Development of a short questionnaire for measuring service quality perceptions

Abstract

This study describes the development and initial validation of a nine-item measure for assessing customer service quality perception in fast food restaurants. The new instrument operationalizes three dimensions of perceived service quality (environment, staff, and product). The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed by computing a confirmatory factor analysis and reliability indices on the responses of 386 customers of a chain of restaurants in Mexico City. Predictive validity was also assessed, computing the relationships between the three dimensions of the questionnaire and one scale operationalizing customer behavioral intentions. The assessment of the psychometric properties of the new measure revealed that the three oblique factor structure of the questionnaire was robust, and also that the reliability of its scales was adequate. Apart from having good validity and reliability properties, the new measure provides two additional advantages: a very short administration time, plus a clear snapshot to identify which of the three dimensions of service has the highest impact on behavioral intentions.