Factors influencing customer experience in hospitals: a comparison between private and government hospitals

PURPOSE: While hospitals continue to prioritize service delivery, customer experience (CX) has emerged as a critical yet under-explored dimension in healthcare. This study investigates the key factors shaping CX in hospital settings through the lens of Dual Factor Theory (DFT) and examines the moderating role of hospital type (private vs. government). DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research was conducted in two stages. First, a qualitative inquiry was employed to explore and identify key CX determinants in hospitals. Subsequently, a quantitative study was carried out with data collected from 518 respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to test the hypothesized relationships between the identified factors and CX, along with the moderating effect of hospital type. FINDINGS: The DFT-based analysis identified eight key factors influencing CX in hospitals, categorized as positive (physical maintenance, professional personnel, expertise, digital technology adoption and internal facilities) and negative (perceived cost, perceived information asymmetry and perceived inconvenience). SEM results revealed that physical maintenance, professional personnel, expertise and digital technology adoption significantly enhance CX, while perceived cost, internal facilities, information asymmetry and inconvenience showed no significant effect. Moreover, moderation analysis indicated that internal facilities moderate CX in private hospitals, whereas physical maintenance moderates CX in government hospitals, underscoring contextual variations in how service attributes shape CX across different healthcare settings. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The study provides actionable insights for healthcare marketers, administrators and policymakers to design strategies that enhance CX by leveraging positive drivers while minimizing barriers. Emphasizing digital technology, maintaining professional service standards and addressing issues of information asymmetry and inconvenience can significantly improve overall CX. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This research contributes to the body of literature on CX in healthcare by integrating both positive and negative determinants of CX within a hospital context and examining the moderating role of hospital types.