Quality Service, Customer Retention, and the mediating role of customer satisfaction on: an exploratory study in healthcare institutions in Mosul City

The purpose of this paper is to examine customer satisfaction as a mediator variable between quality service and customer retention in the healthcare institutions in Mosul. The sample group for the study included individuals from the healthcare organizations in Mosul city. The sample included 120 individual, and was designed based on a stratified and proportional distribution. The scale of the quality service dimensions which introduced in this research was found to be appropriate and well matched. The connection of the quality service dimensions found on the real perception of healthcare services through the individual with the individuals' satisfaction and retention to their institutions was investigated using SEM. The results confirmed that all three variables are distinct constructs. As a result, there is a significant relationship of customer satisfaction as a mediator variable between quality service and customer retention. However, quality service significantly impacts to customer retention through customer satisfaction as a mediator variable and consequently leads to an increase the demand of patients to our health institutions. The study will enable healthcare institutions to have a better understanding of the effects of quality service, which will lead to patient satisfaction and behavioral intention in order to build long-term relationships with their patients. This study proposes a model to understand the effect of quality service on customer retention and customer satisfaction in developing countries. This opens the door for the possibility that other forms of the construct may moderate the relationship between quality service and customer retention.