A typology analysis of service quality, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in mass services

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the possibility that the typology of a service as well as the operationalization of the service measurement scale may determine the nature of the service quality (SQ) construct and its relationship with those of customer satisfaction (SAT) and behavioral intentions (BI).Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized the service classification scheme developed by Schmenner and concentrated on the mass service category as an example to illustrate the concept with data from retail banking.FindingsConfirmatory factor analysis indicated that “Responsiveness,” “Tangibility,” “Reliability,” “Knowledge,” and “Accessibility” dimensions contribute significantly to service quality. It was further observed that SAT fully mediates the impact of SQ on BI.Research limitations/implicationsA notable limitation is that the present study focuses only on mass service and uses only one industry (retail banking) to illustrate the findings. Future research should examine other service categories.Practical implicationsService managers in the mass service category are recommended to devise operations and marketing strategies that focus on the SQ dimensions which can enhance customer satisfaction and, in turn, foster positive behavioral intentions.Originality/valueThis study presents a methodology for developing an operationizable service quality construct. It demonstrates that SQ, SAT and BI and their interrelationships may be typology‐specific. Thus, two or more industries may exhibit similar relationship characteristics with regard to these constructs, if they belong to the same service category. This knowledge can lead to inter‐industry benchmarking of best practices that can lead to better customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions.