The role of service quality as a determinant of customer satisfaction in residential construction

The problem investigated by this research concerns how service quality influences customer satisfaction in residential construction. It utilises marketing theory to develop a conceptual framework regarding the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction, then undertakes empirical research to ground the marketing concepts in residential construction. A conceptual model merges separate bodies of customer satisfaction and service quality literature. Customer satisfaction is modelled as a gap between pre-purchase expectations and perceptions during the purchase (i.e. , during the purchase of construction services). Service quality is modelled as an input affecting the gap. Two research propositions are posed from the model - one that service quality will be important in pre-purchase expectations, the other that service quality will be important to perceptions of satisfaction during construction. To investigate the propositions a qualitative method is used within a grounded theory framework. Two forms of analysis are used: thematic analysis which is used to identify and ground themes of behaviour among residential construction customers; and qualitative comparative analysis which is used to connect themes into patterns of behaviour. The research is conducted in two consecutive stages. Stage one uses telephone interviews and concludes with a model which illustrates how and when service quality is important in pre-purchase expectations. The work concludes with two opposing customer profiles: 'service quality-oriented customers' and 'price and product design-oriented customers'. Stage two uses the two customer profiles to conduct two in-depth case studies. For each case. customer perceptions are studied at four cross sectional stages during construction. Changes are analysed within each case then a cross case analysis is conducted. The research concludes that service quality is important irrespective of customers having 'service quality oriented' or 'price and product design oriented' pre-purchase expectations. Instead, perceptions are driven by exposure to service incidents during the course of construction. A model is developed that defines the features of service incidents and the importance of the ratio between positive to negative incidents. It also acknowledges that the end product creates an additional uplifting impact on service quality and customer satisfaction perceptions.