Title: Measuring service quality: a systematic review of literature

Authors: Sanjit Kumar Roy; Walfried M. Lassar; Shirshendu Ganguli; Bang Nguyen; Xiaoyu Yu

Addresses: The University of Western Australia (M263), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia ' Florida International University, MMC - RB307C, USA ' T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal, India ' School of Business, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China ' School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai Municipality 200444, China

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic and up-to-the-date review of the extensive research that has been conducted on the conceptualisation and measurement of perceived service quality. Definitions, conceptual models and measurement approaches of perceived service quality are discussed and reflected on. A systematic approach was adopted to critically review the service quality literature from the past 35 years. The comprehensive literature review highlights that service quality has been measured: (i) as both uni-dimensional and multi-dimensional models; (ii) as multi-level hierarchical models and (iii) as customers' lived experiences. A definition of service quality, incorporating emotions, is proposed. The contribution of the paper lies in achieving a more profound understanding of the nature of perceived service quality, which might be of use for both academics and industry. By organising and synthesising the major research streams and the individual studies within them, this paper provides a comprehensive framework not only for future researchers but also for practitioners.

Keywords: service quality measurement; SERVQUAL; customer experience; lived experiences; literature review; emotions; perceived quality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSEM.2015.076322

International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, 2015 Vol.7 No.1, pp.24 - 52

Received: 19 Aug 2015
Accepted: 11 Mar 2016
Published online: 03 May 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article