INFLUENCE OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE ON CONSUMER SATISFACTION OF RIDESHARING INDUSTRY

Abstract

: The objective of the study was to determine the influence of service excellence on consumer satisfaction in the ridesharing industry of Pakistan. Uber and Careem are two ridesharing services or Transport Network Companies (TNCs) which use mobile-based applications and use GPS to connect passengers and drivers in an efficient way. These ridesharing companies have been operating in the country for the past five years. For TNCs such as Uber and Careem, consumer satisfaction plays an important role in retaining customers and satisfying them thereby boosting their profits. Consumer satisfaction and service excellence are interconnected and associated with each other. This research determined the influence of the five service quality dimensions of SERVQUAL model i.e. assurance, responsiveness empathy, tangibility and reliability on consumer satisfaction of ridesharing services. This questionnaire survey-based research study was carried out on 268 respondents. The collected data was analyzed by Pearson correlation followed by the formulation of the regression model, associating consumer satisfaction with service quality. The research showed that all the service quality dimensions had a positive impact on consumer satisfaction. Assurance, responsiveness, and empathy significantly influenced consumer satisfaction whereas reliability and tangibility had a less significant impact on consumer satisfaction as compared to other service quality parameters. This research study assisted the TNCs in better understanding of service quality parameters which needed improvement for enhancing the consumer satisfaction.