A review of twenty years of SERVQUAL research

Abstract

Purpose – This paper reviews 20 years (1988-2008) of research on the SERVQUAL scale for measuring service quality. Design/methodology/approach – A range of studies that have applied the SERVQUAL scale in this 20-year period are examined in a non-exhaustive review of the literature. These studies are selected from well-known databases – such as “ABI/Inform”, “ScienceDirect”, and “EBSCOhost”. Findings – The paper identifies and summarizes numerous theoretical and empirical criticisms of the SERVQUAL scale. Despite these criticisms, the paper concludes that SERVQUAL remains a useful instrument for service-quality research. Originality/value – The paper provides a useful source of information on SERVQUAL and its applications. In particular, the paper summarizes a selection of 30 applications of SERVQUAL.