An Examination of Information Systems Service Quality Measurement: The Contribution of the SERVQUAL Instrument from the Marketing Literature

Due to the increasing service component of information technology, service quality measurement has become increasingly important for IS practitioners as they attempt to increase service quality to customers. The measurement of service quality in IS evolved from the research done in the marketing literature. The SERVQUAL instrument has evolved to become the most commonly used measurement instrument in both IS and marketing. Although commonly used, the SERVQUAL instrument is not without criticism. Thus, alternatives have evolved which attempt to address those criticisms. This paper describes the SERVQUAL instrument, its criticisms and support, and finally the SERVPERF instrument, a variation of the SERVQUAL instrument which is an attempt at improving upon the SERVQUAL instrument.