Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to empirically analyze the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction, reuse intention, and wordof-mouth effect in South Korean social welfare institutions. Given the rapid expansion of social welfare services since the 1980s, service quality and user perception have gained importance, but existing studies have primarily focused on customer demand with limited attention to the perception gap between service providers and users. Research Methodology: A survey was conducted with 175 users of welfare centers in Jeollanam-do. Service quality was measured across five dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. The collected data were analyzed using statistical methods, including correlation and regression analysis, to examine the relationships between service quality and customer satisfaction, reuse intention, and word-of-mouth effect. Results: The findings indicate that kindness, convenience, and tangibility have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, reuse intention, and the word-of-mouth effect. These dimensions of service quality were found to be more influential than others in shaping positive customer outcomes. Conclusion: This study provides actionable insights for improving service quality in social welfare institutions, demonstrating that enhancing specific aspects of service quality can lead to higher customer satisfaction, increased reuse intentions, and more favorable word-of-mouth