TITLE:
A Comparison of Service Quality Dimensions in the Mobile Service Market: Evidence from Emerging Markets
AUTHORS:
Mamoun Akroush, Ghazi Samawi, Majdy Zuriekat, Metri Mdanat, Israa Affara, Shuhd Dawood
KEYWORDS:
Service Quality, SERVQUAL, Customer Satisfaction, Mobile Telecommunications
JOURNAL NAME:
Theoretical Economics Letters,
Vol.9 No.2,
February
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: This study compares service quality (SERVQUAL)
dimensions from customers’ perspectives and examines their impact on customer
satisfaction in the mobile service markets of Jordan and Yemen. A questionnaire
was distributed to 1400 participants in both countries. Utilizing structural
equation modeling (SEM), it was found that the most important SERVQUAL
dimensions in the studied countries are: reliability, interaction quality
(empathy, assurance, and responsiveness), and tangibles in Jordan; and
reliability, assurance-empathy, tangibles, and responsiveness in Yemen. In both
samples, SERVQUAL was able to predict customer satisfaction, whereby
reliability exerted the strongest effect, and it successfully measured service
quality from customers’ perspectives in both countries. Furthermore, the
current study provides managers of mobile service operators in both markets
with insightful knowledge related to SERVQUAL dimensions and their role in
ensuring customer satisfaction. Managing SERVQUAL dimensions relative to
consumer needs in targeted markets is essential for business competitiveness
and marketing strategies.