The document provides a comprehensive analysis of an airline's operations and customer service issues, highlighting its extensive network and workforce but pointing out shortcomings in in-flight services and service quality. It outlines customer expectations and perceptions, identifying gaps in service conception and delivery using a service quality model. The analysis concludes with recommendations for improving service standards, advertising, and addressing customer complaints to enhance overall satisfaction.

1. Presented by
S.R Das
U. K Nath
J.Rahman
N. K Saikia

2. Background
• Started in 1953
• One of the largest regional airline systems in Asia.
• Network spans from Kuwait in the west to Singapore in the
east.
• Covers 75 destinations- 57 within India and 20 abroad.
• Total staff strength of around 18562 employees.
• Annual turnover is well over 4000 crores.
• 4 flight operations centres- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and
Chennai.
• Carries a total of 7.5 million passengers annually.

3. Case study
• Way behind in in-flight services.
• What constitutes satisfaction to different
customers.
• Suffering from the vice of serving average or below
average food.
• Shoulder the responsibility of bringing the country’s
domestic carrier Indian airlines out of the red.

4. Analysis
• Question-1. What are the expectations of the customers, as
viewed from the case?
 Introduction of satellite telephone facilities.
 Fax machines, photocopiers and computer workstations.
 Provide minor personal grooming conveniences such as facilities for
ironing or changing, bathroom showers.
 Nutrition and meal frequencies such as smaller meals at smaller
intervals, changing menus in the business class to include the nutritional
content in the meal.
 Interactive video entertainment in the form of computer games, online
shopping, even mechanisms for ordering meals and beverages.
 communicating discrete benefits available on its plane in any of its
advertising.

5. Analysis cont…
• Question.2- What are the perceptions of the customers, as
viewed from the case?
 Lack of direct control over the quality of ground services by
IA contractors at various airports.
 Cultural differences, communication.

6. Analysis cont…
• Question.3- Are the understanding of the requirements of
the customers right from the point of view of Indian Airlines?
How can it be improved?
 Yes.
It can be improved by
 Use of supplementary advertising and sales promotions.
 Contractors to provide similar services in cities distant from its major
operation point.
 Technological innovation.
 Reduce consumer search cost by using additional advertising strategy.
 Consistent approach to the resolution of service problems and
complaints such as lost luggage, or seat allocations

7. Analysis cont…
• Question.4- Evaluate the case focusing on the various
dimensions of the service quality model.
 Tangibles: meant visible or touchable features (fax machines, ,
photocopiers and computer workstations).
 Reliability: This is related to the ability of a
service provider to perform whatever was promised.
 Responsiveness: How willing is the service provider or its people to help
customers with their problems and priorities?
 Assurance: meant competence, courtesy, credibility and security.
 Empathy: included access, communication and understanding the
customer’s point of view.

8. Analysis cont….
• Question.5- Use service quality model (parasuraman et al) to
analyze the gaps.
• The important contribution of Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry has
been their Gaps model, which pinpoints reasons why service quality in a
service company may fall short of what is expected by a customer.
They identified 5 gaps in Service Conception and delivery.

9. GAP One: Customer Expectations- Service Company’s
Understanding of these expectations.
The reasons for gap 1 can be
• Inadequate marketing research (or none at all),
• An attitude problem like “I know what is best for the
customer” among the service company management etc.

10. GAP Two: Service Company’s Understanding of Customer
expectations – The Standards set by the Company.
Reasons for gap two can be
• The customer expectations are too high (according to the
company).
• It either cannot meet them or does not want to try.
Therefore, it may set lower standards of service.

11. GAP Three: The Standards set by the
Company – the Actual Delivery.
Reasons for gap three can be
• Lack of trained people, or a lack of proper
awareness of their role in service delivery, or a lack
of supervision leading to indifference.

12. GAP Four: The Actual Delivery –
External communication
• Occurs because the company may promise something in its implicit or
explicit communications with customers, but delivery may not match it.
Reasons for gap four can be
• Marketing and service delivery departments not working in tandem
• Tendency to overpromise.
• This leads to dissonance or dissatisfaction among consumers.

13. GAP 5- The Overall Gap
• The gap resulting from the above four gaps has been termed
the overall gap between Perceived (Received) and Expected
Service. The overall gap measures the overall satisfaction or
dissatisfaction of a service customer.

14. Analysis cont…
• Question.6- Is Mr. Vijay right in his approach?
 Yes, because they are way behind in in-flight
servicing. They have a lot to learn from other airline
and should definitely try and improve their
standard with their international competitors.

15. Analysis cont…
• Question.7- If you were in Mr. Vijay’s shoes, what would
be suggestions focus on?
 Better advertising and sales promotions.
 Similar services in cities distant from its major operation point.
 Improvement in Technology
 Reduce consumer search cost.
 Resolution of service problems and complaints such as lost
luggage, or seat allocations.
 Attitude of service provider needs to be changed for the better.

16. THANK YOU