Measuring Information Systems Service Quality: Concerns on the Use of the SERVQUAL Questionnaire1
Authors: Van Dyke, Thomas P.; Kappelman, Leon A.; Prybutok, Victor R.
Journal: MIS Quarterly (1997)
DOI: 10.2307/249419
<jats:p>A recent MIS Quarterly article rightfully points out that service is an important part of the role of the information systems (IS) department and that most IS assessment measures have a product orientation (Pitt et al. 1995). The article went on to suggest the use of an IS-context- modified version of the SERVQUAL instrument to assess the quality of the services supplied by an information services provider (Parasuraman et al. 1985, 1988, 1991).2 However, a number of problems with the SERVQUAL instrument have been discussed in the literature (e.g., Babakus and Boiler 1992; Carman 1990; Cronin and Taylor 1992, 1994; Teas 1993). This article reviews that literature and discusses some of the implications for measuring service quality in the information systems context. Findings indicate that SERVQUAL suffers from a number of conceptual and empirical difficulties. Conceptual difficulties include the operationalization of perceived service quality as a difference or gap score, the ambiguity of the expectations construct, and the unsuitability of using a single measure of service quality across different industries. Empirical problems, which may be linked to the use of difference…