Testing a customer satisfaction model for online services

Purpose – The paper aims to illustrate the results of a testing activity of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services provided by public administrations. Design/methodology/approach – The results are part of a wider research project, aimed at the implementation of a customer satisfaction management model for online services, starting out from citizen evaluations concerning the quality of services provided by public administrations. The model presupposes that the aspects of the service on which citizens are called to express their perceptions refer to well‐identified phases of the supply process, in such a way as to facilitate improvement measures. The testing activity involved a pilot group of Italian public administrations. Findings – As a result of the testing activity's initial stage, some major issues can be identified that concern the need to properly focus the questionnaire design and simultaneously make use of different data analysis techniques in order to strengthen the impact of the survey results in supporting appropriate service quality improvement decisions. Research limitations/implications – The outcome of the present paper should be seen as an intermediate result and can be assumed to be part of wider research aimed at the implementation of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services supplied by Italian public administrations. Originality/value – The paper offers a key to understanding the methodological and operating approach as well as the empirical evidence emerging from testing a general customer satisfaction management model.