MODELING THE DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

This research empirically examines for the first rime the determinants of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction (CS/D) in the context of business professional services. The simultaneous effect of key CS/D co nstructs (expectations, performance, and disconfirmation) and several variables-fairness (equity), purchase situation (novelty, importance, and complexity)-and individual-level variables (decision uncertainty a nd stakeholding) are examined in a causal path framework. Data were ob tained from a two-stage longitudinal survey of client organizations. T he results indicated substantial support for the hypothesized model, T he effect of purchase situation and individual level variables (via th eir indirect affects) rivals that of disconfirmation and expectations in explaining CS/D. Performance was found to affect CS/D directly but not as powerfully as disconfirmation.