The performance-only rework of SERVQUAL — same 22 items, no expectations battery, better psychometrics.
| Construct measured | Perceived service quality (performance-only) |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Cronin & Taylor (1992) |
| Original publication | Cronin, J. J., Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252296 |
| Number of items | 22 (performance perceptions only) |
| Response format | 7-point agreement scale (1 = Strongly disagree to 7 = Strongly agree), one administration |
Uses the same five SERVQUAL dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy) but is often scored, and empirically behaves, as a single overall performance factor.
Overall-scale alphas are commonly reported around .88–.96 across the original four service industries and later studies.
The original comparison across banking, pest control, dry cleaning and fast food showed performance-only scores explained more variance in overall quality than gap scores, launching a long SERVQUAL–SERVPERF debate; SERVPERF is now the common choice where explanatory power and brevity matter, while SERVQUAL retains diagnostic appeal.
Service customers in nearly every industry and many countries.
United States. Adapted and translated worldwide alongside SERVQUAL.