Antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction with courier services during disruptions: empirical evidence from Indian postal sector

Purpose A comprehensive evaluation of the caliber of postal services within a disruptive environment is crucial for checking for the capability to adapt to evolving market circumstances and retain or acquire customers’ confidence. Design/methodology/approach This study empirically established a new set of the courier service quality scale to measure the postal service’s preparedness in times of disruption. Based on the dataset of 408 individual postal users, structural equation modeling was performed through the partial least square method using SMARTPLS software. Findings The hypotheses were tested: (1) courier service quality positively affects customer satisfaction; (2) courier service quality has a positive direct and indirect impact on customer loyalty via customer satisfaction as a mediator; (3) courier service quality has an indirect negative impact on customer disloyalty via customer satisfaction as a mediator; (4) customer satisfaction and customer loyalty positively affect the willingness to pay of customers. However, (5) customer disloyalty has no effect on the willingness to pay of customers. Originality/value The study’s context-specific methodology is intended to help India Post’s management, marketers and government obtain a better grasp of these complex occurrences. Consumers prioritize affordability over quality during times of economic hardship. But this study reveals that even customers are willing to pay more if the postal sector is consistent with the quality of services. This highlights the need for postal management to create a new express service in the postal business to suit customer expectations and increase income significantly.