The importance of service quality determinants in advertising a professional service: an exploratory study

Although the task of delivering consistent service quality to consumers by service professionals has been studied widely, little research has focussed on service quality cues in professional services advertising. Examines the relationship between the encoding of core service quality dimensions in a professional service’s advertisement and consumers’ perceptions of risk, service provider expertise and purchase intentions. Finds that: all five service quality dimensions decreased consumers’ perceptions of purchase risk; tangible, reliability, assurance and empathy cues in a professional service advertisement increased consumers’ perceived expertise of the professional service; both perceived expertise and perceived risk had a direct impact on purchase intentions. Discusses the relationships and the managerial implications of these ties to a professional service advertiser.