Background Based on the previous literature it is confirmed that Performance-based service quality and patient satisfaction are major antecedents of behavioral intentions in the healthcare sector. Here, the study deals with the same variables under the framework of Ayurveda healthcare. Objectives The study is an attempt to understand the perceptional differences of healthcare consumers in Ayurveda, by analyzing the relationship between the service quality, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in Ayurveda. Materials and methods Using the convenient sampling technique, 404 samples were collected through direct interview, with a structured questionnaire from the in-patients of 20 accredited Ayurveda hospitals from the northern part of Kerala, a southern state of India. Respondents of the study consist of mostly women who were aged above 40. ANOVA and t-test were used to evaluate the differences in the perception of healthcare consumers, and multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to propose two relationship models from the study. Results The perception of healthcare consumers are found to vary for service quality and patient satisfaction according to socio-economic variables except for the education factor. Later the test on the impact of performance-based service quality on patient satisfaction and the mediation model showed a significant influence between the variables. Conclusion The results of the study could empirically prove the relationships of these variables significantly and it can assure some quality contributions to the healthcare managers to modify their business policies in the future.

Purpose This paper aims to understand whether the perceptions of the patient’s in the health-care service experience differs in the Ayurveda, and to examine the impact of three critical communication dyads on the patient service experiences in Ayurveda health-care sector. Design/methodology/approach The study consists of 436 participants, recruited directly from the inpatients of Ayurveda establishments/hospitals/clinics in Northern Kerala, India. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. An independent sample t-test was used to find out the differences in the perceptions of Ayurveda health-care consumers towards their health-care service experience. Multiple regression analysis is used to explain the dyadic relationship of patient–firm (PFR), patient–employee (PER) and employee–firm relation (EFR) on the health-care service experience (SE) in the Ayurveda sector. Findings The study highlights that the perception of patients on Ayurveda health-care service experience varies according to their socio-economic statuses such as age, gender, annual income and the number of inpatient days. Among the service communication dyads, PFR is the most effective dyadic phase that contributes significantly more towards an improved Ayurveda health-care SE, followed by the PER and EFR. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study will be more applicable to the Ayurveda health-care sector, where the doctors and the management have more role in the servicescape. Practical implications Health managers have to consider three stakeholders (customers, employees and firm) and the relationship between them. It is valued the PFR more, followed by the PER and EFR. Social implications Proper implementation of the suggestions given by the study can improve overall service communications of the different service providers of Ayurveda with good interpersonal manner to achieve better relationships among the three mentioned parties. Originality/value The empirical evidence from the study is relevant and timely to the health-care service providers of the country to aid them in providing a better health-care service experience. The study adds value given the increasing trend of lifestyle diseases and subsequent demand in health-care services, especially in the Ayurveda sector.

Achieving perfection is an ideal far from reality in any sphere of business ( Varela-Neira et al., 2010 ). But the world has come a long way in terms of progress. Systems like 6 Sigma, etc., have brought down the level of quality defects to miniscule level and there are ways to measure and quantify the defect. By this we can take corrective actions to rectify the defects. But when it comes to handling of complaint, if the complaint is not handled to the satisfaction of customer the damage will be exponential and often irrepairable. The biggest challenge is to measure or quantify the damage created by even small or miniscule level of defective product or service. An effort is made here to study the complaint resolution satisfaction and its effect on customer loyalty for micro, small and medium enterprises in business to business context. Primary data are collected by 5 point Likert scale questionnaire and impact of complaint handling on customer loyalty is measured through (a) simple linear regression and analysis of variance and (b) descriptive statistics like frequency and mean. This study implies that satisfactory complaint resolution is a very important factor for continued customer retention.

Marketing communication is more complex today due to the difference between a firm’s promise about a service and what it actually delivers. Expectations of the customers are shaped on the basis of what types of promises are offered by the organization and how efficiently it is delivered to them. Here, the study attempts to empirically examine the impact of service communication triangle on the service experience in the healthcare sector. The Data was collected from sixty inpatients from several healthcare institutions located in Pondicherry (UT), at least with two days of service experience through the Email survey. Multiple regression is employed to explain the relationship between a criterion variable (Patients service experience) and three predictor variables, Patients employee relation (PE), Patients firm relation (PF), and Employee firm relation (EF). The study observed that three communication dyads contribute significantly to the service experience and it is relevant and timely to the healthcare service providers of the country in respect of first empirical study on service communication triangle in India and in this Healthcare sector.