The influence of quality on business-to-business (B2B) professional service relationship

Using longitudinal data gathered over 5 years in a marketing research context, I examine the relationship of Quality with Satisfaction, Perceived Value and Retention (both intention to engage in future transactions and actual repeat transactions).;First, the quality measures are analyzed and factored into five distinct dimensions. The five dimensions of quality derived in this study suggest support for the emerging multi-level models of quality. As defined, these five dimensions blend the two dominant conceptualizations of quality into one multi-level model. The categorizations of the Nordic Model and the descriptive dimensions of SERVQUAL overlap when evaluating service performance in terms of outcome and process.;Next, the influence of Quality on Satisfaction, Perceived Value and Behavioral Intentions and the combined influence of all of these variables on Behavioral Intentions are confirmed. Of note, the image of specific industry knowledge appears to be particularly influential. Within the professional services context, where the service is difficult for the non-professional to really evaluate, this is an important finding. This is consistent with research in consumer behavior that suggests that image quality significantly influences behavioral intentions but specifically pinpoints the aspect of image that profession service providers should clearly communicate. It supports the importance of branding in the B2B marketplace.;Finally, two specific questions germane to both academics and practitioners are addressed. First, do the attributes of service quality that influence satisfaction, perceived value, and behavioral intent differ between customers that actually return and those who do not return? This research measures actual return while most research only measures the customers' intention to return.;Second, does the influence of service quality on satisfaction, perceived value and behavioral intentions differ as customers gain experience and a relationship develops? This question is examined at both the firm and the individual level. At the firm level, the process, and in particular communication, is evaluated significantly higher by customers who return versus those who do not return. At the informant level, image and the evaluation of the firm's specific knowledge of the customers industry is evaluated significantly higher by those who return versus those who do not. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...