Understanding service quality in professional services: a systematic scoping review across multiple disciplines

Abstract

Service quality remains fragmented across professional domains, creating challenges for theory and practice, particularly in underexplored areas. This review aims to map the existing literature, synthesise the current understanding, and propose strategic directions for future research. This study conducted a systematic scoping review of 60 peer-reviewed journal articles across diverse professional domains between 1985 and 2025. The literature was sourced primarily from Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by Google Scholar. The PRISMA flow diagram guided the selection process to ensure transparency and rigour. Data were systematically coded and categorised to identify key characteristics and themes. VOSviewer (v1.6.20) and MS Excel were used for organisation, frequency, and thematic synthesis. Four thematic characteristics formed five distinct patterns: a client-centric perspective, structured frameworks leading to quantitative dominance, contextual disparity, pre-decided determinants, and ambiguity in definition. Using the PAGER framework, these patterns were synthesised to guide future research towards dual perspectives, methodological shifts, contextual expansion, service-specific determinants, and achieve definitional precision for a theoretically and practically enhanced perception of service quality across multiple professional disciplines. This review is the first to synthesise the understanding of service quality in professional services across multiple disciplines. It provides a comprehensive overview of conceptual and contextual development, outlining research avenues to foster a more inclusive, context-sensitive approach to service quality.