Alternative scales for measuring service quality: A comparative assessment based on psychometric and diagnostic criteria

Abstract

Service quality measurement is an area of growing interest to researchers and managers. It is also an area characterized by debate concerning the need for measuring customer expectations and how they should be measured. Building on a synthesis of the extant literature on customer expectations and service quality measurement, this article identifies unresolved issues and develops three alternative questionnaire formats to address them. It then discusses an empirical study that evaluated the three formats in four different sectors. The article concludes with practical implications and directions for further research stemming from the study's findings.