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Internal marketing is an important approach for fostering a service‐ and customer‐oriented culture in an organization. A critical component of internal marketing is the provision of internal service quality. While researchers have conducted studies of internal service quality, there has been no general agreement on the measurement of the concept. Work to date has attempted to use the SERVQUAL instrument as a tool for measuring internal service quality. Researchers have not, however, demonstrated that the instrument can be reasonably modified to measure internal service quality. The current study modified the SERVQUAL instrument for a service setting and empirically tested and confirmed that it is appropriate for measuring internal service quality. While previous research has not confirmed the validity and reliability of all five SERVQUAL dimensions in a service setting, the results of the current study confirmed that all five dimensions – reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, responsiveness – were distinct and conceptually clear.

To extend understanding of service quality by empirically examining the conceptualisation of service quality (both technical and functional).

Because the popular service‐quality instrument, SERVQUAL, concentrates on functional quality, a model incorporating both technical quality and functional quality is employed here. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilised to examine empirically a two‐components model of service quality.

A two‐component model yields better fit than a model concentrating on functional quality alone (such as SERVQUAL).

Because the present study tests the model using a single service industry, an exhaustive description of technical quality could not be provided. This could be overcome in future studies by employing multiple service industries.

A useful foundation whereby practitioners can appreciate the importance of technical service quality (in addition to functional quality).

This paper fulfils an identified information and resources need, and offers practical assistance to academics and practitioners in the field.

Service quality researchers to date have paid scant attention to the issue of the dimensions of service quality. Much of the earlier work accepted the content measured by the SERVQUAL instrument. Following the argument that SERVQUAL only reflects the service delivery process, the study empirically examines the European perspective (i.e. Grönroos' model) suggesting that service quality consists of three dimensions, technical, functional and image, and that image functions as a filter in service quality perception. The results from a cell phone service sample revealed that Grönroos' model is a more appropriate representation of service quality than the American perspective with its limited concentration on the dimension of functional quality.

Whilst e‐procurement has significant potential to reduce the purchasing costs of an organisation, the realisation of these savings requires user compliance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which user‐perceived e‐procurement quality (EPQ) (operationalised through the dimensions of professionalism, processing, training, specification, content, and usability) influences both system and contract compliance.

User perceptions of EPQ were examined in four UK organisations using survey data from 274 respondents.

Strong evidence was found of a positive relationship between user‐perceived EPQ and both system and contract compliance. System compliance was most strongly influenced by professionalism and content dimensions, whilst contract compliance was most strongly influenced by processing, specification, and content dimensions.

Data were collected from e‐procurement users in four organisations, which may limit the extent to which findings can be generalised.

User perceptions of e‐procurement provision significantly influence system and contract adoption. Practitioners should pay attention to management of different dimensions of perceived quality as they may have different effects on both contract and system compliance.

This paper is the first to empirically assess the relationship between user‐perceived EPQ and compliance. Its findings challenge the assumption that the monopolistic dynamics common within internal services, such as e‐procurement provision, are sufficient to ensure compliance. Dissatisfied individuals invariably find ways to circumvent mandatory systems and contracts.