The hierarchical structure of service quality: integration of technical and functional quality

Purpose – To extend understanding of service quality by empirically examining the conceptualisation of service quality (both technical and functional).Design/methodology/approach – 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.Findings – A two‐component model yields better fit than a model concentrating on functional quality alone (such as SERVQUAL).Research limitations/implications – 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.Practical implications – A useful foundation whereby practitioners can appreciate the importance of technical service quality (in addition to functional qualit...

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