A sustainable e-service quality model

Abstract

Purpose – Providing high service quality is a necessary but insufficient criterion for success. Service quality must be sustained longitudinally. The purpose of this paper is to propose a sustainable e-service quality model by presenting results from a mixed-method study conducted in the Republic of Macedonia’s banking industry. Sustainable e-service quality is the ability to deliver services continually with sustainable high quality, and the ability to manage and maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty. The authors scrutinized sustainable quality from an e-services perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Based on interview data, a theoretical model is developed. The model is examined empirically using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. As a sample, the authors chose one bank, with internal, e-services customers as a unit of analysis. Findings – Results support a sustainable e-service quality model, confirming that it captures the effect of the internal domain (i.e. quality management system, business/ICT alignment, ICT capabilities, ICT service climate, and e-service quality), and predicts the external domain (satisfaction and loyalty). Research limitations/implications – This study was conducted in one bank that is among the best in the country. This limitation implies a need for validation across varying contexts, markets, and countries. Practical implications – Practitioners can deploy the model as a diagnostic tool for organizational root-cause analysis of reduced performance and decreased customer satisfaction. The model answers a question regarding unfulfilled expectations of many companies that implement quality management systems: Why did the system fail to improve organizational performance or service quality? Originality/value – The result of this research is a sustainable e-service quality model. The model highlights relationships among factors, and provides a research foundation for elaboration in other contexts.

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