International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

From Service Quality to Loyalty: Evidence from the Italian Life Insurance Market

Open access
This study explores the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the Italian life insurance market. Using data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 544 policyholders across both public and private insurance providers, the research examines how different service quality dimensions influence satisfaction and, in turn, foster loyalty. Exploratory factor analysis identified four critical dimensions—Assurance, Empathetic Agent Services, Personalized Financial Planning, and Flexibility—that significantly affect customer satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that satisfaction strongly predicts loyalty, explaining nearly three-quarters of its variance. The results highlight Assurance as the most influential driver, followed by Empathetic Agent Services and Personalized Financial Planning. These findings provide valuable insights for insurers operating in Italy, where market competition and regulatory changes increasingly require customer-centric approaches. The study contributes to the literature by contextualizing customer satisfaction and loyalty within a Southern European insurance market, a setting less frequently investigated compared to Anglo-Saxon or Asian contexts. Practically, it suggests that Italian insurers can strengthen long-term relationships by enhancing agent professionalism, offering personalized financial advice, and adopting flexible service solutions.
ANIA-Eurisko. (2013). Customer satisfaction survey in the Italian life insurance sector. ANIA.
Buttle, F. (1996). SERVQUAL: Review, critique, research agenda. European Journal of Marketing, 30(1), 8–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569610105762
Caruana, A. (2002). Service loyalty: The effects of service quality and the mediating role of customer satisfaction. European Journal of Marketing, 36(7/8), 811–828. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560210430818
Ciasullo, M. V., & Troisi, O. (2013). Sustainable value creation in SMEs: A case study. The TQM Journal, 25(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542731311286423
Coviello, N., & Di Trapani, F. (2011). Assessing customer satisfaction and retention in Italian insurance companies. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 16(2), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1057/fsm.2011.9
Cronin, J. J., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299205600304
Das, S. K. (2012). Critical issues of service marketing in India: A case study of life insurance industry. Asian Journal of Research in Marketing, 1(3), 49–68.
Dave, R. (2012). A study on measuring selected policy holders’ expectations for contents of advertising and agents’ service in Anand city. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Research, 2(3), 1–9.
Di Pietro, L., & Pantano, E. (2021). Digitalization and service quality in Italian financial services: Effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102565
Fornell, C. (1992). A national customer satisfaction barometer: The Swedish experience. Journal of Marketing, 56(1), 6–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299205600103
Gaiardelli, P., Saccani, N., & Songini, L. (2007). Performance measurement of the after-sales service network—Evidence from the automotive industry. Computers in Industry, 58(7), 698–708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2007.05.005
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
Gulati, K., Kumar, A., & Ravi, V. (2012). E-CRM and customer satisfaction in Indian insurance industry. Asian Journal of Business and Economics, 2(3), 1–13.
Kumar, V., & Kumari, P. (2012). A comparative study on public vs private sector in life insurance in India. VSRD International Journal of Business and Management Research, 2(10), 515–517.
Mariani, M., & Borghi, M. (2022). Relational and innovation quality as drivers of customer satisfaction in Italian life insurance. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 40(7), 1225–1245. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-01-2022-0012
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.
Prakash, N., & Sugumaran, G. (2014). An assessment of perceptions and expectations of customer in SERVQUAL parameters with reference to life insurance companies in Chennai, India. International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(6), 181–184.
Reichheld, F. F. (1996). The loyalty effect: The hidden force behind growth, profits, and lasting value. Harvard Business School Press.
Santoro, G., Raffa, M., & Ferrara, M. (2023). Service quality, transparency, and engagement: Determinants of loyalty in the Italian life insurance sector. Journal of Financial Services Research, 64, 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-023-00345-1
Singhal, P. R., & Gupta, A. (2013). Assessment of service quality in insurance sector – A case study of private companies of Haryana State. International Journal of Research in IT & Management, 3(1), 1–15.
Srivastava, M. (2015). Life insurance consumer psychographics and its relationship with satisfaction. International Journal in Management and Social Science, 3(7), 124–131.
Sud, R. (2011). Challenges in life insurance industry. Financial Literacy Agenda for Mass Empowerment. http://flame.org.in/KnowledgeCenter/ChallengesinLifeInsuranceindustry.aspx
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298805200302
Granata, G. (2025). From Service Quality to Loyalty: Evidence from the Italian Life Insurance Market. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(10), 712-722.