Background/Purpose Service quality has been recognized as one of the major elements that affect member retention and the long-term profitability of an organization (McDonald & Howland, 1998). High customer satisfaction results in a better reputation of the organization and more customer referrals (Anderson & Sullivan, 1993; Hallowell, 1996). This study examined YMCA service quality using the SQAS (Lam, Zhang, & Jensen, 2005), which was designed to measure service quality of health-fitness clubs in the following six dimensions: Staff, Program, Locker Room, Workout Facility, Physical Facility, and Child Care. The modified scale (SQAS-RC) included Aquatic Facility to reflect the amenities of nowadays YMCA facility.
Method The SQAS-RC was distributed by mail to the members of three YMCAs in the same county. Members were asked to return the questionnaires in two weeks. Item responses were based on a 7-point Likert scale (e.g., 1=poor, 4=average, and 7=Excellent).
Analysis/Results One-sample t-tests showed that all perception scores were significantly (p <.001) different from the median score, indicating members were satisfied with the service quality offered. ANOVA analyses revealed significant (p <.05) differences in Program and Overall Facility among members in: use frequency, age, and time visited the facility.
Conclusions In summary, members were satisfied with the programs and the overall service provided by the YMCAs. However, members who workout between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. were less satisfied than those who visited the YMCA at other hours. For this reason, it was logical for the management to allocate more resources and personnel to this area.