The Influence of Salesperson Attributes and Perceived Service Quality on Customer Attitudes and Service Intentions in the Banking Sector
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the joint influence of salesperson attributes and perceived service quality on customer attitudes and service intentions in a commercial banking context, and examines the mediating role of customer attitude within a three-layer structural model informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991)—operationalizing its attitudinal component only—and by the SERVQUAL framework (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 391 customers of a commercial bank operating across five provinces in Thailand's lower central region, stratified equally across loan, wealth-management, and basic-service segments. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted in SmartPLS 4.0 (Ringle, Wende, & Becker, 2022) with 5,000-subsample bias-corrected bootstrapping (Chin, 1998). Findings: Four of five directional hypotheses were supported. Salesperson attributes positively influenced customer attitude (β = .392, t = 8.412, p < .001, f² = .289) but exerted no significant direct effect on service intention (H2 not supported). Perceived service quality positively influenced both customer attitude (β = .315, t = 6.843, p < .001, f² = .251) and service intention (β = .373, t = 8.125, p < .001, f² = .295). Customer attitude emerged as the dominant path in the model (β = .441, t = 9.723, p < .001, f² = .313). Mediation analysis revealed a differential pattern: attitude fully mediated the salesperson attributes–service intention pathway (indirect β = .173, 95% CI [.112, .243]), while only partially mediating the perceived service quality–service intention pathway (indirect β = .139, 95% CI [.085, .201]; direct β = .373; total β = .512). Research limitations/implications: The measurement model exhibits significant discriminant validity limitations, including an HTMT ratio of 1.026 between the two antecedent constructs, which renders causal inferences provisional. The sample derives from a single bank in one Thai region and skews toward high-income, middle-aged business owners. All findings should therefore be treated as preliminary. Originality/value: The study's most robustly supported contribution is a measurement one: in this premium Thai banking context, interpersonal salesperson attributes and technical service quality could not be empirically separated (HTMT = 1.026), indicating that customers may evaluate both as facets of a single service-encounter quality. Conditional on that boundary, the data are consistent with a differential mediation pattern in which interpersonal attributes reach behavioral intention only through attitude while service quality also operates directly—a pattern requiring replication with a re-specified instrument before it can be treated as an established finding.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Views and opinions appearing in articles in the Journal of Arts of Management It is the responsibility of the author of the article. and does not constitute the view and responsibility of the editorial team I agree that the article is copyright of the Arts and Management Journal.
References
Ahmad, S., Bhatti, S. H., & Hwang, Y. (2020). E-service quality and actual use of e-banking: Explanation through the Technology Acceptance Model. Information Development, 36(4), 503–519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666919871611
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ananda, S., Kumar, R. P., & Singh, D. (2023). A mediation analysis of perceived service quality, customer satisfaction and customer engagement in the banking sector. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 28(1), 231–244. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41264-022-00160-1
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40(4), 471–499. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466601164939
Berraies, S., Chtioui, R., & Chaher, M. (2020). Customer-contact employees' empowerment and customer performance: The CRM effectiveness as a mediator. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 69(8), 1769–1791. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-07-2017-0169
Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dandis, A. O., Wright, L. T., Wallace-Williams, D. M., & Mukattash, I. (2021). Enhancing consumers' self-reported loyalty intentions in Islamic banks: The relationship between service quality and the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Cogent Business and
Management, 8(1), Article 1892256. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1892256
de Bruin, L., Roberts-Lombard, M., & de Meyer-Heydenrych, C. (2021). The interrelationship between internal marketing, employee perceived quality and customer satisfaction—a conventional banking perspective. Cogent Business and Management, 8(1), Article
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1872887
Dias, M. R. M., Castelo, J. S. F., & Mainardes, E. W. (2025). The influence of empathy on value co-creation, value in use, and customer retention in the banking sector. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 43(2), 412–435. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-06-2024-0365
Djajanto, L., Kusmintarti, A., Candrawati, T., & Evelina, T. Y. (2026). Linking service quality, trust and customer retention: Examining the mediating effect of customer satisfaction in relational service contexts. Cogent Business and Management, 13(1), Article 2666471.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2026.2666471
Doney, P. M., & Cannon, J. P. (1997). An examination of the nature of trust in buyer–seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 61(2), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299706100203
Dul, J. (2016). Necessary condition analysis (NCA): Logic and methodology of “necessary but not sufficient” causality. Organizational Research Methods, 19(1), 10–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428115584005
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Grönroos, C. (1984). A service quality model and its marketing implications. European Journal of Marketing, 18(4), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004784
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hernán Ramírez-Asís, E., Maguiña-Palma, M. E., & Huerta-Soto, R. M. (2020). Attitude, satisfaction and loyalty of customers in Municipal Savings Banks of Peru. Retos (Ecuador), 10(20), 371–385. https://doi.org/10.17163/ret.n20.2020.08
Hossain, M. A., Jahan, N., & Kim, M. (2023). A multidimensional and hierarchical model of banking services and behavioral intentions of customers. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(9), 2563–2586. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-07-2020-0831
Kamarudin, A. A., & Kassim, S. (2021). An analysis of customer satisfaction on employee professionalism: A comparison between Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 12(5), 1028–1047. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-03-2020-0063
Keisidou, E., Sarigiannidis, L., Maditinos, D. I., & Thalassinos, E. I. (2013). Customer satisfaction, loyalty and financial performance: A holistic approach of the Greek banking sector. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 31(4), 259–288. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-11-2012-0114
Kim, L., & Yeo, S. F. (2024). From side effects to work attitudes influencing customer service quality: Moderating impacts of work experience in banking industry. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 16(3), 412–431. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQSS-04-2024-0040
Kock, N., & Hadaya, P. (2018). Minimum sample size estimation in PLS-SEM: The inverse square root and gamma-exponential methods. Information Systems Journal, 28(1), 227–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12131
Moon, J.-H., Kim, B.-K., & Yang, J.-H. (2024). The effect of bank clerks' human service quality on customer satisfaction: The mediating role of rapport. Global Business and Finance Review, 29(5), 160–178. https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2024.29.5.160
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
Nguyen Ha, M., Le Thanh, T., & Pham Thi Thanh V. (2024). Factors affecting retail customers' satisfaction when using M-banking services: Case study at Sacombank–Hanoi Branch. Journal of Organizational Behavior Research, 9(1), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.51847/YrZHHIko2r
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty?. Journal of Marketing, 63(4_suppl1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429990634s105
Pappas, I. O., & Woodside, A. G. (2021). Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA): Guidelines for research practice in Information Systems and marketing. International Journal of Information Management, 58, 102310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102310
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J.-M. (2022). SmartPLS 4. SmartPLS GmbH. https://www.smartpls.com
Rönkkö, M., & Cho, E. (2022). An updated guideline for assessing discriminant validity. Organizational Research Methods, 25(1), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428120968614
Rovinelli, R. J., & Hambleton, R. K. (1977). On the use of content specialists in the assessment of criterion-referenced test item validity. Dutch Journal of Educational Research, 2, 49–60.
Saibaba, S. (2024). Examining the determinants of mobile banking app continuance intention in India: An extension of the IS success model. Journal of Internet Commerce, 23(1), 55–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2023.2236428
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2017). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In C. Homburg, M. Klarmann, & A. Vomberg (Eds.), Handbook of market research (pp. 1–40). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05542-8_15-1
Sheeran, P., & Webb, T. L. (2016). The intention–behavior gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 503–518. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12265
Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing, 53(11), 2322–2347. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2019-0189
Stock, R. M., & Hoyer, W. D. (2005). An attitude-behavior model of salespeople's customer orientation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33(4), 536–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070305276368
Suki, N. M. (2013). Students' dependence on smart phones: The influence of social needs, social influences and convenience. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 30(2), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650741311306309
Teeroovengadum, V. (2022). Service quality dimensions as predictors of customer satisfaction and loyalty in the banking industry: Moderating effects of gender. European Business Review, 34(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2019-0270
Van Deventer, M., & Redda, E. (2023). Customer loyalty and trust in South African retail banking. Innovative Marketing, 19(2), 156–168. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.19(2).2023.17
Voorhees, C. M., Brady, M. K., Calantone, R., & Ramirez, E. (2016). Discriminant validity testing in marketing: An analysis, causes for concern, and proposed remedies. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0455-4
Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299606000203
Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
Zia, A. (2022). Discovering the linear relationship of service quality, satisfaction, attitude and loyalty for banks in Albaha, Saudi Arabia. PSU Research Review, 6(2), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1108/PRR-07-2020-0023
