Which Service Attributes Sway Internet Service Providers? Analysis Through Triangulation Approach

Abstract

Internet service providing industry is considered a mainstay for all types of organizations all over the world. In order to be competitive, internet service providers (ISPs) need to realize that all service quality attributes do not carry the same value in customers’ eyes. Therefore, the present study proposes a rationally appealing methodological framework for prioritizing attributes of the SERVQUAL model without restricting them to their dimensions. The responses on 22 attributes of service quality collected from 401 internet users were processed through a triangulation approach comprising three ranking methods: Relative to an Identified Distribution Integral Transformation (RIDIT), Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A correlational study of these results was also computed using Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient, which proved positive. The consistent outcomes reveal a definite set of users’ priorities for the quality attributes of internet services, and it denies the general thought that the rate of internet service providers is the primary concern of customers. The findings uniquely contribute by highlighting important facets of service quality from customers’ viewpoint. The study would benefit ISPs to empathize customers’ needs corresponding to essential attributes. In this way, they would be able to rationalize the budget for top-ranked features, and redesign operational strategies accordingly.