The influence of time on student perceptions of service quality: The need for longitudinal measures

The paper argues that existing measures of service quality within the higher education sector are fundamentally flawed due to the ignorance of the effects of time on student perceptions. The paper takes the view that it is the perception of service quality over time that may better explain longer‐term relationship building and recommendation intention. A longitudinal study employing a modified SERVQUAL scale observed that perceptions of service quality related to a student orientation process declined with the passage of time.