What is the relationship between reliability and customer satisfaction?

Relation between Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction
Many researchers believe that customer satisfaction and quality perceptions are distinct because quality is an attitude, while quality is an emotional state (a transaction-specific measure). This explanation helps to clarify some of the differences between the definitions of satisfaction and quality. Although quality judgment is based on specific aspects, such as attributes or cues, the aspects that lead to satisfaction judgment can be unrelated to quality. Conversely, Osman and Sentosa (2013) assert that quality perceptions do not require a prior relationship with the provider or service; on the other hand, customer experience directly affects fulfillment. Although satisfaction is affected by many cognitive and emotional processes, Rust and Oliver indicate that quality has fewer conceptual precursors, but fulfillment is shaped by many cognitive and emotional processes. Defining service quality as “a judgment about a service’s overall excellence or superiority” assumes that only clients judge the quality (Schneider & White, 2004, p. 53). In 1997, Oliver defined satisfaction as “a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasure level of consumption-related fulfillment, including levels of under-or over-fulfillment” (cited in Slack and Singh, 2020, p. 545). Based on Oliver’s (1997) definition, satisfaction relates to judging how a particular service influences consumers’ emotional state and experience (cited in Slack and Singh, 2020). On the other hand, service quality is linked to judging service products and has no connection to an experimental process. While exploring the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction, Slack and Singh (2020) introduce other concepts, such as customer perception and customer expectation. The authors assert that service quality is essential to customers’ perception since it antecedes customers’ satisfaction. Several scholars have postulated the definition of perception. In particular, Strydom et al. (2000) state that customer perception entails an organization’s process to receive, organize, and assign meaning to stimuli or information that customers detect using five senses, giving meaning to their surroundings. Hill et al. (2017) viewed perception as the outcome of multiple consumers’ observations, indicating that consumers perceive a given service in terms of quality and the level of satisfaction they can derive from them. Notably, perception is also a dynamic phenomenon capable of changing the receipt of many delivered services. Client perception influences service quality in terms of its impact on consumer behavior. Ajzen (2015) examined consumers’ behavioral changes using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The theory is the most cited by scholars to explain the behavioral change process. It explains the behavioral change in terms of the cognitive approach, centering on an individual’s beliefs and attitudes (Conner, 2020). Regarding customer satisfaction, the concept of customer perception becomes relevant; essentially, it concerns clients’ attitudes and the belief system that a given commodity or service will satisfy their needs or meet their expectations. Thus, Hill et al. (2017) state that organizations must target consumers’ behavioral change and, thus, make them prefer their service or product over those offered by the competition to change consumers. Dutta and Dutta (2009) assert that it is important for service providers to comprehend how their target clients perceive their services as of quality and embrace euphoric feelings. A firm can offer the best services but consumers’ perception matters; if consumers’ perception about them is negative regarding service quality, all the effort they put in will be in vain. Service providers are responsible for researching and understanding variables that impact customer perception, including satisfaction and quality. This enables a service provider to gain a more competitive edge. Several factors (internal and external) affect customers’ perception, such as social, cultural, economic, and psychological factors (Tyagi, 2018). As such, Tyagi (2018) indicates that these factors influence consumers’ buying behavior and how consumers perceive a service or product. Therefore, it is essential to measure consumers’ perception to evaluate customers’ future behavior depending on how they perceive a given product or service. Under the circumstance of the existence of a gap between expectation and perception in which perception is valued below expectation after comparing whether a service or product exceeds clients’ expectations, the outcome is dissatisfaction after receiving the service. Customer expectation describes consumers’ wants or desires. Consumers’ expectations determine what an organization offers. Mostly, customers’ expectations are different from what they expect from reality. The most important thing to remember is customers’ expectations rather than reality concerning service or product performance (Fida et al., 2020). In this regard, Williams (2000) indicates that consumers’ driving force is the need to satisfy their needs and expectation of excellent service. Thus, when a given service satisfies the majority of their wants and improves life’s quality, they will seek more services from a service provider. Rita et al. (2019) posit that customers often demand better and faster services and are thus loyal to that organization providing the greatest service. No enterprise survives without customer loyalty and satisfaction; similarly, no one can generate profits without satisfying customers’ needs.

Conclusion
Most of these studies showed that companies that focus more on service quality acquire many customers than their competitors and, thus, gain a greater competitive advantage. Applying valuable factors like service quality, customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction is necessary since they relate with each other. The findings from past research emphasize that when a firm improves its service quality; its customer satisfaction levels and customer loyalty are also elevated. However, some studies, like Supriyanto et al. (2021), mention that the findings of the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction are still confusing for the majority of scholars examining unpredictable variables that could affect the links among variables of these studies and service quality impact on customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. This paper adds to theoretical ideas surrounding the topic and contributes to developing companies operating in the service industry in regard to implementing programs targeting customer satisfaction. Particularly, the findings of studies highlighted in this paper as well as this paper’s conclusion offer valuable information regarding how service industry firms improve organization performance as well as empower their staff by providing them employment satisfaction, thus increasing their loyalty to their employment.

1.3 Conceptual Model
Several topics that were identified in the literature review were found to be relevant to the research paper. Among them are concept of service, customer satisfaction and service quality dimension. As seen in figure 1 each of these notions has a role to play in customers satisfaction, who are ultimately responsible for improving the service quality. The conceptual model that illustrates how the ideas that have been identified are related to one another:

1.4 Research Definition
The topic that has been highlighted for this research study on the service quality having an impact on the customer satisfaction. It will be discussed in this section the problem statement and related research questions in order to specify the precise area of focus for the study.
The following problem statement is fundamental to the research paper aiming to answer:
“Which service quality dimension has the greatest impact on customer satisfaction at Renaissance?”
⦁ What is the relationship between reliability and customer satisfaction?
⦁ What is the relationship between empathy and customer satisfaction?
⦁ What is the relationship between responsiveness and customer satisfaction?
⦁ What is the relationship between assurance and customer satisfaction?
⦁ What is the relationship between tangibles and customer satisfaction?