Identifying and Prioritising the Drivers of Customer Satisfaction in India Post Digital Services: An Importance–Performance Map Analysis

Abstract

The speedy digital transition of public services has raised the need for understanding the factors that affect the satisfaction of the customers in technology enabled public service context. India Post has seen a tremendous expansion in its digital services portfolio with the launch of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), mobile app, and online postal services, yet there is limited empirical evidence in the area of digital services factors influencing customer satisfaction in the context of India Post. The study explores the effect of Digital Accessibility, Platform Usability, Transaction Reliability, Security and Trust, Employee Digital Support, Service Responsiveness and Perceived Value on Customer Satisfaction with the help of the mediating role of Digital Customer Experience. The research adopted quantitative cross sectional research design and primary data was collected from 500 respondents who are customers and have experienced the use of India Post digital services. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the proposed framework that was followed by Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) to determine the strategic directions for service improvement. The results show that all seven antecedent constructs are positively and significantly related to Digital Customer Experience and Digital Customer Experience is strongly and positively related to Customer Satisfaction. The mediation analysis additionally shows that Digital Customer Experience acts as the main mechanism in regard to the path between digital service attributes and customer satisfaction. The highest urgency areas for managerial action highlighted by the IPMA results are Platform Usability, Service Responsiveness, and Security and Trust, meaning that improvements in these areas are likely to bring the most satisfaction for customers. The study adds to the literature of digital service and experience management by combining PLS-SEM with IPMA and offers practical recommendations to enhance digital transformation to facilitate customer-centric services in India Post and other public service organisations.