Alternative measures of service quality: a review

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the key conceptual and empirical issues that should be considered in the development of alternative industry‐specific measurement scales of service quality (other than SERVQUAL).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 30 studies are selected from two well‐known databases: Science direct and ABI inform. These studies are subjected to a comprehensive in‐depth content analysis and theoretical discussion of the key conceptual and empirical issues to be considered in the development of service‐quality measurement instruments.

Findings

The study identifies deficiencies in some of the alternative service‐quality measures; however, the identified deficiencies do not invalidate the essential usefulness of the scales. The study makes constructive suggestions for the development of future scales.

Originality/value

This is the first work to describe and contrast a large number of service‐quality measurement models, other than the well‐known SERVQUAL instrument. The findings are of value to academics and practitioners alike.

Citation

Ladhari, R. (2008), "Alternative measures of service quality: a review", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 65-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520810842849