Marketing & consumer behavior
Service quality scale: SERVPERF and E-S-QUAL
- Concept
- Service Quality
- Field
- Marketing & consumer behavior
- Scales in the library
- 9
- Items
- 44
Service quality is a customer's judgment of how excellent the service delivered is. Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988) built SERVQUAL with five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy; Cronin and Taylor (1992) proposed SERVPERF, which measures only perceived performance. For online services, Parasuraman et al. (2005) developed E-S-QUAL. Common thesis topics in Vietnam include service quality in banks, hospitals, hotels, food delivery, and e-commerce platforms, and its effect on satisfaction.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tangibles (TAN) SERVPERF scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) | 4 | Likert 7-point | Choose this when the service has direct physical facilities, such as banks, hotels, and hospitals. |
| Reliability (REL) SERVPERF scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) | 5 | Likert 7-point | The core dimension of SERVPERF; always keep it when measuring traditional services. |
| Responsiveness (RES) SERVPERF scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) | 4 | Likert 7-point | Use together with the other SERVPERF dimensions; note how reverse-worded items are written in the original. |
| Assurance (ASU) SERVPERF scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) | 4 | Likert 7-point | Use together with the other SERVPERF dimensions; measures employees' assurance and competence. |
| Empathy (EMP) SERVPERF scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) | 5 | Likert 7-point | Use together with the other SERVPERF dimensions; measures individual attention to each customer. |
| Efficiency (EFF) E-S-QUAL scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005) | 8 | Likert 5-point | Choose this when the service takes place on a website or app, such as an e-commerce platform; measures ease of use and speed. |
| System Availability (SYS) E-S-QUAL scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005) | 4 | Likert 5-point | Use together with E-S-QUAL when technical failures and app crashes are a concern. |
| Fulfillment (FUL) E-S-QUAL scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005) | 7 | Likert 5-point | Use together with E-S-QUAL when orders are delivered or fulfilled. |
| Privacy (PRI) E-S-QUAL scale | Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005) | 3 | Likert 5-point | Use together with E-S-QUAL when users provide personal information or make payments. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Tangibles (TAN) · SERVPERF scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| TAN1 | XYZ has up-to-date equipment. |
| TAN2 | XYZ's physical facilities are visually appealing. |
| TAN3 | XYZ's employees are well dressed and appear neat. |
| TAN4 | The appearance of the physical facilities of XYZ is in keeping with the type of services provided. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). Response scale, licence and APA reference: SERVPERF scale.
Reliability (REL) · SERVPERF scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| REL1 | When XYZ promises to do something by a certain time, it does so. |
| REL2 | When you have problems, XYZ is sympathetic and reassuring. |
| REL3 | XYZ is dependable. |
| REL4 | XYZ provides its services at the time it promises to do so. |
| REL5 | XYZ keeps its records accurately. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). Response scale, licence and APA reference: SERVPERF scale.
Responsiveness (RES) · SERVPERF scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| RES1 (R) | XYZ does not tell customers exactly when services will be performed. |
| RES2 (R) | You do not receive prompt service from XYZ's employees. |
| RES3 (R) | Employees of XYZ are not always willing to help customers. |
| RES4 (R) | Employees of XYZ are too busy to respond to customer requests promptly. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). Response scale, licence and APA reference: SERVPERF scale.
Assurance (ASU) · SERVPERF scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| ASU1 | You can trust employees of XYZ. |
| ASU2 | You feel safe in your transactions with XYZ's employees. |
| ASU3 | Employees of XYZ are polite. |
| ASU4 | Employees get adequate support from XYZ to do their jobs well. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). Response scale, licence and APA reference: SERVPERF scale.
Empathy (EMP) · SERVPERF scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| EMP1 (R) | XYZ does not give you individual attention. |
| EMP2 (R) | Employees of XYZ do not give you personal attention. |
| EMP3 (R) | Employees of XYZ do not know what your needs are. |
| EMP4 (R) | XYZ does not have your best interests at heart. |
| EMP5 (R) | XYZ does not have operating hours convenient to all their customers. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). Response scale, licence and APA reference: SERVPERF scale.
Efficiency (EFF) · E-S-QUAL scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| EFF1 | This site makes it easy to find what I need. |
| EFF2 | It makes it easy to get anywhere on the site. |
| EFF3 | It enables me to complete a transaction quickly. |
| EFF4 | Information at this site is well organized. |
| EFF5 | It loads its pages fast. |
| EFF6 | This site is simple to use. |
| EFF7 | This site enables me to get on to it quickly. |
| EFF8 | This site is well organized. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005). Response scale, licence and APA reference: E-S-QUAL scale.
System Availability (SYS) · E-S-QUAL scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| SYS1 | This site is always available for business. |
| SYS2 | This site launches and runs right away. |
| SYS3 | This site does not crash. |
| SYS4 | Pages at this site do not freeze after I enter my order information. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005). Response scale, licence and APA reference: E-S-QUAL scale.
Fulfillment (FUL) · E-S-QUAL scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| FUL1 | It delivers orders when promised. |
| FUL2 | This site makes items available for delivery within a suitable time frame. |
| FUL3 | It quickly delivers what I order. |
| FUL4 | It sends out the items ordered. |
| FUL5 | It has in stock the items the company claims to have. |
| FUL6 | It is truthful about its offerings. |
| FUL7 | It makes accurate promises about delivery of products. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005). Response scale, licence and APA reference: E-S-QUAL scale.
Privacy (PRI) · E-S-QUAL scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| PRI1 | It protects information about my Web-shopping behavior. |
| PRI2 | It does not share my personal information with other sites. |
| PRI3 | This site protects information about my credit card. |
Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra (2005). Response scale, licence and APA reference: E-S-QUAL scale.
(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. SERVPERF scale: 1–7 scale: new score = 1 + 7 − score = 8 − score; 1–5 scale: new score = 1 + 5 − score = 6 − score.
Tips
- SERVPERF has 22 items and E-S-QUAL has 22 items. Choose one set that fits the service channel; do not combine both unless the service is both in person and online.
- The responsiveness and empathy items in the original SERVQUAL are worded negatively. Many later studies rewrote them as positive statements; if you keep the original, reverse the scores before analysis.
- Change [company] to the specific type of business (bank, hospital) and remove items that do not fit, such as items about record keeping for a restaurant service. State the removed items in your methods chapter.
- SERVQUAL measures both expectations and perceptions, so the questionnaire is twice as long. Theses often use SERVPERF to keep it short and still cite Parasuraman et al. (1988).
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use SERVQUAL or SERVPERF?
SERVPERF measures only perceived performance, so the questionnaire is half as long, and Cronin and Taylor (1992) showed it explains variance better. Most theses today use SERVPERF with the 5 SERVQUAL dimensions.
Can SERVQUAL be used for online services?
Not very well, because SERVQUAL was written for services with face-to-face staff contact. For websites and apps, use E-S-QUAL or the e-banking service quality scale in the library.
Do I need to keep all 5 SERVPERF dimensions?
Not necessarily. You can drop a dimension that does not fit the context if you have a reason and state it in the methods chapter. Still, keeping all 5 makes comparison with earlier studies easier.