20th Bled eConference
eMergence:
Merging and Emerging Technologies, Processes, and Institutions June
4 - 6, 2007; Bled, Slovenia
Factors of Customer Service Quality and Online
Reviews and Its Relationships to Customer
Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in the E-
Commerce Market
Samar I. Swaid
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA
[email protected]
Rolf T. Wigand
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA
[email protected]
Abstract
Evidence exists that one successful strategy to satisfy and retain customers is offering
superior service quality. Motivated by the growing interest in e-commerce, we focus
our research questions on identifying the key dimensions of e-commerce service quality
and its relationships to customer satisfaction and loyalty. In exploring answers to our
research questions a hypothesized model is proposed and empirically tested using a
research survey with 370 online shoppers. Salient results include: (1) factors of
customer service quality are responsiveness, assurance and empathy; (2) online reviews
is affected by the perception of authenticity abd relevance; (3) customer loyalty is
predicted by the customer service and brand reputation. Results of the study contribute
to the nascent body of research in e-service quality and offer unique insights for
managers of online firms on how to manage the quality of their e-commerce e-service.
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1 Introduction
During the last decade companies accepted and adopted advanced web technologies to
establish a web presence (Aladwani & Palvia, 2002). Such web presence not only
supports traditional activities, but also supports new opportunities that arise from using
the web as a new channel to conduct business-to-customer electronic commerce
transactions. Establishing a web presence enables companies to reach global presence
with low operating cost, offering information depth and providing their customers
superior electronic service (e-service) quality (Vatanasombut et al., 2004). On the other
hand, the web introduces industry to increased competition that makes satisfying
customers difficult (Khalifa & Liu, 2004) and retaining customers a challenging issue
(Vatanasombut et al., 2004).
Both concepts of customer satisfaction and customer retention have become
increasingly important issues for e-business. A satisfied customer is more likely to stay
with the same company (Lee & Lin, 2005), and effective loyalty building strategies
enables e-business to grow in size and population (Vatanasombut et al., 2004). One way
of enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing customer loyalty is through offering
superior e-service quality (Lee & Lin, 2005; Zeithaml et al., 1996).
Unlike the concept of satisfaction that has been prominent and advanced to a level of
substantial sophistication in the literature (Parasuraman & Grewel, 2000), and the
construct of loyalty that has gained increasing attention (Zeithaml et al., 1996), the
eservice quality area is in an early stage of research. According to Zeithaml et al. (2000),
e-service quality is defined as the extent the web facilitates effective shopping,
purchasing and delivery of products and services. Service quality is an elusive and
abstract construct that is difficult to capture and measure (Cronion & Tayler, 1992). The
most accepted and widely adopted instrument to measure service quality in traditional
stores is the customer service quality model. The customer service quality model that
was developed by Parasuraman et al. (1988) measures service quality on five
dimensions, namely: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The
developed instrument has been tested across spectrum of settings such as physical
stores, healthcare, tourism, festivals, the automobile industry and information systems
(Li et al., 2002).
Furthermore, the customer service quality model has been used in the context of e-
commerce service (e.g., Sullivan & Walstrom, 2001; Barnes & Vidgen, 2002). Prior
research adopted the customer service quality model by rewording, dropping or adding
some items to measure e-service quality (Li et al., 2002). However, academic research
has found that relevant aspects of service quality in traditional stores cannot simply be
employed in the context of e-commerce (Parasuraman & Grewel, 2000; Parasuraman et
al., 2005). In fact, researchers suggest using a modified and extended version of the
customer service quality model to be used meaningfully in the context of e-service
quality measurement (Lee & Lin, 2005; van Riel et al., 2001).
The current study attempts to drive the instrument dimensions of e-service quality
through restructuring the dimensions of the customer service quality model. Moreover,
the study develops the research model that examines the relations among the dimensions
of eservice quality and the two concepts of customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions.
Samar I. Swaid, Rolf T. Wigand
Consistent with research on satisfaction-loyalty relationships in traditional settings, this
study examines the satisfaction-loyalty relation in the context of e-service.
Our research model is tested by a field survey of online shoppers and several analytical
methods (factor analysis and structural analysis). Results of the study offer unique
insights for managers of online firms on how to manage the quality of their ecommerce
e-service. It also contributes to the vast amount of research in information systems,
service marketing and consumer behavior by providing insights about eservice quality
concept and its relation with customer satisfaction and loyalty.
This paper proceeds as follows. The second section presents the literature review. Next,
we discuss the research model and hypotheses. Section four presents the research
methodology. The fifth section explains research work and results. In light of the
research findings, the paper provides conclusions and implications in section six. The
paper ends with an acknowledgement of the study limitations and direction for future
research.
2 Literature Review
Quality service is the customer’s subjective assessment that the service they are
receiving meets and exceeds their expectations (Parasuraman et al., 1988). A
combination of theoretical and empirical research on traditional service quality resulted
in developing the customer service quality model. The widely used customer service
quality instrument is composed of five dimensions (Parasuraman et al. 1988):
Several studies have applied the customer service quality model to measure service
quality in the context of online stores. For example, Sullivan and Walstrom (2001)
applied the five dimensions of the customer service quality model to measure service
quality of web-based book dealers on five dimensions: tangibles, reliability,
responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Similarly, Barnes and Vidgen (2002) carefully
reworded the customer service quality model resulting in the development of the
WebQual scale including five factors: usability, design, information, trust and empathy.
Iwwarden et al. (2004) used the customer service quality instrument by rewording its
measures to identify dimensions of eservice quality. Their work resulted in identifying
five dimensions: fast access, easy navigation on the website, presentation of complete
offer, order’s overview before final purchase decision, assurance and simple
registration process. However, this procedure of employing the customer service
quality model by rewording its items has been found to be insufficient in the context of
e-commerce (Parasuraman et al., 2005). Moreover, the generic dimensions of the
customer service quality model need to be reformulated to be used meaningfully in the
context of e-service (Lee & Lin, 2005). Service quality research indicates that studying
e-service quality is more valuable when it is associated with variables such as perceived
control, perceived risk and satisfaction (Lee & Lin, 2005; Zeithaml et al., 2000). As
online customers are more difficult to satisfy and retain compared to the traditional
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customer (Lee & Lin, 2005), this study focuses on online customer satisfaction and
loyalty.
Customer satisfaction is an evaluative process, where customers examine the results of
their service use and is defined as “… a judgment that a product of service feature, or
the product or service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of
consumption-related fulfillment, including levels of under or over fulfillment” (Oliver,
1997, p. 13). Customer satisfaction is captured as positive feeling (satisfaction),
indifference, or negative feelings (dissatisfaction) (Bhattacherjee, 2001).
Dissatisfaction in the context of e-commerce has been observed in several sectors such
as Internet service providers, e-brokerage and e-retailing (Bhattacherjee, 2001). For
example in e-retailing, dissatisfaction is evident when customers are disillusioned with
unfulfilled promises, late delivery, and out-of-stock items (Bhattacherjee, 2001). Prior
research has distinguished between two types of customer satisfaction, namely, (a)
service encounter satisfaction that is transactionspecific and (b) the overall satisfaction
that is relation-specific (Shankar et al., 2000), i. e. the latter being the type of customer
satisfaction this study focuses on. Research suggests that satisfaction with the purchase
decision relates to customers retention (Lee & Lin, 2005). Loyalty can be defined as
the customer’s commitment to a company, or intentions to maintain an ongoing
relationship with the service provider (Zhang & Prybutok, 2005). The satisfaction-
loyalty relationship has been found to apply in both offline as well as in online stores
(Zhang & Prybutok, 2005). For example, Kim et al. (2002) found a significant
relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions in virtual malls,
search portals, online stock brokerages and online network games. Based on prior
research, the current study develops and tests empirically a model of e-service quality
and the interrelations among e-service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3 Research model and hypotheses
Because the existing research on e-service quality has been described as fragmented
and unvalidated (Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2003), a comprehensive framework is needed
to identify the dimensions of e-service quality and their influence on customer
satisfaction and customer loyalty (Zeithaml et al., 2000). This study aims to cover this
gap in research by proposing and testing empirically the following research model.
3.1 Factora of customer service quality
This study reformulates the generic factors of customer service quality. Following we
will discuss in some details how each of the customer service quality factors
(responsiveness, assurance and empathy) is restructured and defined in the context of
customer service.
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Samar I. Swaid, Rolf T. Wigand
Responsiveness
In an examination of the top 100 U.S. retailers, responsiveness was a key indicator of
customer service quality (Zeithaml et al., 2000). Responsiveness is measured by the
promptness with which the e-retailer responds to customer questions and problems. In
offering good customer service, the response to the customer inquiry promptly
improves the perception of service quality (Parasuraman et al., 1988) and customer
satisfaction (Lee & Lin, 2005).
Assurance
One of the primary barriers to online shopping is the concerns about security (Zeithaml
et al., 2000). Despite the technical advancements in Internet security such as
cryptography, digital signatures, certificates, online customers are still concerned about
security issues when shopping (Ranganthan & Ganapathy, 2002). It has been found
though that perceived assurance has a significant influence on the intentions to
purchase online (Lee & Lin, 2005). Zeithaml et al. (2000) refer to assurance in virtual
space as “… the degree to which customers believe the site is safe from intrusion and
personal information is protected … involves the confidence the customer feels in
dealing with the site and is due to the reputation of the site and the products or services
it sells” (p. 16).
Empathy
Empathy in the customer service quality refers to the individualized attention that
companies offer their customers. In this respect, empathy in the context of the web
becomes the personalization construct (Zeithaml et al., 2000). The Internet is a
bidirectional communication (Li et al., 2001). Therefore, online firms are empowered
to know the customer’s shopping habits, preferences and needs. Offering customized
products and recommendations that meet customers’ preferences influences their
satisfaction and intentions to repurchase (Lee & Lin, 2005). Accordingly, it is
hypothesized that:
H1.1-1.7: Factors of customer service uality and are communication skills,,
responsiveness, assurance and personalization are the key dimensions of
customer service quality
3.2 Online reviews
Online reviews are assessments and feedback provided by consumers who have utilized
a product or service, shared publicly on various online platforms (Dalli, 2020). These
reviews offer valuable insights into the quality, performance, and overall customer
experience associated with a particular offering. Online reviews play a significant role
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Factors of Customer Service Quality and …
in influencing purchasing decisions, as they provide potential buyers with firsthand
information from other consumers (Tuan, 2016). The authenticity and relevance are the
factors of online reviews contribute to their credibility, serving as a form of social proof
that can sway consumer perceptions and influence brand reputation. Businesses often
monitor and respond to online reviews to address concerns, improve customer
satisfaction, and build trust with their audience (D'Acunto, 2003).
H2.1-2.7: The perception of online reviews influences positively customer
satisfaction
3.3 Customer loyalty
Customer loyaly has become one of the top management priorities of today’s
businesses (Kardaras & Karakostas, 1999). Loyalty customers are less expensive and
perform as a source of positive word-mouth that is even more effective than advertising
in print or mass media channel (Bhattacherjee, 2001). Moreover, customer loyalty
helps to ensure customer retention, which is far less costly than customer replacement
(Hill, 1997). Pervious research has found that customer loyalty influence by the factors
that are customer service and brand reputation (Lee & Lin, 2005). Several studies
examined loyalty in physical stores (Shankar et al., 2002), but still we do not know how
this relation is transferred in the e-commerce setting. Building on prior research, it is
hypothesized that:
H3.1-3.7: The perception of customer service quality influences loyalty intentions
4 Research methodology
In order to develop the instrument factors of customer service quality, factors of
customer service quality and online reviews have been first conceptualized (see table 1
for the conceptualization of the instrument dimensions). This step is important in that
it refers to relevant research that can be used to generate samples of items to
operationalize the envisioned and proposed constructs. Measures of loyalty were
adopted from Zhang and Prybutok (2005) and Parasuraman et al. (2005), respectively.
Scale’s items were measured using seven-point Likert-type scales ranging from (1)
strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree.
Research Questions:
Factors of Customer Service Quality
Responsiveness:
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Samar I. Swaid, Rolf T. Wigand
1. I am satisfied with the speed and efficiency of customer service responses when
addressing my queries or concerns on this e-commerce platform.
2. The customer service team on this e-commerce platform is quick to acknowledge and
resolve any issues you encounter during my shopping experience.
3. I am likely to recommend this e-commerce platform to others based on the
responsiveness and timeliness of customer support I have received in the past.
Assurance:
1. I feel confident in the security measures implemented by this e-commerce platform to
protect my personal and financial information during transactions.
2. The e-commerce platform provides clear and accurate information about products,
policies, and delivery timelines to ensure a smooth shopping experience.
3. I trust the reliability and consistency of the products and services offered by this e-
commerce platform based on my past experiences.
Empathy:
1. I feel valued as a customer when interacting with the support team on this e-commerce
platform.
2. I believe that the customer service representatives on this e-commerce platform
understand and empathize with my needs and concerns.
3. I like to continue shopping on this e-commerce platform based on the level of
personalized assistance and care my receive from the customer service team.
Factors of Online Reviews
Authenticity:
1. I believe that the online reviews I read on this e-commerce platform are authentic and
genuine.
2. The products and services described in online reviews accurately reflect the actual
customer experiences on this e-commerce platform.
3. I trust the authenticity of the feedback and ratings provided by other customers on this e-
commerce platform when making purchasing decisions.
Relevance:
1. The online reviews and feedback on this e-commerce platform is helping me make
informed purchase decisions.
2. I believe that the information provided in online reviews directly influences my
perception of the products and services offered on this e-commerce platform.
3. The online reviews you read on this e-commerce platform address specific features and
aspects of the products or services I am interested in.
Factors of Customer Loyalty
Customer Service:
1. The customer service representatives of our e-commerce platform are responsive to my
inquiries and concerns.
2. The resolution of issues by the customer service team positively influences my loyalty to
the e-commerce platform.
3. I am satisfied with the overall customer service experience provided by the e-commerce
platform.
Brand Reputation:
1. The positive reputation of the e-commerce platform influence my loyalty to the brand.
2. I am likely to recommend the e-commerce platform to others based on its reputation in
the market.
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Factors of Customer Service Quality and …
3.I believe that the brand reputation of the e-commerce platform aligns with my values an
expectations as a customer.
Research has demonstrated the importance of considering customer perception when
studying service quality (Zeithaml et al., 1990). The current study invited college
students to participate in the research as targeted subject for the following reasons.
First, the young adult population is the most active among web users (Jupiter, 2004).
Second, about 86% of college students have unlimited free access to the Internet and
were rather familiar with the medium (Walczuch & Lundgren, 2002). Third, 81 % of
college students have made an online purchase for products (64 % compact disks, 58%
books and 42% clothing) (Pastore, 2000) which are the type of products this study
focuses on. Fourth, the use of college students decreases the effect of variance on web-
based literacy when not exposed to all factors (structure, roles and responsibilities) of
the real world environment (Lee & Lin, 2005). The obtained sample size (N = 370) is
considered sufficient and exceeds the five cases to one item ratio needed in conducting
factor analysis and structural analysis (Hair et al., 1998). The age profile of participants
represents most age groups, with the majority (46 %) being in the 20 to 32 age range
and sixty-four percent of the respondents were male. As a result, the sample is
considered representative to United States Internet users (Burns, 2005). After the data
collection, data are purified by conducting reliability analyses and exploratory factor
analysis.
4.1 Exploratory factor analysis
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) provides a useful method for data purification,
especially, when a confirmatory factor analysis is needed in a subsequent step (Hair et
al., 1998). According to Garson (2006), it is recommended to use Principal Axis
Factoring (PAF) as the extraction method and Varimax rotation when the factors are
going to be used in a subsequent analysis. EFA using the Varimax rotation and the PAF
extraction method was conducted on the 47 items related to quality. The resulting factor
solution indicates the existence of six factors: website usability, information quality,
reliability, responsiveness, assurance and personalization. Items of the interface design
dimension were eliminated in terms of loading significantly on more than one
dimension and low correlation with items of the same trait following the
recommendations of Hair et al. (1998). As a result, the scale refinement process
shortened the scale to 27 items.
4.2 Structural equation modeling
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted by following a two-step process
recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988). First, a measurement model was
developed by conducting confirmatory factor analysis. Second, a theoretical model was
built to test the hypothesized research model.
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Samar I. Swaid, Rolf T. Wigand
4.2.1 Confirmatory factor analysis
Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was run on the purified scale to examine the
reliability and validity of the measurement model (Hatcher, 1994). Variety of indices
were used to assess the model’s goodness of fit such as normed Normed X² (Ratio of
the chi-square to the degrees of freedom), Goodness of Fit Index (GFI), Adjusted
Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI), Bentler’s Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Bentler &
Bonett Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI) and the and Root Mean Square Error of
Approximation (RMSEA) (Hatcher, 1994). The Normed X² was 1.73 less than the cut-
off value of 3.0 suggested by Bagozzi and Yi (1988). The Goodness of Fit Index (GFI)
value was 0.95 and the Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI) was 0.91 both
indicating good fit (Bagozzi and Yi, 1988), while both of the CFI test and the NNFI
test were 0.96 and 0.95, respectively, exceeding the cut-off value of 0.90 and indicating
a very good incremental fit. The value of the RMSEA was .047 indicating a good fit
(Hatcher, 1994) (see table 2).
4.2.2 Reliability and validity evaluation
Reliability of the developed instrument was tested by calculating coefficients Alpha for
constructs of e-service quality (see table 2 for a complete list of reliability coefficients).
All of the e-service quality dimensions exhibited an acceptable level of reliability as
they exceeded the 0.70 (Hair et a., 1998). Results of confirmatory factor analysis
indicate that each item loaded significantly on its respective underlying construct,
significantly with t-values greater than 2, indicating the convergent validity of the
instrument (Hatcher, 1994). Discriminant validity was assessed using the confidence
interval test. None of the calculated confidence intervals included the value of one,
providing evidence on the discriminant validity of the constructs (Hatcher, 1994).
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4.2.3 Conceptual Framework
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework
5 Discussion and implications
Previous research has shown that the widespread consumer experiences of inadequate
e-service quality stall the growth of the emerging economy (Santos, 2003). Therefore,
it is important to develop an appropriate instrument to measure e-service quality. The
current study develops a comprehensive instrument by reformulating the SERVQUAL
model to be used meaningfully in the context of e-commerce. The resulting instrument
measures e-service quality on six dimensions: website usability, information quality,
reliability, responsiveness, assurance and personalization. The dimension of the
interface design did not reveal as a distinct dimension. Li et al. (2002) suggest that
customer preferences on such items may not be always linear. For example, some
online shoppers may prefer high quality graphics, while others may prefer a simpler
interface that does not include an excessive flash animation. The developed instrument
helps managers of online firms in identifying potential problematic issues in their e-
service systems that need taking corrective actions. Managers of online firms need to
consider that employing advanced web technologies is not a guarantee of successful e-
service systems. Online customers need and value human interaction of e-service
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Samar I. Swaid, Rolf T. Wigand
systems especially, when questions arise and problems occur. Moreover, websites
should be developed considering the average skills of online users by designing an easy
to use website, including understandable information, offering help through different
channels (e.g., callback centers, chat windows, and emails).
Improving customer satisfaction and loyalty may be more challenging in the Internet
economy (Bhattacherjee, 2001). One successful strategy in improving satisfaction and
customer retention is the concept of service quality (Zeithaml et al., 1996). However, a
limited number of studies have examined the relation among different dimension of e-
service quality, satisfaction and loyalty intentions (Lee & Lin, 2005; Parasuraman &
Grewel, 2000). This study covers this gap by testing the influence of e-service quality
on customers’ satisfaction and loyalty intentions. The dimensions of e-service quality
were found to be significantly influencing customer satisfaction and loyalty, with
reliability as the factor that mostly influences customer satisfaction and assurance as
the dimension that has the greatest effect on loyalty intentions. This suggests that
managers should focus on developing efficient logistic support to ensure accurate
service delivery and fulfillment. Alternatively, online managers could offer their
customers the ability to pickup their purchase online from physical touch-points to
resolve the last mile problem of delivery. Furthermore, online managers need to pay
more attention to developing secure websites considering technological issues and
marketing policies. Additionally, the responsiveness, information quality and website
usability dimensions were found to affect significantly both customer satisfaction and
loyalty. Rationally speaking, online customers value the website that is well organized,
supported with search and comparison features, associated with high quality
information and responds efficiently to customer questions. Such superior quality e-
service meets the customer expectation resulting in satisfaction that influences
customer intention to repurchase, commit and recommend (loyalty). Thus, managers
may want to emphasize the benefits associated with online shopping such as saving
time, depth of information and resolving immediate needs. Interestingly, the
personalization construct was the only dimension that affects directly customer
satisfaction, and indirectly (through satisfaction) customer loyalty. Firms should focus
on providing customized service for their customers to improve their satisfaction.
However, the online customer is unwilling to trade security with personalized offers
and services. Therefore, managers should first understand their customers and cluster
them into segments according to their profile. This will help in applying the right
personalization technique that increases the pleasant feelings associated with customer
online purchase transactions without affecting the assurance perception of the website
that may weaken their loyalty.
The satisfaction-loyalty relation has previously been validated in consumer behavior
research over a wide range of service contexts (Shanker et al., 2002); its validation in
the context of e-commerce service further attests to the robustness of this association.
Research work suggests that the satisfaction-loyalty link is significant. This implies
that satisfaction is an important predictor of customer loyalty and should be considered
a key business metric of customer retention. Online managers could measure the
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Factors of Customer Service Quality and …
customer’s satisfaction using a scale similar to the one used by this study to predict
their customer retention. As other studies on service quality and consumer behavior,
the study suffers from a number of limitations.
6 Limitations
The study involves a number of limitations that need to be addressed.
Acknowledgement of these limitations suggests directions for future research. First,
the study suffers from methodological limitations associated with survey-based
research. Thus, it is recommended to replicate the study using different national and
international samples. Second, the study used a modified version of the SERVQUAL
model in identifying the dimensions of e-service quality. Adopting qualitative research
methods may result in additional findings on how customers measure and perceive e-
service quality. Thirdly, the research tests the relations between the dimensions of e-
service quality and loyalty. However, other aspects of customer loyalty such as
switching behavior and communicating negative word-of-mouth information have not
been considered. Thus, understanding the influence of e-service quality on different
aspects of loyalty would be a fruitful avenue of research.
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