4.

Service Quality Perceptions

& Quality gaps-
 Definition of Quality
 Definition of Service Quality
 Service Quality & Customer satisfaction
 Main models on Service Quality
 Perceptions & Main service quality gaps
 Main determinants of services quality

1
What is quality
 In principle there is no universal agreed
definition/definitions of quality, but
writers and practitioners agreed that,
quality is customer focused initiatives.

2
Quality
 According to Crosby(1950) quality is
“conformance to the requirement”
 Juran’s definition is: fitness for purpose
 The question is, whose purpose/whose
requirements?
 Basically is customer’s
requirements/Purpose

3
Quality
 By integrating the two definitions of
quality from the gurus of quality, we
can simply contend that, quality is all
about meeting and exceeding
customers expectations effectively
and efficiently.

4
Service Quality and customer
satisfaction
 Customer satisfaction is a broader term,
it is an ability of the services to meet
and exceed the requirements of the
customers.
 Thus, there is a growing debate on how
to differentiate the two terms. (service
quality and customer satisfaction)

5
Service quality and customer
satisfaction
 However, consensus is growing that the
two are different in their underlying
causes and outcomes.
 We can simply say that, customer
satisfaction is an outcome of the service
quality, while service quality is what
brings about customer satisfaction.

6
Assessment of Quality service
 It is agreed that service quality assessment
focuses on dimensions of service quality such
as, reliability, responsiveness, assurance,
empathy, tangibles.
 All the dimensions of service quality focus on
interaction, physical environment of service
quality and outcome of quality

7
Dimensions of Service Quality
 Reliability: Perform promised service
dependably and accurately. Example:
receive mail at same time each day.
 Responsiveness: Willingness to help
customers promptly. Example: avoid
keeping customers waiting for no
apparent reason.
Dimensions of Service Quality
 Assurance: Ability to convey trust and
confidence. Example: being polite and
showing respect for customer.
 Empathy: Ability to be approachable.
Example: being a good listener.
 Tangibles: Physical facilities and
facilitating goods. Example:
cleanliness.
Customer satisfaction
 Service quality is a focused evaluation
that reflects the customer’s perception
of the elements of service such as
interaction quality, physical
environment of the quality and outcome
quality.
 Those elements are to be evaluated on
specific service quality dimensions
10
Customer Satisfaction
 Richard L. Oliver defines customer
satisfaction” satisfaction is the
consumer’s fulfillments response. It is a
judgment that a product or service
feature, or the product or service itself,
provides a pleasurable level of
consumption-related fulfillment”

11
Customer Satisfaction
 All customers want to be satisfied.

 Customer loyalty is only due to the lack

of a better alternative

 Giving customers some extra value will

delight them by exceeding their
expectations and insure their return
Determinants of customer
satisfaction
 Product and service Features
 Consumer emotions
 Attributes for service success or failure
 Perceptions of equity or Fairness
 Other consumers, family members and
co-workers

13
Measuring customer
satisfaction
 According to Drucker (1975) “ what
does’nt get measured, doesn’t get
managed”
 Likert -Five scale- Very-dissatisfied,

Dissatisfaction, neither-satisfied nor

dissatisfied , satisfied, very satisfied

14
The main models on service
quality
 Service quality gap model

15
Perceived Service Quality
Word of Personal Past
mouth needs experience

Service Quality Expected Service Quality Assessment

Dimensions service 1. Expectations exceeded
Reliability ES<PS (Quality surprise)
Responsiveness 2. Expectations met
Assurance Perceived ES~PS (Satisfactory quality)
Empathy service 3. Expectations not met
Tangibles ES>PS (Unacceptable quality)
THE GAPS MODEL OF SERVICE
QUALITY
 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
delivery
 GAP 5: Expected Service-perceived Service
Gap
17
 Service Quality Gap Model

Service Quality Gap Model

Customer Customer Satisfaction
GAP 5
Customer
Perceptions Expectations

Managing the Customer / Understanding

Evidence Marketing Research the Customer
Communication
GAP 4 GAP 1
Management
Service
Perceptions
Delivery of Customer
Expectations
Conformance
Design GAP 2
GAP 3
Conformance Service Design
Service
Standards
18
Gap 1
Customer Expectations
(Expected Service)

1. Lack of Market Research

Orientation;
2. Inadequate upward
communication;
3. Too many levels of
management

Managements Perception
of Customer Expectations
19
 Gap 2

Management Perceptions of
Customer Expectations

1. Inadequate management
commitment to Service Quality
2. Perception of infeasibility
3. Absence of goal setting

Service Quality Specifications

20
 GAP 3: The Service Performance Gap

 The discrepancy between service

specifications and the actual service
delivered initiates this gap. In general,
this gap appears when employees are unable
and/or unwilling to perform the service at the
desired level. Various reasons are: role
ambiguity, role conflict, poor employee-job
fit, poor technology-job fit, inappropriate
supervisory control systems leading to
inappropriate evaluation/compensation
system, lack of perceived control on the part
of employees, and lack of teamwork.
21
GAP 4: When promises do not match
delivery

 The difference between what a firm

promises about a service and what it
actually delivers is described as Gap 4.
Two factors contribute to this gap
1. Inadequate communication among
operations,marketing, and human resources,
as well as across branches; and
2. Propensity to over-promise in
communications
22
Gap 4

Service Delivery

1. Propensity to over-
promise
2. Inadequate horizontal
communication

External
Communications
to Customers
23
GAP 5: Expected Service-perceived
Service Gap
 Gaps 1 through 4 contribute to the emergence of
Gap 5, which is the difference between what the
customer expected to receive from the service and
what she believes she actually did receive.
 Customers’ perceptions are influenced by many
sources, which include word-of-mouth
communications, personal needs,past experiences,
and communications from the service organization
 The most important gap, if perceived service falls
short of the customer’s expectations, she will be
disappointed and dissatisfied. Conversely, if the
peceived service exceeds the customer’s
expectations, she will be not only satisfied but
delighted.

24
Key determinants of service
quality
 What are key determinants of service
quality in the following sectors;
-Hospital
-Banking
-Higher learning-Education
-Tourism
-Transportation
25