Abstract

The survival rate of small businesses operating in the Australian building maintenance industry (SBBM) has been decreasing due to high competition. Some researchers identify the delivery of high levels of service quality as a differential strategy that can improve small business chances of survival. The objective of this study is to examine the nature of the relationships between the quality of service delivered by SBBM and the satisfaction and repurchase intention of Australian households. Additionally, provide a dimension-specific analysis of the relationship between the quality of service delivered by SBBM and the satisfaction and repurchase intention of Australian households. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a self-completion questionnaire measuring instrument is mailed to 667 potential participants selected using simple random sampling. The measuring instrument consists of 26 questions based on the SERVPERF model. A total of 200 complete and accurate questionnaires are returned. The relationships among the main constructs of the study are tested using correlational research design. The study concludes that customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and repurchase intention. It also concludes that SBBM can achieve high levels of service quality and repurchase intention by focusing and investing in the reliability, assurance and empathy factors of service quality. The results of this study are only applicable to the Australian residential market and may not be universally applicable, which is considered a limitation.

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