Developing a scale for measuring service quality in the public sector

Public sector organisations are fundamentally different from private sector organisations in terms of their objectives, availability of resources, and decision making structures, etc. The existing service quality measurement models, based on the research from the private sector, cannot capture the complexities and unique contingencies of the public sector. The need, therefore, arises for the development of service quality measurement models for public sector organisations. By using a modified SERVQUAL instrument, this paper develops service quality measurement scale for public sector organisations. Data was collected from the customers of a national database centre, and the scale was developed using structural equation modelling. The developed scale comprises three service quality dimensions ‐ reliability, responsiveness, and empathy. The findings highlight those areas of service quality in the public sector that really matter. The scale can be used as a managerial tool to measure and improve performance in public sector organisations.