Reality or Perception? The Effect of Actual and Perceived Performance on Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention

Suzan Burton, Simon Sheather, John Roberts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

96 Scopus citations

Abstract

The extent to which actual (rather than perceived) performance influences customer satisfaction has received limited attention by researchers, yet it is important for managers to understand the extent to which customer perceptions and behavioral intentions are associated with actual service performance. This study investigates the links between actual and perceived performance, customer standards, attributions, satisfaction, and behavioral intention. The results suggest that actual performance is a significant predictor of customer satisfaction, separate from its indirect association via perceived performance. Customers’ comparison standards are also suggested to affect satisfaction both directly and indirectly. Customer attributions, in contrast, do not appear to influence performance judgments but are significantly associated with satisfaction levels. Customer experience is shown to be associated with satisfaction via an interaction effect and also to be significantly associated with behavioral intentions. The implications for research and management are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)292-302
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Service Research
Volume5
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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