Saudi Car Dealerships’ Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions: A Quantitative Correlational Study

Service quality in the automotive industry has frequently been identified as key differentiating factor that reflects excellence and credibility of car dealerships. This quantitative correlational research study aimed at examining, if, and to what extent, there was a correlation among service quality dimensions, customer satisfaction, and customer behavioral intentions for car dealerships located in Saudi Arabia. The research population included all GM vehicles’ owners who purchased their vehicles from GM cars dealerships in Saudi Arabia. The sample comprised customers who serviced their cars at GM dealerships in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2019. The stratified random sampling approach was used to ensure a proper representation of customers from all regions. Data were collected from 88 customers by using an online survey and analyzed by Pearson’s correlation test. It was possible, through this study, to infer that there is a statistically significant moderate to strong positive relationship among the five service quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy), customer satisfaction, and customer behavioral intentions. Service assurance appeared to be the most influential quality dimension generating a pool of satisfied customers. The results seemed to indicate that customers attached great significance to staff technical knowledge and courteousness. The findings of this study could have a practical application and may help car dealerships leaders to make informed decisions, manage resources effectively, and improve service quality. To improve customer satisfaction and generate positive behavioral intentions, it is recommended that car dealers conduct periodic quality assessments and avoid setting expectations that cannot be met