and their connections in the sector of thermal tourism. It also aims at investigating the CI, seeking to understand whether some of the technical and functional service quality variables play a role in determining it. Design/methodology/approach An empirical survey was conducted by administering a structured research questionnaire in order to collect all necessary data, which was then elaborated to test the hypotheses using factor and multiple regression analyses. Findings The results of the survey confirm the direct impact of service quality dimensions (technical, functional and CI) on CS also in the thermal sector when considered individually. Moreover, when the CI was analyzed further, relational quality was found to be dependent on thermal employees’ capabilities, abilities, trustworthiness, availability, etc. Finally, when considered together, functional service quality and CI have a stronger effect on CS than technical service quality. Originality/value The originality of the present research relies on the following: a further contribution to the so-called “European perspective” of service quality; the study of service quality dimensions (technical, functional and CI) in the thermal sector; and evidencing the link between thermal employee characteristics and the relational quality factor of the CI, demonstrating that many aspects of this construct need further empirical investigation, in the wellness sector.

The impact of customer service quality on customer satisfaction in Islamic banking

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdulnaser Janahi ◽  
Muneer Mohamed Saeed Al Mubarak
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the Islamic banking literature by examining the impact of different factors of customer service quality on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a model which is not frequently used in Islamic banking literature and shows relationships between six factors of customer service quality and customer satisfaction in the Islamic banking sector. Customers of five main Islamic banks are contributing in this study. Findings This paper demonstrates strong and positive relationships between the six main dimensions of customer service quality (Compliance, Assurance, Reliability, Tangibility, Empathy and Responsiveness) and customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The study may suffer from lack of generalization, as it is conducted in one country (Bahrain). It might also be useful to enlarge the study sample and include comparison between Islamic versus conventional banking with regard to service quality and customer satisfaction. Practical implications This paper can influence the current Islamic banks with regard to service quality with an ultimate aim of increasing customer satisfaction and retaining customers. Originality/value This study is one of the few that focus on effects of customer service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in the Islamic banking sector. It reveals that, although customers pay special attention to Sharia’h laws (compliance) in their transactions with banks, the way services are delivered matters to them too.

The effect of supermarket service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty and disloyalty dimensions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neale Slack ◽  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Shavneet Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Price Sensitivity ◽  
Repurchase Intention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction on customer repurchase intention, word-of-mouth, complaining behaviour and price sensitivity, as well as the effect of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A public intercept survey collected data from 480 supermarket customers. Statistical package for the social sciences was used to provide descriptive and inferential analysis. Findings Results reveal the predominance and magnitude of effect of empathy positively on customer satisfaction, customer repurchase intention and word-of-mouth, and negatively on customer complaining behaviour and price sensitivity. Customer satisfaction also significantly affects these customer loyalty and disloyalty dimensions. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in the supermarket sector of only one country. Practical implications Insights have been provided to increase customer satisfaction and customer loyalty outcomes, and negate customer disloyalty outcomes, in the supermarket sector. Originality/value This study provides suggestions to supermarket executives regarding the significance of empathetic, customer-oriented behaviour by front-line supermarket service employees.

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