![Businesses use the SERVQUAL instrument (i.e. questionnaire) to
measure potential service quality problems and the model of
service quality to help diagnose possible causes of the problem.
The model of service quality is built on the expectancy-
confirmation paradigm which suggests that consumers perceive
quality in terms of their perceptions of how well a given service
delivery meets their expectations of that delivery.[12]
Thus, service
quality can be conceptualized as a simple equation:
SQ = P- E](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/4547servqual-250103170843-4a99c993/85/Service-Operations-Management_Service-Quality-10-320.jpg)
Service Operations Management_Service Quality
- 2. Servqual SERVQUAL is a multi-dimensional research instrument designed to capture consumer expectations and perceptions of a service along five dimensions that are believed to represent service quality.
- 3. The questionnaire consists of matched pairs of items - 22 expectation items and 22 perceptions items - organised into five dimensions which are believed to align with the consumer's mental map of service quality dimensions.
- 4. The Make-up of Servqual GAPS P-E SCORES QUESTIONNAIRES DIMENSIONS W EIGHTINGS
- 5. The Five Key Service Dimensions TANGIBLES - the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and information material RELIABILITY - the ability to perform the service accurately and dependably RESPONSIVENESS - the willingness to help customers and provide a prompt service
- 6. The Five Key Service Dimensions ASSURANCE - a combination of the following – Competence - having the requisite skills and knowledge – Courtesy - politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness of contact staff – Credibility - trustworthiness, believability and honesty of staff – Security - freedom from danger, risk or doubt
- 7. The Five Key Service Dimensions EMPATHY - a combination of the following: – Access (physical and social) - approachability and ease of contact – Communication - keeping customers informed in a language they understand and really listening to them – Understanding the customer - making the effort to get to know customers and their specific needs
- 8. Dimension Sample expectations item Sample perceptions item Reliability When excellent telephone companies promise to do something by a certain time, they do so XYZ company provides its services at the promised time Assurance The behaviour of employees in excellent banks will instill confidence in customers The behaviour of employees in the XYZ bank instils confidence in you. Tangibles Excellent telephone companies will have modern looking equipment XYZ company has modern looking equipment Empathy Excellent banks will have operating hours convenient to customers XYZ bank has convenient operating hours Responsiveness Employees of excellent telephone companies will never be too busy to help a customer XYZ employees are never too busy to help you
- 9. The model of service quality The model of service quality, popularly known as the gaps model was developed by a group of American authors, A. Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml and Len Berry, in a systematic research program carried out between 1983 and 1988.
- 10. Businesses use the SERVQUAL instrument (i.e. questionnaire) to measure potential service quality problems and the model of service quality to help diagnose possible causes of the problem. The model of service quality is built on the expectancy- confirmation paradigm which suggests that consumers perceive quality in terms of their perceptions of how well a given service delivery meets their expectations of that delivery.[12] Thus, service quality can be conceptualized as a simple equation: SQ = P- E
- 11. Conceptual Model of Service Quality Word-of-mouth Communications Personal Needs Past experience Expected Service Perceived Service Service Delivery External Communications To Customers Service Quality Specs Management Perceptions of Customer Expectations CUSTOMER PROVIDER Gap 1 Gap 2 Gap 3 Gap 4 Gap 5
- 12. What are the Servqual Gaps? Gap 1: The difference between management perceptions of what customers expect and what customers really do expect Gap 2: The difference between management perceptions and service quality specifications - the standards gap
- 13. What are the Servqual Gaps? Gap 3: The difference between service quality specifications and actual service delivery - are standards consistently met? Gap 4: The difference between service delivery and what is communicated externally - are promises made consistently fulfilled?
- 14. What are the Servqual Gaps? Gap 5: The difference between what customers expect of a service and what they actually receive – expectations are made up of past experience, word- of-mouth and needs/wants of customers – measurement is on the basis of two sets of statements in groups according to the five key service dimensions
- 15. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 1 Not knowing what customers expect GAP 2 The wrong service quality standards GAP 3 The service performance gap GAP 4 When promises do not match actual delivery GAP 5 The difference between customer perception and expectation
- 16. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 1 - not knowing what customers expect – lack of a marketing orientation – inadequate upward communication (from contact staff to management) – too many levels of management
- 17. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 2 - the wrong service quality standards – inadequate commitment to service quality – lack of perception of feasibility - ‘it cannot be done’ – inadequate task standardisation – the absence of goal setting
- 18. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 2 - the wrong service quality standards – inadequate commitment to service quality – lack of perception of feasibility - ‘it cannot be done’ – inadequate task standardisation – the absence of goal setting
- 19. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 3 - the service performance gap – role ambiguity and role conflict - unsure of what your remit is and how it fits with others – poor employee or technology fit - the wrong person or system for the job – inappropriate supervisory control or lack of perceived control - too much or too little control – lack of teamwork
- 20. Reasons for the Gaps GAP 4 - when promises made do not match actual delivery – inadequate horizontal communication - between departments or services – a propensity to overpromise
- 21. Servqual Data - How Useful is it? We can assess service quality from the customer’s perspective We can track customer expectations and perceptions over time and the discrepancies between them We can compare a set of Servqual scores against those of competitors or best practice examples
- 22. Servqual Data - How Useful is it? We can compare the expectations and perceptions of different customer groups - this is particularly useful in the public sector We can assess the expectations and perceptions of internal customers - eg other departments or services we deal with
- 23. Servqual Data - What can we do with it? We can use data on customer priorities to feed into the House of Quality (QFD) Customer priorities and their ranked order of importance can become the WHATS These WHATS can then be compared with the HOWS (key business processes) and relationships matched to check service design and provision according to key requirements