ABSTRACT The concept of service quality which represents the services provided to the actual customers or consumers of the

organization. Service quality is a measure of how well a delivered service matches the customers expectations. Generally the customer is requesting a service at the service interface where the service encounter is being realized, and then the service is being provided by the provider and in the same time delivered to or consumed by the customer.

The study is based on the services provided by an organization. The study is about what ind of services an organization provides to its internal and external customer for customer satisfaction. So, that they may retain long term relationship with their customers.

The main reason to focus on quality is to meet customer needs while remaining economically competitive in the same time. This means satisfying customer needs is very important for the enterprises to survive. The outcome of using quality practices is!

"nderstanding and improving of operational processes #dentifying problems quic ly and systematically $stablishing valid and reliable service performance measures %easuring customer satisfaction and other performance outcomes

#n this study we are using both the primary and the secondary data. &ere primary data is used to collect information from the respondents and secondary data to get basic information li e company profile, industry profile and review of literature.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER NO CHAPTERS PAGE NO # #i ' 1 (( (5 (9 (: (< '4 '4 '5 ': '< 4= 4= 99

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT I 1.1 INTRODUCTION (.(.( #)*"ST+, -+./#0$ (.(.' 2.%-3), -+./#0$ (.(.4 )$$* /.+ T&$ ST"*, (.(.5 .67$2T#8$S (.(.9 S2.-$ ./ T&$ ST"*, II III 2.1 LITERATURE SURVEY '.(.( +$8#$; ./ 0#T$+3T"+$ 3.1 METHODOLOGY 4.(.( +$S$3+2& *$S#G) 4.(.' *3T3 S."+2$S 4.(.4 +$S$3+2& #)ST+"%$)TS 4.(.5 3)30,T#230 T..0S 4.(.9 0#%#T3T#.)S 4.1 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 5.( T360$S 5.' 2&3+TS 5.4 ST3T#ST#230 T..0S V CONCLUSION 9.( /#)*#)GS 9.' S"GG$ST#.)S 9.4 2.)20"S#.) APPENDIX ?"$ST#.))3#+$ 6#60#.G+3-&,

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LIST OF TABLES
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LIST OF CHARTS
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INTRODUCTION

Ser !"e #$%&!'( involves a comparison of expectations with performance. 3ccording to 0ewis and 6ooms B(><4C service quality is a measure of how well a delivered service matches the customers expectations. Generally the customer is requesting a service at the service interface where the service encounter is being realized, and then the service is being provided by the provider and in the same time delivered to or consumed by the customer. The main reason to focus on quality is to meet customer needs while remaining economically competitive in the same time. This means satisfying customer needs is very important for the enterprises to survive. The outcome of using quality practices is.

"nderstanding and improving of operational processes #dentifying problems quic ly and systematically $stablishing valid and reliable service performance measures %easuring customer satisfaction and other performance outcomes

Service quality is a business administrationDs term and describes the degree of achievement of an ordered service. #n this connection, obEective and subEective service quality can be distinguished.

.bEective service quality is the concrete measurable conformity of a wor ing result with the previous defined benefitF since the measurability is remar able dependent on the definitionDs accuracy, a measurable quality criterion easily can turn out as a subEective one.

SubEective service quality is the customers perceived conformity of the wor ing result with the expected benefitF this perception is overlayed with the customers original imagination of the service and the service providers talent to present his performance as a good one.

%oreover, a defined result can turn out as unreachable. Then the best possible achievable result would be the obEective ideal result, but subEective still be an unsatisfactory result of a service. Service quality can be related to service potential, service process or service result. #n this way for example, potential quality can be understood as the coGwor ers qualification, process quality as the speed of the generated service and result quality as how much the performance matched the customers wishes. CRITERIA OF SERVICE )UALITY 3 customer will have an expectation of service determined by factors such as recommendations, personal needs and past experiences. The expectation of service and the perceived service result may not be equal, thus leaving a gap. Ten determinants which may influence the appearance of a gap were described by -arasuraman, Heithaml and 6erry. C*+,e'e-"e is the possession of the required s ills and nowledge to perform the service. /or example, there may be competence in the nowledge and s ill of contact personnel, nowledge and s ill of operational support personnel and research capabilities of the organization. C*$r'e.( refers to factors such as politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness of the contact personnelF consideration for the customerDs property and a clean and neat appearance of contact personnel. Cre/!0!&!'( refers to factors such as trustworthiness, believability and honesty. #t involves having the customerDs best interest at heart. #t may be influenced by company name, company reputation and the personal characteristics of the contact personnel. Se"$r!'( represents the customerDs freedom from danger, ris or doubt including physical safety, financial security and confidentiality. A""e.. refers to approachability and ease of contact. /or example, the waiting time is not excessive and there are convenient hours of operation and a convenient location. C*++$-!"%'!*- means both informing customers in a language they are able to understand and also listening to customers. 3 company may need to adEust its language for the varying needs of

its customers. #nformation might include for example, explanation of the service and its cost, the relationship between services and costs and assurances as to the way any problems are effectively managed. K-*1!-2 '3e "$.'*+er means ma ing an effort to understand the customerDs individual needs, providing individualized attention, recognizing the customer when they arrive and so on. T%-2!0&e. are the physical evidence of the service, for instance, the appearance of the physical facilities, tools and equipment used to provide the serviceF the appearance of personnel and communication materials and the presence of other customers in the service facility. Re&!%0!&!'( is the ability to perform the promised service in a dependable and accurate manner. The service is performed correctly on the first occasion, the accounting is correct, records are up to date and schedules are ept. Re.,*-.! e-e.. refers to the willingness of employees to help customers and to provide a prompt timely service, for example, mailing a transaction slip immediately or setting up appointments quic ly.

OB4ECTIVES
-+#%3+, .67$2T#8$S To analyze and study about the external services quality of the 7emi 2luster.

S$2.)*3+, .67$2T#8$S To study about the service that is provided by the company to their external customers. To study the effectiveness of the quality of services provided to the external clients. To evaluate the factors that has an effect on the external quality of services. To give the appropriate suggestions this can be applied to improve the services quality.

NEED OF THE STUDY The research is a contribution to developing new nowledge in the discipline of service quality provided by the organization. The research will facilitate policy and strategic development in respect to the service quality. The research is in partial fulfillment of the requirement to obtain a certificate of %63.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY #n todayDs rapidly changing environment, clients are the main asset for any organization, no matter whether they are internal clients li e employees or the external clients li e other companies. (. This study helps to now about the effectiveness of the service quality provided to both internal as well as external quality. '. This study helps the organization to identify the area of problem and suggest ways to improve the service quality. 4. This study helps in understanding the process of service quality.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY (. The study is confined to a short period. This would not picture the exact position of company. '. The results made using the statistical technique are expected outcomes and not the fact. 4. $very ban will be having their own factors and situation. The findings of the study could be ta en only as guidelines and cannot be applied directly to other ban s. 5. #n depth analysis of data is not possible due to time constraint.

INDUSTRY PROFILE I-'r*/$"'!*-5 The software industry includes businesses involved in the development, maintenance and publication of computer software using any business model. The industry also includes software services, such as training, documentation, and consulting and outsourcing those business models. H!.'*r(5 The word IsoftwareI had been coined as a pran by at least (>94, but did not appear in print until the (>:=s. 6efore this time, computers were programmed either by customers, or the few commercial computer vendors of the time, such as ")#832 and #6%. The first company founded to provide software products and services was 2omputer "sage 2ompany in (>99. The software industry expanded in the early (>:=s, almost immediately after computers were first sold in massGproduced quantities. "niversities, government, and business customers created a demand for software. %any of these programs were written inGhouse by fullGtime staff programmers. Some were distributed freely between users of a particular machine for no charge. .thers were done on a commercial basis, and other firms such as 2omputer Sciences 2orporation Bfounded in (>9>C started to grow. The computerGma ers started bundling operating systems software and programming environments with their machines. The industry expanded greatly with the rise of the personal computer in the midG(>1=s, which brought computing to the des top of the office wor er. #n subsequent years, it also created a growing mar et for games, applications, and utilities. *.S, %icrosoftDs first operating system product, was the dominant operating system at the time. #n the early years of the '(st century, another successful business model has arisen for hosted software, called software as a service, or SaaS ,this was at least the third time this model had been attempted. SaaS reduces the concerns about software piracy, since it can only

S*6'1%re .e"'*r.5 '3e G&*0%& S"e-%r!* There are several types of businesses in the software industry. #nfrastructure software, including operating systems, middleware and databases, is made by companies such as %icrosoft, #6%, Sybase, $%2, .racle and 8%ware. $nterprise software, the software that automates business processes in finance, production, logistics, sales and mar eting, is made by .racle, S3- 3G , Sage and #nfor. Security software is made by the li es of Symantec, Trend %icro and Aaspers y. Several industryGspecific software ma ers are also among the largest software companies in the world! SunGard, ma ing software for ban s, 6lac 6oard ma ing software for schools, and companies li e ?ualcomm or 2yber 8ision ma ing software for telecom companies. .ther companies do contract programming to develop unique software for one particular client company i.e. outsourcing, or focus on configuring and customizing suites from large vendors such as S3- or .racle. Le%/!-2 "*+,%-!e.5 M!-/.3%re %-/ M%r7e' .3%re #n terms of technology leadership, the software industry has long been led by #6%. &owever, %icrosoft became the dominant -2 operating system supplier. .ther companies that have substantial mindshare Bnot! mar et shareC in the software industry are S") %icrosystems, the developer of the 7ava platform Bpurchased by .racle in '=(=C, +ed &at, for its open source momentum, and Google for its Google *ocs. &owever in terms of revenues coming from software sales, the software industry is clearly dominated by %icrosoft, since inception. %icrosoft products are still sold in largest number across the globe. S!8e *6 '3e !-/$.'r(5 3ccording to mar et researcher *ata%onitor, the size of the worldwide software industry in '==< was "SJ 4=4.< billion, an increase of :.9K compared to '==1. 3mericas account for 5'.:K of the global software mar etDs value. *ata%onitor forecasts that in '=(4, the global software mar et will have a value of "SJ 591 billion, an increase of 9=.9K since '==<.

S*6'1%re M%2%8!-e9. T*, 1: r%-7!-2 *6 2:115

(. #nternational 6usiness %achine '. .racle 2orporation 4. 3ccenture 5. Google 9. ,ahoo :. &1. Symantec <. 2apgemini >. 2omputer Sciences 2orporation

INDIA IT INDUSTRY5 The #ndian information technology B#TC industry has played a maEor role in placing #ndia on the international map. The industry is mainly governed by #T software and facilities for instance System #ntegration, Software experiments, 2ustom 3pplication *evelopment and %aintenance B23*%C, networ services and #T Solutions. 3ccording to )asscomDs findings #ndian #TG6-. industry expanded by ('K during the /iscal year '==> and attained aggregate returns of "SJ 1(.: billion. .ut of the derived revenue "SJ 9>.: billion was solely earned by the software and services division. %oreover, the industry witnessed an increase of around "SJ 1 million in /, '==<G=> i.e. "SJ 51.4 billion against "SJ 5=.> billion accrued in /, '==<G=>.

IT O$'.*$r"!-2 !- I-/!%5

3s per )3SS2.%, #T exports in business process outsourcing B6-.C services attained revenues of "SJ 5< billion in /, '==<G=> and accounted for more than 11K of the entire software and services income. .ver the years #ndia has been the most favorable outsourcing hub for firm on a loo out to offshore their #T operations. The factors behind #ndia being a preferred destination are its reasonably priced labor, favorable business ambiance and availability of expert wor force. 2onsidering its escalating growth, #6% has plans to increase its business process outsourcing B6-.C functions in #ndia besides employing 9,=== wor forces to assist its growth. #n the next few years, the industry is all set to witness some multiGmillion dollar agreements namely! 3 9 year agreement between &20 Technologies and )ews 2orp for administering its information centers and #T services in "A. 3s per the industry analysts, the pact is estimated to be in the range of "SJ '==G"SJ '9= million "SJ 9= million agreement between &20 Technologies and %eggitt, "AGbased security apparatus manufacturer, for offering engineering facilities. Global giant ;almart has short listed their #ndian #T dealers namely 2ognizant Technology Solutions, "ST Global and #nfosys Technologies for a contract worth "SJ :== million I-/!%9. /*+e.'!" IT M%r7e'5 #ndiaDs domestic #T %ar et over the years has become one of the maEor driving forces of the industry. The domestic #T infrastructure is developing contexts of technology and intensity of penetration. #n the /, '==<G=>, the domestic #T sector attained revenues worth "SJ '5.4 billion as compared to "SJ '4.( billion in /, '==1G=<, registering a growth of 9.5K. %oreover, the increasing demand for #T services and goods by #ndia #nc has strengthened the expansion of the domestic mar et with agreements worth rising up extraordinarily to "SJ (== million. 6y the /, '=(', the domestic sector is estimated to expand to "SJ (.1 billion against the existing from "SJ ( billion.

G* er-+e-' !-!'!%'! e !- I-/!%9. /*+e.'!" IT M%r7e'5 The #ndian government has established a )ational Tas force on #T with an aim of formatting a durable )ational #T -olicy for #ndia $ndorsement of the #T 3ct, which offers an authorized structure to assist electronic trade and electronic operations

M%;*r !- e.'+e-'. !- I-/!%9. /*+e.'!" IT M%r7e' 3ccording to 3ndhra -radesh Government the stateDs S$Hs and Software Technology -ar s of #ndia BST-#C will witness an investment of "SJ 4.'1 billion in the next few years. 8%ware #nc, San /ranciscoGbased #T firm is loo ing forward to invest "SJ (== million by '=(= in #ndia. $%2 2orporationDs total #ndian assets is expected to reach "SJ ' billion by '=(5

I-/!%- S*6'1%re I-/$.'r(5 The #ndian #nformation Technology industry accounts for a 9.(>K of the countryDs G*and export earnings as of '=(=, while providing employment to a significant number of its tertiary sector wor force. %ore than '.4 million people are employed in the sector either directly or indirectly, ma ing it one of the biggest Eob creators in #ndia and a mainstay of the national economy. #n '=((, annual revenues from outsourcing operations in #ndia amounted to "SJ95.44 billion compared to 2hina with J49.1: billion and -hilippines with J<.<9 billion. #ndiaDs outsourcing industry is expected to increase to "SJ''9 billion by '='=. Re"e-' 're-/. !- .*6'1%re I-/$.'r(5 The computer software industry, unli e the more traditional manufacturing and services industries, is coping with the current gloomy economic climate as best it can by concentrating on transforming interesting ideasinto novel technology, mustGhave applications, and competitive maneuvering rivals. -rofits may be down at the moment but expectations, whether for companies

li e %icrosoft, 3pple, and #6% or #ntel, Symantec and .racle, remain quite high.+emond, ;3G based software giant %icrosoft is currently battling the $uropean 2ommission over inclusion of its #nternet $xplorer web browser in operating system software. 3dditional issues facing the computer software industry are piracy, a crime which may lessen once software applications are more often found and used on the #nternet and are not available on individual computersF portability, the transferability of software among operating systems F$'$re *6 .*6'1%re !-/$.'r(5 &ardware, software, and people are the three basic ingredients of enterprise business technology. They provide the enterprise with an economic advantage through automated and improved business processes, increased employee productivity, and more accurate and precise information. The relationship between these three components has evolved over time. #n the business technology era, we predict that managing the third part of the equation L people L will emerge as the dominant focus. 3s software applications become business services, the cost of human resources producing, operating, and managing software will soon be prohibitive and the new focal point.

COMPANY PROFILE

4e+! started at '===, is a leading technology driven organization with over a decade standing, bac ed by a strong +M* to eep pace with the fast growing and latest technologies in the areas of
#nformation Technology M $mbedded Systems. ;e, 4e+! is a professionally organized N*esign M *evelopment &ouseO specialized in providing innovative software solutions. ;e are concentrating on %ulti *omain P 8ertical Segment, diversified technologies and have gained versatile experience over the decades. ;e are focused on executing hiGend technology services M solutions to our clients as well as students

3s a part of the proEects M development training, we offer -roEects eeping in view the latest emerging trends and technologies under -arallel *evelopment -rocess.

;e play a *ual -ositive +ole by satisfying the academic requirements and as well as giving the necessary training in Software *esign and *evelopment which enables you to meet the industrial requirements with a wider nowledge and a greater confidence.

7emi 2luster is a team of qualified professionals passionate about programming, design, technology and analysis. ;e have also built a networ of highly devoted technology people and that helps us find exact solutions for you. ;e strive to deliver excellence by

#mplementing #nnovative #deas. *elivering 2ost $ffective Solutions. 6eing a trustworthy and fair business partner. %aintaining ?uality Standards.

;e pride ourselves especially in our ability to deliver precise solutions within the stipulated timeGlimit and budget and provide support after delivery. 7emi 2luster global presence combined with offshore delivery )etwor delivers business and technology expertise to help organizations foster innovation and leverage leading edge technologies for business improvement. 6y offering innovative yet flexible solutions combined with a solid delivery bac bone, 7emi 2luster can wor collaboratively with clients thereby providing highGvalue approach to your .utsourcing Strategy.

The $xecutive leaders are the biggest asset of the organization. ;e push boundaries within clear goals. our team wor s from a disciplined plan, agreed upon and followed through. ;e wor together efficiently, economically, and constantly. ;ith well over a rich experience of these executives, the organization is capable handling classes, training, proEects P both simple M 2omplex

The upto date Software, $lectronics and hardware infrastructure, the well stoc ed libraries, professional wor culture and the product manuals are providing guidelines for every facet of the training and development activity and gives the executives an ambience to be highly efficient and productive

;e respect, admire and love the talents of our coGwor ers and draw on them in our pursuits. ;e challenge one another in efforts to serve our clients, always see ing and encouraging the next great idea.

CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINED GROWTH IS PROOF ENOUGH OF OUR CAPABILITIES Dee, $-/er.'%-/!-2 *6 0$.!-e.. ,r!-"!,&e. .ur cumulative nowledge of business and technology helps us arrive at practical Byet

aestheticC solutions that are business result oriented. ;e have the nowGhow to develop solutions li e buildingGbloc s that can be seamlessly integrated to expand to meet your growing needs. Te"3-*&*2!"%& .'re-2'3. .ur technological expertise spans breadth and depth. 2apitalizing on our design strengths, we develop solutions that are not Eust robust, secure and functionally correctF they come with the added advantage of aesthetic and userGfriendly interfaces. .ur repertoire includes customized solutions, customizations of third party and open source software and migrations. C*++!'+e-' '* #$%&!'( .ur development methodology ta es quality chec s completely into its folds. ;e consciously invest time and efforts to deliver solutions that are have been thoroughly vetted for quality parameters. ;e balance delivery schedules, costs of development and quality without compromising on any of them.

Per6e"'!*- !- /e.!2- ,r!-"!,&e.

.ur commitment to deliver quality solutions that surpasses customer expectation, begins early in the proEect life cycle i.e in the design phase. .ur scientific approaches to design coupled with close user interactions and wal Gthru, eliminate design glitches which could prove very expensive, if discovered later. This coupled with practical and intuitive inputs, we include attributes to enhance userGexperiences, easy maintainability and scalability, at this early stage itself. #ndeed, small acorns grow into great oa sQ

About Us ;eb development outsourcing is a recent trend in the offshore outsourcing arena,3t 7emi 2luster,our solutions are designed around what our clients,our long term strategic partners,require and not revolve around what we have..ur solutions are custom designed and business productive. Today a large number of companies worldwide are outsourcing big small web development proEects to #ndia... ."+ %#SS#.) .ur mission is to emerge and propel as an international identity on the basis of our renowned solutions, while we continue to grow. ;e strive to deliver excellence by

#mplementing #nnovative #deas *elivering 2ost $ffective Solutions 6eing a trustworthy and fair business partner %aintaining ?uality Standards

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE JEMI CLUSTERS: ;eb Services

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2lients

REVIEW OF LITERATURE DEFINITION5 <e!'3%+& = B!'-er .'%'e. '3%'5 IService quality is a focused evaluation that reflects the customerDs perception of specific dimensions of service! reliability, responsiveness, assurance, $mpathy, tangibles. Satisfaction, on other hand, is more inclusive! it is influenced by perceptions of service quality, product quality, and price as well as situational factors and personal factors.

(. The e>'er-%& "$.'*+er is someone who signs a chec , pays our employer, and ultimately ma es our paychec possible. $xternal customers have choice, and if they donDt li e your product or service can ta e their business elsewhere. '. 3n !-'er-%& "$.'*+er or !-'er-%& .er !"e ,r* !/er can be anyone in the organization. 3n internal customer can be a coGwor er, another department, or a distributor who depends upon us to provide products or services which in turn are utilized to create a deliverable for the external customer. #n general, internal customers donDt have a choice. /or example, if the sales department doesnDt li e accountingDs credit policies, they canDt fire that department and hire another.

Great BexternalC customer service creates customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and customer retention. So why all the fuss about internal customers, especially when retention isnDt an issueR .utstanding internal customer service is simply good business. #nternal customer service can flourish only in high communication environment. To create positive internal customer service, all departments wor together cooperatively, agree on processes and procedures, and negotiate expectations. 0i e gears meshing in sync, interdependent business units meet each othersD needs, wor productively together to meet common goals, and deliver high quality products and service to the external customer.

The focus on developing effective internal customer service helps organizations cut costs, increase productivity, improve interdepartmental communication and cooperation, boost employee morale, align goals, harmonize processes and procedures, replace interdepartmental competition with interdepartmental cooperation and deliver better service to the external customer. $xcellent service to the external customer is dependent upon healthy internal customer service practices.

Ser !"e #$%&!'(5

Service quality involves a comparison of expectations with performance. 3ccording to 0ewis and 6ooms B(><4C service quality is a measure of how well a delivered service matches the customers expectations. Generally the customer is requesting a service at the service interface where the service encounter is being realized, and then the service is being provided by the provider and in the same time delivered to or consumed by the customer. The main reason to focus on quality is to meet customer needs while remaining economically competitive in the same time. This means satisfying customer needs is very important for the enterprises to survive. The outcome of using quality practices is!

"nderstanding and improving of operational processes #dentifying problems quic ly and systematically $stablishing valid and reliable service performance measures %easuring customer satisfaction and other performance outcomes

DEFINITION NService quality is a business administrationDs term and describes the degree of achievement of an ordered serviceO. #n this connection, obEective and subEective service quality can be distinguished.

.bEective service quality is the concrete measurable conformity of a wor ing result with the previous defined benefitF since the measurability is remar able dependent on the definitionDs accuracy, a measurable quality criterion easily can turn out as a subEective one.

SubEective service quality is the customers perceived conformity of the wor ing result with the expected benefitF this perception is overlayed with the customers original imagination of the service and the service providers talent to present his performance as a good one.

%oreover, a defined result can turn out as unreachable. Then the best possible achievable result would be the obEective ideal result, but subEective still be an unsatisfactory result of a service. Service quality can be related to service potential, service process or service result. #n this way for example, potential quality can be understood as the coGwor ers qualification, process quality as the speed of the generated service and result quality as how much the performance matched the customers wishes. CRITERIA OF SERVICE )UALITY

;ordGofGmouth, personal needs and past experience creates an expected service Bexpectation of the serviceC. The perceived service will be compared with the expected service by the customer. 3nd leads to the perceived service quality as a result. 6etween the expected and the perceived service can appear a gap if the perceived service does not match with the expected service. /actors which influence the appearing of the gap were found by -arasuraman, Heithaml and 6erry in (><9. -arasuraman, Heithaml and 6erry B(><9C identified ten determinants of service quality that may relate to any service!

2ompetence B-ossession of the required s ills and nowledge to perform the service! nowledge and s ill of the contact personnel, nowledge and s ill of the operational support personnel, research capability of the organizationC

2ourtesy B-oliteness, respect, consideration and friendliness of the contact personnel! consideration for the customerDs property, clean and neat appearance of public contact personnelC

2redibility BTrustworthiness, believability and honesty. #t involves having the customerDs best interest at heart! company name, company reputation, personal characteristics of the contact personnelC

Security B/reedom from danger, ris confidentialityC

or doubt! physical safety, financial security,

3ccess B3pproachability and ease of contact! Service is easily accessible, waiting time to receive service is not extensive, convenient hours of operation, convenient location of service facilityC

2ommunication B#nforming the customers in a language they can understand and listening to them. #t may mean that the company has to adEust its language for different consumers! explaining the service itself, explaining how much the service will cost, explaining the tradeGoffs between service and cost, assuring the consumer that the problem will be handledC

"nderstandingS nowing the customer B%a ing the effort to understand the customerDs needs! understanding customerDs specific needs, providing individualized attention, recognizing the customerC

Tangibles B-hysical evidence of the service! appearance of physical facilities, tools and equipments used to provide the service, appearance of personnel and communication materials, other customers in the service facilityC

+eliability BThe ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately! service is performed right at the first time, the company eeps its promises in accuracy in billing, in eeping records correctly and in performing the services at the designated timeC

+esponsiveness BThe willingness andS or readiness of employees to help customers and to provide prompt service, timeliness of service! mailing a transaction slip immediately, setting up appointments quic lyC

0ater they were reduced to five by -arasuraman, Heithaml and 6erry B(><<C!

Tangibles B-hysical evidence of the service! appearance of physical facilities, tools and equipments used to provide the service, appearance of personnel and communication materialsC

+eliability BThe ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately! consistency of performance and dependability, service is performed right at the first time, the company eeps its promises in accuracy in billing and eeping records correctly, performing the services at the designated timeC

+esponsiveness BThe willingness andS or readiness of employees to help customers and to provide prompt service, timeliness of service! mailing a transaction slip immediately, setting up appointments quic lyC

3ssurance BThe nowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence! competence Bpossession of the required s ills and nowledge to perform the serviceC, courtesy Bconsideration for the customerDs property, clean and neat

appearance of public contact personnelC, trustworthiness, security Bsafety and confidentialityCC

$mpathy BThe provision of caring, individualized attention to customers! informing the customers in a language they can understand, "nderstanding customerDs specific needs, -roviding individualized attentionC

3 sixth criterion was proposed by GrTnroos in (><<! recovery. #t has the same effect as the Eun yard strategy, which is used to support the zero defects strategy. The customer needs to stay happy. Since there are many bad services being delivered to the customer and according to latest researches (' good service encounters are needed to ma e up a bad one, the criterion recovery can play an important role. MODELS OF SERVICE )UALITY There are two main models!

Service ?uality %odel of GrTnroos! GrTnroos says that the expectations of the customer depend on the 9 determinants mar et communication, image, word of mouth, customer needs and customer learning. $xperiences depend on the technical quality BwhatS outcomeC and the functional quality BhowSprocessC, which is filtered through the image BwhoC. 6oth expectations and experiences can create a perception gap.

G3- %odel of -arasuraman, Heithaml and 6erry the model says that the expected service is influenced by the wordGofGmouth, the personal needs, past experience and also by the external communication to customers. 3 perception gap can appear between the expected service and the perceived service. This gap is called the G3- 9 Balso called the service quality gapCF it occurs if the customer is not satisfied and depends on the other 5 gaps.

The perceived quality depends on the external communication to customers and the service delivery. The G3- 5 Balso called the communication gapC is appearing between the external communication to customers and the service delivery. #t appears when promises do not match the delivery.

The service delivery depends on the service quality specifications. #f they are not match each other the G3- 4 Balso called the service performance gapC appears. The service quality specifications depend on the management perceptions of customer expectations, where the management perceptions of customer expectations influence the external communication to customers. The G3- ' Balso called the standards gapC occurs between the management perceptions of customer expectations and the service quality specifications if the wrong quality standards were consulted. The biggest gap, the G3- ( Balso called the mar eting information gapC occurs between the management perceptions of customer expectations and the expected service. #t appears because the service provider does not now what the customer expects. KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE GAPS G3- (! )ot nowing what customers expect!

0ac of mar eting research orientation #nadequate upward communication Too many levels of management

G3- '! The wrong service quality standards!

#nadequate management commitment to service quality -erception of infeasibility #nadequate tas standardization 3bsence of goal setting

G3- 4! Service performance gap!

$mployee role ambiguity $mployee role conflict

-oor $mployee Eob fit -oor Technology Eob fit #nappropriate evaluation and reward systems 0ac of empowered service employees 0ac of teamwor

G3- 5! ;hen promises do not match delivery!

#nadequate horizontal communication Tendency to overpromise

G3- 9! customer satisfaction!

depends on gap (G5 The greater the gap the lower the customer satisfaction, because expectation and perception do not match.

)UALITY MEASUREMENT ?uality measurement is separated in subEective and obEective processes, at which mostly the customers satisfaction is being measured. %easuring the customers satisfaction is an indirect way to measure quality. .bEective processes are being subdivided into primary and secondary processes!

*uring primary processes, test buying from silent shoppers are being made or normal customers are being watched. *uring secondary processes quantifiable enterprise numbers li e amount of complaints or the amount of given bac goods are being analyzed, and with this information conclusions to quality can be drawn.

SubEective processes are being subdivided into characteristic orientated, incident orientated and problem orientated processes.

To the characteristic focused processes counts the S$+8?"30 method To the incident focused processes counts the 2ritical #ncident Theory To the problem focused processes counts the /requenz +elevanz 3nalyse BGermanC

The most important and most used process to measure service quality is the S$+8?"30 method. APPROACHES TO IMPROVE SERVICE )UALITY Generally the service design or the service delivery can be improved to achieve a high quality service. The service design consists in!

Service product design Service facility design Service process designated

The service delivery consists in!

Service delivery process Service encounter environment 2ustomerG-rovider interaction

3nd the following approaches can be used for the improvement!

?uality function deployment B?/*C /alsifying %oving the line of visibility and line of accessibility

6lueprinting

A,,r*%"3e. '* !+,r* e "*-6*r+%-"e #$%&!'( #n order to ensure and increase the conformance quality of services, i.e. the service delivery happens as designed, various methods are available. Some of these are listed below!

Guaranteeing %ystery Shopping +ecovering Setting standards and measuring Statistical process control 2ustomer involvement

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY5 RESEARCH ? AN OVERVIEW5

+esearch is a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. The advanced learners dictionary of current $nglish lays down the meaning of research as Na careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of nowledge.O +edman and %oray define research as Na systematized effort to gain new nowledge.O +esearch is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense. 3ccording to 2lifford ;oody, research comprises of defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutionF collection, organizing and evaluating dataF ma ing deductions and reaching conclusionsF and at last, carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY5 +esearch methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. #t is a science of studying how research is done scientifically. The various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying the research problem along with the logic behind them are studied. The researcher should now the research techniques, the research methodology, how to develop certain tests, how to calculate the mean, median, mode or chiGsquare, how to apply a particular research technique, which methods are relevant and which are not, what would they mean and indicate and why. +esearchers should understand the assumptions underlying the various techniques. &ence, research methodology has various dimensions and research methods constitute a part of research methodology. RESEARCH DESIGN5 +esearch design is the decision regarding what, where, when, how much, by what means concerning an inquiry or a research study constitute a research design. #t can be defined as the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine the relevance to the research purpose to the economy procedure. +esearch design is needed because it facilitate the smooth sailing of the various research operations, thereby ma ing research as efficient as possible yielding maximal information with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money. #n fact, research design has a great bearing on the reliability of the results arrived at end as such constitutes the firm foundation of the entire edifice of the research wor .

DATA COLLECTION5 There are two types of data! -rimary and Secondary

PRIMARY DATA are those which are collected afresh and for the first time and thus happen to be original in character.

SECONDARY DATA@ on the other hand, are those which have already been collected by someone else and which have already being passed through the statistical process. The methods of collecting primary and secondary data differ sinceF primary data are to be originally collected, while in the case of secondary data, the nature of data collection wor is merely that of compilation. FOR THIS STUDY5 #n this study, primary data has been collected directly from the respondents using a questionnaire while the secondary data was collected from boo s, articles and the internet.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT5

)UESTIONNAIRE5 3 questionnaire is sent to the persons concerned with the request to answer the question and return the questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a number of questions printed in a definite order on a form or set of forms. The questionnaire is mail to respondents who are expected to read and understand the questions and write down the reply in the space lent for the purpose in the questionnaire itself. The respondents have to answer the questions on their own #n this study, a questionnaire was used to collect data from the sample.

SAMPLE SI<E5 The sample size is (==.