Exploring the intellectual basis about service quality: when the speech changes the tone

Abstract

Objective: To explore the intellectual basis about service quality, analyzing its evolution and indicating main papers and trends.Method: Bibliometric analysis performed in the Web of Science database and later analysis of the cocitation network.
Originality/Relevance: There are many studies in the field that review the concept, especially through the Servqual tool, however, none of them are deeply involved in the network centered in Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Malhotra (2005).
Results: Data reveal an intellectual basis composed of two connected networks; one focused on the work of Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Malhotra (2005), the analysis object of this article. The identification of groups in temporal cutouts allowed to highlight the importance of analyzes about online services; the concern about loyalty in this context; the evolution of specific research fields and the emergence of quantitative analyzes.
Theoretical/methodological contributions: This paper contributes to the understanding of the evolution of the field and its main exponents, delimiting discussion spaces and assisting researchers in their reviews.
Originality/relevance: Even though some studies have been devoted to field analysis (Buttle, 1996; Ladhari, 2009; Vasconcelos de Faria, Policani Freitas, & Molina-Palma, 2015; Asubonteng, McCleary, & & Swan, 1996; Pereira, Carvalho, Rotondaro, 2013, Roy & Lassar, 2015, Mardani, Jusoh, Zavadskas, Khalifah, & Nor,2015); none looked deeply into the examination of the intellectual basis on the subject.