Measurement and Management Issues in Customer Satisfaction Research: Review, Critique and Research Agenda: Part Two

Abstract

A two-part article was designed to review the main areas of agreement and disagreement in the debate over customer satisfaction and its measurement. The preceding article presented a synthesis of views in regard to the definition of customer satisfaction; the similarity, difference, and causality between customer satisfaction and service quality; and the use of the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm in the measurement of customer satisfaction. This second article undertakes a critical review of the debates relating to the reliability and validity of the Performance alone and the Weighted Importance-Performance models in assessing customer satisfaction. Further discussions pertaining to culture-satisfaction relationship, who should determine satisfaction (the researcher or the customer) and whether the measurement of customer satisfaction is an end in itself are presented. Finally, possible barriers that exist in the way of developing and implementing effective satisfaction improvement programmes are reviewed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Key Words:

• Performance alone
• attribute importance assessment
• cultural differences
• quantitative and qualitative research techniques
• satisfaction programmes