Service quality and satisfaction in business‐to‐business services

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effects of service quality and service satisfaction on intention in a business‐to‐business setting.Design/methodology/approach – This research addresses three unanswered questions regarding satisfaction and service quality: the distinction between customer satisfaction and perceived service quality; their causal ordering; and their relative impact on intentions. The data were collected using a large survey of buyers in a business setting.Findings – The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that service quality has a larger impact on intentions than does customer satisfaction. The results also show that the effects of individual transactions on intentions are mediated by corresponding cumulative constructs.Research limitations/implications – The primary implications for theory include demonstrating the distinction between satisfaction and service quality; specifying, based on theory and logic, the causal ordering bet...

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