Internet service quality and customer satisfaction: Examining internet banking in Greece

The present study investigates internet service quality and its impact on customer satisfaction in the banking context. Internet service quality is operationalised by adopting an instrument, which is based on SERVQUAL and consists of six dimensions, namely assurance, quality of information, responsiveness, web assistance, empathy and reliability. The field research, which resulted in 184 valid questionnaires, was conducted among internet banking customers in Greece, a country with relatively low internet penetration rate. The findings confirm, to a great extent, the validity of the instrument and highlight the above average performance of service quality delivered by Greek banks via the internet. All quality dimensions are proved to be antecedents of overall customer satisfaction, with reliability having the most significant impact. Furthermore, quality of information is a crucial dimension driving the customer intentions for internet banking future usage. Finally, familiarisation-related dimensions, such as empathy and web assistance, play a very important role in customers' willingness to recommend the service to other people.