Assessing Service Quality at Optical Centers in Palestine Using SERVQUAL: Measuring Ambiguity

Authors

M. Kanan, Jeddah College of Engineering, University of Business and Technology, Jeddah 21448, Saudi ArabiaFollow
R. Al-Khalili, Grand Optics, West Bank, Ramallah, PalestineFollow
E. Alshaibani, College of Business Administration, University of Karbala, Karbala, IraqFollow
Y. Saleh, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, West Bank, PalestineFollow

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to employ the SERVQUAL model to assess customers’ perceptions and expectations of service quality in the optical centers in the West Bank of Palestine, and to examine the impact of this service quality on their satisfaction. A focused critical review of the service quality literature was undertaken. Data was collected from a convenient and purposeful sample of 251 customers of optical centers in the West Bank via personally administered and online questionnaires. Data was analyzed, with the aid of SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, regression analysis, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The findings indicate that SERVQUAL proved to be a good tool for the purpose of assessing the gaps between customers’ expectations and perceptions of the service quality of optical centers in the Palestinian context. The findings also confirmed that customers had higher service quality expectations than perceptions in all the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. The developed regression analysis model shows that tangibles, reliability, assurance, and empathy had a significant statistical impact on customers’ satisfaction. No studies, to the best knowledge of the authors, were conducted on customers’ perceptions and expectations of service quality in the optical centers in the Palestinian context. Limitations of the study’s methodology and findings were discussed and avenues for further research suggested. The findings of this study could be valuable to interested parties including optometry regulators and managers of optical centers.

Recommended Citation

Kanan, M.; Al-Khalili, R.; Alshaibani, E.; and Saleh, Y. (2023) "Assessing Service Quality at Optical Centers in Palestine Using SERVQUAL: Measuring Ambiguity," Information Sciences Letters: Vol. 12 : Iss. 3 , PP -.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/isl/vol12/iss3/43