Assessing customer satisfaction on service quality: a case study at eximbank Vietnam—Can Tho branch

This study aims to investigate the mechanism driving customer satisfaction with personal credit services at Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank - Can Tho Branch (Eximbank Can Tho). Moving beyond classical linear models, this research explores the critical mediating role of Trust (TR) in bridging service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. Grounded in an extended SERVQUAL framework, data were gathered from 147 active credit customers. Structural relationships and mediation effects were analyzed using Cronbach’s Alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Bootstrapped Multiple Linear Regression. The empirical results reveal that while service quality dimensions (Response, Empathy, Service capacity, and Tangible means) positively influence satisfaction, Trust serves as a pivotal mediator that significantly amplifies these relationships. Notably, Trust also exerts the strongest direct impact on customer satisfaction (beta = 0.391). By establishing Trust as an intermediary mechanism rather than a mere standalone antecedent, this study addresses a critical theoretical gap in high-risk, long-term personal credit services within emerging markets, providing bank managers with a validated hierarchy for strategic resource allocation.