Service quality and satisfaction: an international comparison of professional services perceptions
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the applicability of key measures of service quality and customer satisfaction in a cross‐cultural setting, first establishing measurement equivalence and then investigating the impact of culture on these measures.
Design/methodology/approach
Using scenarios involving a visit to the dentist's office, respondents from Germany, Japan, and the USA participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which the authors manipulated both expectations (low/high) and service performance (low/high).
Findings
Regardless of expectations, when performance was low, the low‐context respondents (USA and Germany) perceived lower quality than did the respondents from the high‐context country (Japan), but gave higher quality ratings than did the Japanese respondents when the performance was high.
Practical implications
The findings of this study highlight the necessity of considering culture when interpreting customer satisfaction ratings.
Originality/value
This research adds credence to the paramount role culture plays in consumers' ratings of perceived service quality and customer satisfaction.
Keywords
Citation
Ueltschy, L.C., Laroche, M., Eggert, A. and Bindl, U. (2007), "Service quality and satisfaction: an international comparison of professional services perceptions", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 410-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040710818903
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited