Measuring e-service quality and its importance to customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study in a telecom setting

The important influence of e-service quality (e-SQ) on customer satisfaction and loyalty has been demonstrated in many contexts, but has not been examined in telecom settings yet. The current study aimed to construct a measurement scale for e-SQ in telecom settings, as well as to investigate the relationship between e-SQ, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. In this study, we analyzed self-reports from 9249 respondents (74.55% were male) between the ages of 19 and 45. A scale consisting of five user experinece dimensions (functional completeness, performance, interface and interaction quality, content and information, support or service) was developed to measure e-SQ in the telecom industry. The scale was proven reliable and valid. The analysis confirmed a positive relationship between e-SQ, customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition, e-SQ was found to be a core predictor of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Moreover, customer satisfaction emerged as the strongest predictor of customer loyalty.