THE CUSTOMERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF SERVICE QUALITY AT A PRIVATE DENTAL CLINIC IN ROI ET PROVINCE

Abstract

          The objectives of this research article were 1) to identify customers’ characteristics affecting customers’ perceptions and expectations of service quality at a private dental clinic, (2) determine the levels of customers’ perceptions and expectations of service quality at a private dental clinic, and (3) compare the differences between customers’ perceptions and expectations of service quality at a private dental clinic in Roi Et province. The study involved a sample of 234 patients. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The statistics used in the data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Statistics used to test the hypothesis were t-test and F–test.

         The results showed that: 1. the levels of overall customer perceptions and expectations of the clinic’s service quality, including structure, process, and outcome, were highest, and 2. based on the service quality perception and expectation comparison, the perception was lower than expectation for the process and structure, but the perception was higher than expectation for the outcome; and there was no significant difference between the mean scores of perceptions and expectations of service structure and outcome.