Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 1

Research Proposal
The study of relationship between brand image, perceived service quality and customer
satisfaction for Nepalese Banks

Kshitiz Gautam
Niyati Sharma
Shrizana Shrestha
Email: 12110_kshitiz@kusom.edu.np, 12129_niyati@kusom.edu.np,
12133_shrizana@kusom.edu.np
MBA V Term

RES 610 Research Methodology
Arjun Kumar Shrestha
Course Instructor

Date: 21 May 2014

Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 2
The study of relationship between brand image, perceived service quality and customer
satisfaction for Nepalese Banks
In the competitive banking industry, the impact of bank brand image on the attitudes and
behaviors of customers become an important issue which changes the perception about bank's
service quality. Banks are one of the most important institutions in a country, where it plays a
major role in developing the economy as well as the society. For a developing country like
Nepal, commercial banks help boost the economy through capital formation and investment in
various sectors. Due to technological advancement and a mature market, the gap between various
Nepalese banks and their counterparts with respect to products and services they provide is
gradually narrowing down. As products and services are so easily replicable in today's
environment, the biggest challenge for companies including bank is to compete in the market
place and differentiate their products from the competitors. All other things being equal, the only
feature that will help consumers identify and differentiate the product in the market is the brand.
A strong brand image is the only asset a company can develop that cannot be copied
In the highly competitive, complex and dynamic environment of the banking industry, the
very slight differences which exist in financial services and products together with an
increasingly demanding customer has led to a great transformation in the industry (Beerli, Martin
& Quintana, 2004). The traditional product-oriented banks now need to be more customer-
oriented. Factors such as financial products and services do no longer distinguish between one
bank and another. For banks today, the strength and marketing power of an institutions brand is
rapidly becoming one of the critical levers for differentiation and success (Onyancha, 2013).

Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 3
Most of the researchers agree about the importance of stressing brand image. Aaker
(2009), for example, says image creates value in a variety of ways, helping consumers to process
information, differentiating the brand, generating reasons to buy, give positive feelings, and
providing a basis for extensions. Rory (2000) pointed out that, with the construction of good
brand image, customers were likely to increase the satisfaction of usage, and would like to
recommend to others.
Bank must thus make serious commitment to investing in developing a brand strategy for
their products and services. Banks need to provide a consistent brand experience to prevent
customers from switching to rival banks. Hence, the field of bank service is now emphasizing the
importance of customer-oriented marketing in many developed and developing nations too.
Banks endeavor to establish marketing strategies which promote brand image among customers
for enhancing the satisfaction of its customers.
In this context, the following study is hence conducted to study in detail the relationship
between branding/brand image and customer satisfaction for banks operating in Nepal. For a
service industry, customer satisfaction is what defined the success of failure of a product/service.
Hence, understanding the relationship would help Nepalese banks to assess the necessity of
branding and creating a positive brand image amongst the mindset of its customers which in turn
increases the customer satisfaction.
Problem Statement
Branding has since long been considered a necessity in business. It gives products its
name and identity. However, the concept is relatively new for service industries since the idea of
branding is normally perceived relevant to only consumer goods. On top of that, banks being a
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 4
financial institution do not see brand development as one of their important strategies. Banks
mostly focus on developing their human resources, pulling up experienced personnel and giving
good quality services but a study of how the perceived quality is enhanced in the mindset of
customers is yet to be verified. Banks thus have a difficulty in spending much to build a strong
brand image.
In the context of Nepal as well, building strong brands is considered a secondary factor
by banks compared to other strategic development initiatives. Even though many researches have
been conducted to study the impact of a banks brand image on its performance and customer
satisfaction, no applied research is conducted in the context of Nepalese banks. There is not
much basis on which banks could derive the relationship between whether investing in brand
management could enhance customer satisfaction for their services or not.
Hence, this paper reviews literature on the relationship between bank brand image,
perceived quality and customer satisfaction. The key question to guide the research is: Is there
any relationship between a banks brand image, perceived service quality and the level of
satisfaction customers have from its services?
Significance of the study
A lot of studies have been conducted in this area of brand image, perceived service
quality and customer satisfaction in service industry. This research adds the value in the existing
knowledge by revealing the impact of brand image on customer's satisfaction through the
perceived service quality. Such study may not only be applicable to banks but to other service
industry as well and valuable inputs to the existing knowledge. This research helps service
industry enhance service quality and customer satisfaction by allocating resources efficiently to
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 5
develop brand image. This research helps banks to differentiate their services from their
competitors and positioned their brand as a superior brand in the mindset of the customers. The
banks in Nepal could reflect the finding of the studies to incorporate in their companys
strategies. Banks could use the findings of the current study to know about the various
dimensions of brand image and brand equity and its importance in the overall performance of the
organization. The study could be used to assess the various facets in banking industry that could
help increase customer satisfaction, which is the ultimate determinant of a banks successful
performance in the service industry
Research Objectives
The primary objective of our research is to understand the relationship between a banks
brand image, perceived service quality and its impact on customer satisfaction. Through this
study, we aim to find out whether a bank having a positive brand image could lead to the
customers of the bank being satisfied with its services through the impact on perceived service
quality. Specifically, this study aims to fulfill the following objective:
To understand the impact of brand image on customer satisfaction level
To examine the role of perceived service quality in developing customer
satisfaction
To investigate whether brand image has an impact on perceived service quality
To reveal whether perceived service quality play a mediating role or not in the
relationship between bank brand image and customer satisfaction.
To develop a instrument for measuring brand image of bank in Nepal


Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 6
Literature Review
Concept of Branding
Branding has become a necessity in business. J ust having a good product or service is not
enough to differentiate oneself from the competitors. Additional value and especially fine brand
management is required. According to the American Marketing Association, a brand is a name,
term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and
services of one seller or group of seller and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.
For consumers, brands are vital because they provide them information about the product
maker or service provider of the brand and thus allow them to assign responsibility to a particular
manufacturer and also ease the consumers decisions of which product/ brand to use. If
consumers can recognize or recall a brand, it is more likely that they will also use a product of
that certain brand. Brands can simplify choice, promise a particular quality level, reduce risk and
engender trust. Brands thus reflect the complete experience customers have with products (Keller
and Lehmann, 2006).
Brand Image
According to Aaker (1996), a brand image is how the consumers perceive the brand (p.
69). The impressions consumers have of a company extend well beyond the product or service
the firm provides. Keller (2001) defines brand image as perceptions about a brand as reflected by
the brand associations held in consumer memory. A company or its product/services which
constantly holds a favorable image by the public, would definitely gain a better position in the
market, sustainable competitive advantage, and increase market share or performance (Park,
J aworski & MacInnis, 1986).
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 7
In Kellers (2011, p.60) customer-based brand equity framework, brand awareness and
brand image, which comprise brand knowledge, are the primary sources of brand equity. While
brand equity is gaining significance in the marketing of products, brand image is as well gaining
recognition as an important concept of marketing (Park, 2009). According to Park et al. (1986),
creating, cultivating and sustaining a specific brand image is crucial to a brands long-term
success and to differentiate between various competitors, since the image of a brand plays an
integral role in building long-term brand equity.
According to a research conducted by Cho (2011), brand image is a consumers
perceptions and feeling towards a brand shaped by direct/indirect brand experiences, which
captures cognitive, sensory, and emotional aspects. These are reflected by the three dimensions
of mystery, sensuality, and intimacy respectively.
Brand image has been conceptualized and operationalized in several ways. It has been
measured based on attributes, brand benefits/ values or using Malhotras (1981) brand image
scale. Measuring image based on the above definition helps identify the strength and weaknesses
of brand as well as consumers perceptions toward their product or services (Sondoh, Omar,
Wahid, Ismail & Harun, 2007). Low and Lamb (2000) suggested using a measurement technique
using semantic differential items generated for the relevant product category to measure brand
image.
Brand image conveys emotional value and not just a mental image. It is a composite of
perceived quality and esteem dimensions. A positive brand image can be considered as a crucial
ability of a corporation to hold its market position. Onyancha (2013) suggests that brand image
of a bank is not absolute; it is relative to brand images of competing banks. The customers often
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 8
form a brand image of a brank from their own banking experiences. A favorable bank brand
image helps strengthen the intentions customers have for selecting a bank (Onyancha)
Even though brand image construct has been used in various researches, there has not
been much agreement on how to measure brand image and dimensionality (Dobni & Zinkhan,
1990). Low and Lamb (2000) assert that brand image measurement and dimensionality should be
measured by different items depending on the product or service category. Review of literature
has shown that brand image is a multidimensional construct composed functional and symbolic
concepts (Park, J aworski & Maclnni, 1986). Functional brand image are product related
attributes of the brand, the characteristics of the brand such as reliability, design quality, and
other core features that enable brand to perform its function (Grace & OCass, 2002). In the
study that focused on service product category, Kandampully & Suhartanto (as cited in Holjevac,
Markovic & Raspor, 2010) categorized functional image in terms of location, physical facilities,
interior design, price and quality of goods and services, and staff performance. The functional
brand image is gained through product related attributes of the brand that fulfill customers lower
level motivations and needs.
On the other hand, symbolic brand image is composed of non-product related attributes
such as social approval, personal expression that satisfy higher level needs. Features such as
atmosphere, reputation, external appearance, and the layout can be example of symbolic brand
image attributes (Kandampully & Suhartanto, as cited in Holjevac et al., 2010)
Overall, a brand image can generate value in terms of helping customers to process
information, differentiating the brand, generating reasons to buy, give positive feelings, and
providing a basis for extensions (Aaker, 2009). Creating and maintaining a brand is an important
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 9
part of a firms strategy. Therefore, it is very important to understand the development of image
formation and its consequences such as customer satisfaction.
Service Quality
Zeithaml (1988) defined perceived service quality as customers overall impression or
assessment concerning the relative inferiority or superiority of the organization and its services.
It can be measured by the comparison of customers expectations with customers perceptions of
actual service performance (Parasuraman, 1985). As Wu (2011) states, customers form
expectations prior to their encounter with the service. They develop perceptions during the
process of service delivery and then they compare their perceptions to their expectations while
evaluating the outcome of service encounter. Service quality means how well the service level
delivered conforms to customers expectations.
On an operational level, research in service quality has been dominated by the
SERVQUAL instrument. SERVQUAL model was perhaps one of the most widely-used
frameworks in addressing service quality. The central idea in this model is that service quality is
a function of the difference scores or gaps between expectations and perceptions. It has been
proposed that service quality is a multidimensional concept (Parasuraman et al., 1985). Five key
dimensions of service quality have been identified namely, reliability, responsiveness, assurance,
empathy and tangibles. For banks, service attributes to performance are defined within the
service dimension of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles (Wei, 2009).
The SERVQUAL instrument has been widely used in a variety of service industries. According
to Ilyas et al. (2013), service quality of banks is more based on factors like tangibles, reliability
and responsiveness and less on assurance and empathy.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 10
In a banking sector, where service is the key delivery to a customer, quality service plays
a major role in achieving customer satisfaction (Nagabhushanam, n.d.). However, in the service
industry, it is not easy to measure service quality. This is because the service sector as a whole is
very heterogeneous and what holds true for one service may not hold true for another. Ilyas et al.
(2013) argues that the quality of services provided by a bank is related to satisfaction of
customers and is estimated by dissatisfying and satisfying the service provided by the bank over
time. According to Nagabhushanam, customer satisfaction and service quality are interrelated to
each other. This is because customer satisfaction depends on service quality and service quality
is increasingly offered as a strategy by marketers to position themselves more effectively in the
market place. Bei and Chiao (2006) reported positive influence of perceived service quality on
three service providers i.e. petrol station, automobile repair and banking. Significant correlations
have been found between overall customer satisfaction and service quality dimensions (Agbor,
2011). The service quality in banking industry relates to assurance, empathy, responsiveness and
reliability (J ohnston 1995). Reliability and assurance has strong influence on banking sector
service quality and customer satisfaction (Zhou 2004).
Similarly, Nguyen and LeBlanc (as cited in Malik, Naeem & Nasir, 2011) explained that
overall brand image of the company is formed by the combined perceptions of service quality as
a result of frequent service experiences.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer Satisfaction is the accumulated experience of a customers purchase and
consumption experiences (Onyancha, 2013). Satisfaction is a subjective concept and therefore
difficult to determine. The clients satisfaction in this paper will be measured through overall
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 11
satisfaction towards the services. When a product is matched with the expectation of the
customers, it enhances its satisfaction which ultimately leads to profitability (Anderson, Fornell
& Lehmann, 1994). Oliver (1997) defines satisfaction as a consumers fulfillment response.
According to a research conducted by Oliver, a number of related concepts which represent
either the affective (liking/pleasure) or cognitive (thinking/judging) components of product and
service experienced or a hybrid of two is frequently used interchangeably with satisfaction.
These components are moods (feelings), quality (cognitive judgment), value (comparative
judgment) and attitude (hybrid affective-cognitive judgment). Attitude can exist prior to
purchase/usage whereas satisfaction exists after users purchase and consumption experience
(Oliver)
Szymanski and Henard (2001) noted that previous research on consumers satisfaction
focused primarily on the effects of expectations, disconfirmation of expectations, performance,
affect and equity on satisfaction. The expectancy disconfirmation paradigm suggests that
consumers are satisfied when the product perform better than expected (positive
disconfirmation), dissatisfied when consumers expectations exceeded actual product
performance (negative disconfirmation), and neutral satisfaction when the product performance
matches expectations (zero disconfirmation/confirmation) (Bearden & Teel, 1983). Oliver (1980)
argues that expectations are thought to create a frame of reference about which one makes a
comparative judgment. Outcomes poorer than expected (a negative disconfirmation) are rated
below this reference point whereas those better than expected (a positive disconfirmation) are
evaluate above this base.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 12
For this study, the satisfaction response will be reflected towards the level of affection for
the brand. Oliver (1997) noted that consumers at the affective stage would develop a positive
attitude towards the brand as a result of satisfactory repetitive usage over time.
Customers may explain their satisfaction with products or services in terms of specific
aspects such as products attributes, price, customer service or the combination of these features.
These products attributes on their combination of products features are related to brand. Ahmad
and Hashim (2010) find that satisfaction mediates the relationship between customer based brand
equity construct and loyalty. Bloemer, Ruyter and Peeters (1998) investigated the image related
issues in banks and pointed out that a positive brand image of a bank significantly improves
perceived service quality. Brand image is thus a critical determinant of service quality. Brand
image includes a products appeal, ease of use, functionality, fame and overall value. It is the
objective and mental feedback of the consumers when they purchase a product. Positive brand
image is exceeding the customers expectation. Meeting expectations result in satisfaction.
(Oliver, 1997).
Theoretical Framework
Bank brand image play a vital role in the selection and use of bank services. In this
competitive world, bank brand image impacts the attitudes and behavior of the customers. Thus
bank brand image is a variable of primary interest to us. A lot of research has been conducted in
the area of impact of brand image on customer perceived service quality and satisfaction. These
researches have been conducted especially in the west. Research has been conducted in different
service industry including bank too which reveal that brand image has a positive impact on
customer's perceived service quality which in turn increases the customer satisfaction.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 13
Literatures suggest that brand image has significant positive impact on customer's
perceived service quality. Bank brand image is a critical determinant of service quality and
customer satisfaction. Customers have positive attitudes and perception with the bank service
which has favorable brand image. The idea behind it is that the consumer is not purchasing just
the product or service but also the image associated with that product or service. Favorable
Brand image not only communicate the goodwill of the bank among its customer but also
implicitly persuade its customers to use the service. Thus, positive brand image positively
influence customer satisfaction through enhancing perceived service quality. The relationship
among Bank brand image, perceived service quality and customer satisfaction are dramatically
shown below in which Bank brand image is an independent variable whereas customer
satisfaction acts as dependent variable. In the relationship between two variables, perceived
service quality acts a mediating variable.





Fig 1: Schematic diagram for theoretical framework


Bank Brand Image

Perceived
service
quality
Customer Satisfaction
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 14
Hypotheses
H1: Bank brand image has a positive impact on perceived service quality.
H2: Perceived service quality has positive influence on customer satisfaction.
H3: Banks brand image has positive impact on customer satisfaction.
H4: Perceived service quality mediates the relationship between bank brand image and
customer satisfaction.
Methodology
Research design
This study will be descriptive in nature as it is undertaken in order to ascertain and be
able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation. It will be a cross-
sectional design as data will be collected just once with the help of questionnaire. Thus, this
study will be one-shot study. In this study, we will be focusing on impact of brand image on
perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. Thus, we will be focusing on individual
customer of particular bank. Thus, unit of analysis will be individual in this study. For this study,
researcher will not interference with normal activities of the respondents i.e. customer of
particular bank. In other words, researcher interference will be minimal in this study. Besides
above, this study will be a field study where respondents having a account in a bank will be
chosen with no interference from the researcher. The study will be done in non-contrived setting
with no interference with the normal work routine.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 15
Sample of the study
The population for our study wills all the people who have accounts at formal financial
institution of Nepal. According to World Banks Global Findex Database of 2011 this number
was 25% of total population of Nepal, approximately 6.65 million. (Worldbank, 2011)
Based on this population, a sample size was calculated at 95% confidence level and with
5% margin of error. Using the sample calculator (Insight, 2011), a sample size of 384 was
determined for the study.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire shall consist of four sections. The first section will questions that will
collect demographic information, including personal information such as name, age, gender,
income as well as banking information such as banking institution name, its address, type of
account, and so on. The second part of the questionnaire will be used to assess the brand image
of the banking institution. A custom questionnaire has been developed for this purpose. The third
section of the questionnaire will be based upon the modified SERVQUAL instrument and will
contain items from that instrument. These items will be used to assess perceived service quality.
The final section will assess the customer satisfaction.
Instruments
Perceived Service Quality: A five dimension 22 item scale devised by J ames Fitzsimmons and
Mona Fitzsimmons in 2006 will be used to assess the perceived service quality. The scale will
capture expectation and perceptions about the tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance
and empathy dimensions of service quality.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 16
Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction will be measured by the 3-item scale, 7-point
Likert scale from 1 (not satisfied at all) to 7 (very satisfied), adapted from Oliver (1980).
Focus Group Interview to develop scale for Brand Image
With no standardized scale to suit our purpose, a focus group interview will be carried
out in order to develop brand image measurement. The group shall consist of 35 people of age
18+who hold an account in a Nepali bank. They will be informed about the purpose of the study
i.e. finding measuring brand image of a bank. Two open ended questions will be asked for this
purpose: the first question will be used to evoke the banks name, and the second question will
be used to associate attributes for the recalled bank. The questions will involve techniques as
suggested by Krueger and Casey in 2002. The qualitative method of conducting such interview is
considered appropriate when seeking to gather information that requires anothers impressions,
interpretations, and opinions as members tal about the event, concept, product or service
(Sekaran & Bougie, 2010).
The focus group interview will render us attributes such as trustworthiness, good
environment, friendliness, cleanliness, convenient location, friendly staff, etc. which will be
turned into a one line sentence. These sentences after being tested for reliability and validity will
be used in the final questionnaire to measure brand image. Before the questions are placed in the
final questionnaire, a pretest among a small sample 20 people will be carried out and Cronbach
alpha for the responses will be calculated. The value of Cronbach alpha will help to test the
reliability and internal consistency of the items in the questionnaire. . Further, the items
generated from this procedure will be checked against the literature reviewed to establish content
validity of the items. Finally, 5 experts from different fields (banking, marketing, branding) will
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 17
be will be asked to rate each of the item in the questionnaire for accuracy, completeness, clarity
relevance, scoring system, compressive and length of questions (Yaghmale, 2009 ) to further
substantiate the validity.
Analysis
For our analysis, multiple regression analysis will be carried out to test the correlation
between the constructs and test the existence mediating variable. SPSS will be used as our
statistical software. One the responses are entered, it will be checked for inconsistency. Also,
reliability test will be carried out.
To test our first hypothesis (H1), a simple regression analysis will be carried out to test
the effect of bank brand image on perceived service quality. Similarly, simple regression analysis
will be carried out to test effect of perceived service quality on customer satisfaction, and brand
image on customer satisfaction respectively. Finally to test the mediating effect of perceived
service on bank brand image and customer satisfaction, we will run multiple regression analysis
as suggested by Baron and Kenny in 1986.
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 18

Limitations of the study
Though this proposed research uncovers the impact of bank brand image on perceived
service quality and customer satisfaction in Nepalese bank, there are several limitations in this
study. This research paper only concentrates on brand image and perceived service quality as
variables which affect customer satisfaction. There might be others variables which influence the
satisfaction level of customer. Secondly, Insights generated from this research might not be
applicable in all service industry in Nepal. This research is conducted only to the banks of the
Kathmandu valley. Findings of this research may not be generalized to the banks outside of
Kathmandu valley. Thus, this research might lacks generalizability and thus same result might
Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 19
not be obtained outside of Kathmandu valley. There is no standardized scale to measure brand
image. Customized scale has been used for measuring brand image. Combine effects of brand
image and perceived service quality on customer satisfaction cannot be assessed through the
regression analysis model.

Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 20
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Sample Questionnaire
Section A: General Information

Name: Age:

Gender: Income per month:
Do you have a bank account? Yes No
Banking Information
Name of the primary bank:
Type of Account Checking Savings Other
Address of the bank
City: District:


Section B: Brand Image

Brand Image: Question for this section will be generated after focus group interviews and validity and
reliability tests of the derived items.
Section C: Perceived Service Quality

EXPECTATIONS
This survey deals with your opinions of banks. Please show the extent to which you think banks should posses
the following features. What we are interested in here is a number that best shows your expectations about
institutions offering bank services. Use the scale below.
Strongly Disagree Slightly Neutral Slightly Agree Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7




Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 26
Expectations Perception
E1. Excellent banking companies will have
modern looking equipment.
P1. My bank has modern looking equipment.
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E2. The physical facilities at excellent banks will
be visually appealing.
P2. My banks physical facilities are visually
appealing.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E3. Employees at excellent banks will be neat
appearing.
P3. My banks reception desk employees are neat
appearing.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E4. Materials associated with the service (such
as pamphlets or statements) will be visually
appealing at an excellent bank.
P4. Materials associated with the service (such as
pamphlets or statements) are visually appealing at
my bank.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E5. When excellent banks promise to do
something by a certain time, they do.
P5. When my bank promises to do something by a
certain time, it does so.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E6. When a customer has a problem, excellent
banks will show a sincere interest in solving it.
P6. When you have a problem, my bank shows a
sincere interest in solving it.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E7. Excellent banks will perform the service
right the first time.
P7. My bank performs the service right the first
time.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 27
E8. Excellent banks will provide the service at
the time they promise to do so.
P8. My bank provides its service at the time it
promises to do so.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E9. Excellent banks will insist on error free
records
P9. My bank insists on error free records
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E10. Employees of excellent banks will tell
customers exactly when services will be
performed.
P10. Employees in my bank tell you exactly when
services will be performed.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E11. Employees of excellent banks will give
prompt service to customers.
P11. Employees in my bank give you prompt
service.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E12. Employees of excellent banks will always
be willing to help customers.
P12. Employees in my bank are always willing to
help you.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E13. Employees of excellent banks will never be
too busy to respond to customers requests.
P13. Employees in my bank are never too busy to
respond to your request.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E14. The behavior of employees in excellent
banks will instill confidence in customers.
P14. The behavior of employees in My bank instills
confidence in you.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E15. Customers of excellent banks will feel safe
in transactions.
P15. You feel safe in your transactions with my
bank.

Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 28
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E16. Employees of excellent banks will be
consistently courteous with customers.
P16. Employees in my bank area consistently
courteous with you.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E17. Employees of excellent banks will have the
knowledge to answer customers questions.
P17. Employees in my bank have the knowledge to
answer your questions.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E18. Excellent banks will give customers
individual attention.
P18. My bank gives you individual attention.
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E19. Excellent banks will have operating hours
convenient to all their customers.
P19. My bank has operating hours convenient to all
its customers.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E20. Excellent banks will have employees who
give customers personal attention.
P20. My bank has employees who give you personal
attention.

SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

E21. Excellent banks will have their customers
best interests at heart.
P21. My bank has your best interest at heart.
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7








Brand Image, Perceived Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction- 29

E22. The employees of excellent banks will
understand the specific needs of their
customers.

P22. The employees of my bank understand your
specific needs.
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SD D SD N SA A SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7



Section Four: Customer Satisfaction
The following set of statements relates your overall satisfaction of you banking institution. Please circle
the number that best represents your level of agreement.
SD D SD N SA A SA
I am happy about my decision to use my current
bank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I believe that I am doing the right thing when I am
using my current bank.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Overall I am satisfied with my decision to use my
current bank.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS
1) What is the name of you banking institution?
2) What characteristics or attributes come to your mind when you think about your bank, use any
words or phrase that come to your mind.