What is service

quality?
Anassessment of how well adelivered

service conforms to theclient's

expectations.Service business operators
often assess the service quality provided
to theircustomers inorder toimprove
their service, to quickly
identifyproblems, and to better assess
clientsatisfaction.

COMPONENTS OF SERVICE QUALITY

Tangibles: Appearance of physical elements
Reliability: Dependable and accurate performance
Responsiveness: Promptness; helpfulness
Assurance: Competence, courtesy, credibility,
security
Empathy: Easy access, good communication,
understanding of customer

THE GAPS MODEL

The Gaps Model was proposed by

Professor A.
Parasuraman

Dr. Valarie Zeithaml

Dr. Leonard L. Berry

Word Of mouth
Communications

Past
Experience

Personal
Needs

Expected
Service

Gap 6
Consumer

The Service Quality

Gap

Gap 5
The Perceptions
Gap

Perceived
Service

Service
Delivery
Service
Firm

Gap 3
The Delivery Gap
Gap 2
The policy Gap

Gap 1
The Knowledge Gap

External
Gap 4
The Communication
Gap

Translation of
Perceptions into
Service Quality
Specs
Management
Perceptions of
Consumer
Expectations

The Gaps Model In Service Design And Delivery

Communicatio
ns to

Consumers

Customers

Reasons
Reasons
for
for
gap
gap
II

expectations

Inadequate marketing research orientation

Lack of upward communication
Insufficient relationship focus
Inadequate service recovery

Companys perceptions of customer expec

Translation of perceptions into

Reasons
Reasons
for
for
gap
gap
22

Poor service design

Absence of customer-defined service
standards
Inappropriate physical evidence and
services cape

Management perceptions of custo

Customer-driven service d

Reasons
Reasons
for
for
gap
gap
33

Poor human resource policies

Failure to match supply and demand
Customer not fulfilling their roles
Problems with service intermediaries

External communications to c

Reasons
Reasons
for
for
gap
gap
44

Lack of integration of marketing

communications
Inadequate management of customer
expectations
Overpromising
Inadequate horizontal communications

Closing the gaps

Gap 1: Learn what customers expect
Gap 2: Establish the right service quality
standards
Gap 3: Ensure that service performance
meets standards
Gap 4: Ensure that delivery matches
promises

Closing gap 1: Learn what customers expect

Use research, complaint

analysis, customer panels
Increase direct interactions
between managers and
customers
Improve upward
communications

listen to
customers

Closing gap 2: Establish the right service quality standards

Top management commitment to

providing service quality
Set, communicate, and reinforce
customer-oriented service standards
Establish challenging and realistic service
quality goals
Train managers to be service quality
leaders
Be receptive to new ways to deliver
service quality

Service Quality Awards

Prioritise tasks
Gain employee acceptance
of goals and priorities
Measure performance of
service standards and
provide regular feedback
Reward managers and
employees for achievement
of quality goals

Closing gap 3: Ensure that service performance meets standards

Attract the best employees

Select the right employees
Develop and support employees
train employees
provide appropriate
technology & equipment
encourage and build teamwork
empower employees
internal marketing

Can I
take your
order?

 Retain good
employees
measure and reward
service quality
achievements
develop equitable
and simple reward
systems

You are a
Star Service
Provider

Closing gap 4: Ensure that service delivery matches promises

Seek input from operations personnel on

what can be done
Reality advertising
real employees, real customers, real
situations
Seek input from employees on advertising
Gain communications between sales,
operations and customers
Internal marketing programs

 Ensure consistent standards in

multi-site operations
In advertising, focus on service
characteristics that are important
to customers
Manage customers expectations
What are realistic expectations?
Explain industry realities
Tiered service options
Offer different levels of
service - user pays

Why do we
always have
to wait?

Measuring and Improving

Service Quality
Soft measuresnot easily observed, must be
collected by talking to customers, employees, or
others
Provide direction, guidance, and feedback to employees
on ways to achieve customer satisfaction
Can be quantified by measuring customer perceptions
and beliefs
For example: SERVQUAL, surveys, and customer advisory
panels

Hard measurescan be counted, timed, or

measured through audits
Typically operational processes or outcomes
Standards often set with reference to percentage of
occasions on which a particular measure is achieved
Control charts are useful for displaying performance
over time against specific quality standards

Soft Measures of Service Quality

Key customer-centric SQ measures include:

Total market surveys, annual surveys,

transactional surveys
Service feedback cards
Mystery shopping
Analysis of unsolicited feedbackcomplaints
and compliments, focus group discussions,
and service reviews

Ongoing surveys of account holders to determine satisfaction

in terms of broader relationship issues
Customer advisory panels offer feedback/advice on
performance
Employee surveys and panels to determine:

Perceptions of the quality of service delivered

to customers on specific dimensions
Barriers to better service
Suggestions for improvement

Hard Measures of
Service Quality
Control charts to monitor a single variable

Offer a simple method of displaying

performance over time against specific
quality standards
Are only good if data on which they are
based is accurate
Enable easy identification of trends
Service quality indexes

Embrace key activities that have an impact on

customers