Exploring Dimensions of Customer Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction (CS) is often seen as the business idiom of long-term success due to an assumed link to profitability. Hence, numerous organisations have tried to measure CS to further increase its level. However, the vague definition of CS and its dimensions has mainly lead to failures of customer satisfaction measurement (CSM). It is the purpose of this dissertation to identify and explore the basic dimensions of CS in order to gain a better understanding of the area. The author Anne Mantel introduces the topic by presenting various definitions on CS and by identifying the following common CS dimensions: expectations, disconfirmation of expectations and perceived performance, perceived quality, perceived value, emotions, loyalty and commitment. Additional findings on these dimensions are obtained in eight semi-structured interviews in a business-to-business environment. After the discussion with CS theory a conclusion is drawn helping to clarify the inconsistencies of CS for both academics and practitioners and also providing new insights for future research.