Development of business standards for improving service quality for consumers with disabilities within the U.S. service industry sector: A modified Delphi study

Service quality is a known contributing factor to business success (Bhattacharya & Sankar, 2004; RADAR, 2012). Although service quality has been studied extensively, little attention has been directed toward examining the attributes of service quality and service standards that contribute to quality customer service for individuals with disabilities. In this study, disability inclusion experts and consumers with disabilities participated in a modified Delphi study to develop service standards for improving service quality for customers with disabilities. The standards established serve as a framework for enhancing current business standards in order to develop universally designed service practices for attracting, serving, and retaining customers of all abilities. The three-iteration Delphi methodology included two pilot studies. Measures of statistical and Delphic agreement were established using standards generated by this study. Each of eight hypotheses was supported and agreement was evident in both iterations two and three. The Mann-Whitney U test showed some differences between consumer and disability expert groups on the importance of some of the standards; however, differences were minimal. Kendall's W measures indicated increased levels of agreement across iterations two and three. Krippendorff's reliability and Cronbach's alpha reliability supported the content analysis and reliability of questionnaires. The results of the study established 134 service standards representing ten service quality determinants. The standards were summarized according to their perceived importance resulting in three tiers: (1) essential, (2) critical, and (3) basic standards. Both a categorical and holistic summary of standards was presented. Additional research is warranted to discern the standards' contribution to improved service quality for customers with disabilities. Additionally, it is suggested that the standards developed through this study be used by service business entities to discern standards gaps, as well as to develop and implement strategies for closing standard gaps in order to improve service quality and increase potential business profitability.