Measuring service quality: current thinking and future requirements
Abstract
The publication of the first results of the SERVQUAL instrument provoked a debate on how best to measure service quality. With more than a decade since the publication of those results many researchers have attempted to demonstrate the efficacy, or not, of the SERVQUAL instrument, or to develop their own measurement methods. This paper reviews this debate in relation to six key aspects: the purpose of the measurement instrument; the definition of service quality; models for service quality measurement; the dimensionality of service quality; issues relating to expectations; and the format of the measurement instrument. The main areas of agreement and disagreement are identified. As a result the continued use of the SERVQUAL instrument is called into question, and areas for further research are identified.
Keywords
Citation
Robinson, S. (1999), "Measuring service quality: current thinking and future requirements", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 21-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634509910253777
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited