The role of expectations and desires in customer satisfaction: a structural equation modeling application

Authors

  • Sergio Olavarrieta Universidad de Chile
  • Alejandra Gutiérrez Universidad de Chile
  • Aracelly Zárate Universidad de Chile

Abstract

Recent studies in the US and other developed countries have demonstrated that customer satisfaction is a key element for a profitable business. Much of this work has been done in developed nations. We wanted to know if a foreign-developed customer satisfaction model will hold in a developing South American nation having its own culture and going through basic stages of economic development. In particular, the present study provides an exploratory test of the validity of a general model that considers both confirmation of expectations and congruence of desires as drivers of satisfaction (Spreng and Olshavsky 1993) in Chile, using structural equations modeling.

Keywords:

Expectations, Desires, Customer satisfaction, Structural equations