Service quality in the Thai telecommunication industry: a tool for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage

The objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of service quality and discuss its potential for offering a competitive advantage; to test several research propositions concerning service quality in the Thai telecommunications industry; and to offer managerial implications of the study’s findings and provide directions for future research. The results indicated that perceptions and expectations of service quality level showed no significant difference. A post hoc analysis found that the telecommunication industry received excellent ratings on tangibles, particularly customer service staff’s dress, and low ratings on empathy, particularly service providers’ interest differences. Tangibles are an aspect of service quality that is extremely important to the Thai telecommunication customer. This study provides evidence supporting the proposition that consumers distinguish between the performance cues of customer‐contact employee groups. Service delivery systems should create positive moments of truth by ensuring that the point of customers’ contact is reduced to a minimum.