The Basis of the Servqual Model
The Gaps The Key Service Dimensions Causes & Solutions to Gaps
The Make-up of Servqual
DIMENSIONS
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
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?
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, wordof-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
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
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
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
Conceptual Model of Service Quality
CUSTOMER Word-of-mouth Communications
Personal Needs Expected Service Gap 5 Perceived Service
Past experience
PROVIDER
Gap 3 Gap 1
Service Delivery
Gap 4
External Communications To Customers
Service Quality Specs Gap 2 Management Perceptions of Customer Expectations
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
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
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
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
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
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
Servqual Data - How Useful is it?
We can assess service quality from the customers 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
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
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
