Validation and improvement of the European Customer Satisfaction Index for the Spanish wine sector

Abstract

Purpose

A study of the Spanish wine sector, in this case specifically the Designation of Origin (DO) Somontano, requires validation of the European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI), which also needs to be improved and adapted to obtain more information on customer satisfaction. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper the ECSI model was applied, based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using the partial least squares.

Findings

An empirical analysis shows that the importance of customers’ expectations and perceived quality are the most influential factors in achieving satisfaction. Also highlighted in the new model is the linkage between service and product qualities in a unique variable, total quality.

Originality/value

In addition to validating the ECSI model for DO Somontano, a new innovative implementation was developed and tested to improve the calculation of satisfaction.

Citation

Ajami, M.P., Navarro Elola, L. and Pastor, J. (2018), "Validation and improvement of the European Customer Satisfaction Index for the Spanish wine sector", The TQM Journal, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 133-152. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-07-2016-0056