Quality of consulting services and consulting fees

This study explores whether consulting service clients' degree of satisfaction can explain differences in consulting service fees to the same clients. By monitoring factors having a relationship with consulting fees as well as consulting service quality attributes, this study notes that client satisfaction with consulting team positively and strongly affects consulting fees. A dimension of consulting client satisfaction, which is not a consulting service quality attribute, is the factor that better explains consulting service pricing. This satisfaction dimension may allow consultants to charge higher fees through higher leverage while setting prices during contracting process. Clients' satisfaction with consulting firms appears to be unimportant in the consulting service market. Results emphasize that individuals' participation in consulting processes is essential for consulting firms to be able to single out their consulting services. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.