Understanding Quality and Consumer Satisfaction in Platform-Based Services Conceptual Model, Assessment Scale, and Consumer Analytics

Abstract

Platform-based services have brought a new era of connectivity, transforming various industries and redefining the way we interact, consume, and share resources. Peer-to-peer platforms (such as Airbnb) leverage the power of digital connectivity to facilitate exchanges among consumers and peer providers, allowing individuals to share their resources and create value through collaboration. However, the adoption of peer-to-peer platforms is not without its hurdles. One of the significant trials faced by these platforms is maintaining the quality of the services provided. The quality management of these platforms includes various aspects such as safety, reliability, and consumer satisfaction. These platforms operate in a unique environment where the users are both service providers and consumers, which presents new quality management challenges.

This thesis aims to facilitate the development of more effective quality management strategies and frameworks for peer-to-peer platforms, and to improve consumer satisfaction. Despite the extensive literature on peer-to-peer platforms, our understanding of quality management and consumer satisfaction in this context still has notable gaps. Firstly, there is an absence of comprehensive theoretical frameworks that can grasp the complexities of quality management in these platforms. Secondly, research that covers diverse perspectives, including those of consumers and peer providers, is limited, impeding a holistic understanding of quality and satisfaction dynamics. Last, while user-generated content presents a valuable source of information, there is a need for further exploration of analytical techniques to harness this data for comprehensive quality analysis.