Linking service quality to B2B service repurchase intentions: the role of functional service quality

Service quality plays an important role in service providers’ success and survival in the competitive business environment. The relationship between customer-perceived service quality on customer repurchase intentions has been well demonstrated in B2C service contexts, but in-depth knowledge of this relationship in B2B service contexts remains scant. The present study proposes that the effects of customer-perceived service quality on their repurchase intentions are fully mediated by buyer-supplier relationship quality. Also, by applying Grönroos (1984) model of service quality – with technical and functional dimensions, the effects of technical and functional service quality on relationship quality are investigated and compared. Based on survey data consisting of 141 purchasing professionals from 23 countries, the results show that compared with customer-perceived technical service quality, functional service quality is the more important determinant of relationship quality in B2B services. However, the present study contributes to the existing B2C research, by showing that the relationship between customer-perceived functional service quality and repurchase intentions is fully mediated by relationship quality.