Measuring Donor Loyalty

• Tangibles: the appearance of facilities, staff, premises and communication materials
• Reliability: the company’s ability to perform the desired service dependably and accurately
• Responsiveness: the company’s willingness to help customers and provide prompt service
• Assurance: the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence
• Empathy: the degree to which the company offered individualized and caring attention

While a plausible approach, it is now generally accepted that SERVQUAL failed to provide the results the authors had originally envisaged. The dimensions were very general, making it difficult to highlight specific areas where actions might be taken to improve the quality of service. The scores on each dimension reflected the aggregate approach of the organization as a whole rather than one department or individual, and it proved impossible to make concrete recommendations for change. It also proved ill-suited to the arena of direct response, where customers rarely had the level of direct contact necessary to answer the full suite of questions posed by the authors.