A customers' perception of electronic service delivery in the UK retail banking sector

Purpose - This study aims to explore the key factors of the electronic service quality (e-SQ) perceptions of UK banking customers and to evaluate the customers' perceptions of their banks' actual performance on the identified e-SQ dimensions. Design/methodology/approach - A survey has been used to collect primary data and 135 usable questionnaires were used in the analysis. Questionnaire items were developed through a two-stage process involving a review of the main measurement scales employed in previous studies and two focus group interviews to identify a series of attributes for assessing electronic banking service quality. Factor analysis procedure was employed to identify the underlying structure among the explored e-SQ attributes. Findings - Exploratory factor analysis uncovered six composite dimensions of electronic service quality, including the provision of convenient/accurate electronic banking operations; the accessibility and reliability of service provision; good queue management; service personalisation; the provision of friendly and responsive customer service; and the provision of targeted customer service. Further analysis using importance-performance analysis revealed that the UK customers' perceptions of their bank actual performance on these revealed that e-SQ dimensions were largely modest. Research limitations/implications - Generally relate to the one industry focus, the exploratory factor analysis employed, and the rather generalized view of electronic banking adopted. Future research should aim to improve on these by replicating the study in multi-industry settings, assessing the stability of the revealed factor structure, and examining whether particular e-SQ factors vary in importance across different technology types. Originality/value - This study has drawn on a sample of 135 UK retail banking customers in exploring the key dimensions of the relatively new electronic service quality (e-SQ) construct, and evaluating how the survey respondents perceive their respective banks' performance on those critically regarded e-SQ dimensions.