This document discusses applying concepts of service quality and marketing to academic advising. It argues that academic advising can be viewed as a service provided to students, and that marketing educators who serve as advisors are service providers. The five dimensions of service quality - tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy - are examined in the context of academic advising. Effective academic advising is proposed as a way for marketing programs to increase enrollments and retention by differentiating their degree programs through high quality advising services.

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SERVICE QUALITY AND ACADEMIC ADVISING: PRACTICING WHAT WE
PREACH
Peggy O. Shields, University of Southern Indiana
ABSTRACT
Academic advising, as a service, is seen as a means of differentiating degree programs. Special
consideration for service marketing and service quality dimensions are applied to the academic
advising process. In short, marketing educators are called on to recognize the importance of
quality academic advising in recruiting and retaining students.
INTRODUCTION
Uncertain enrollments have caused many degree programs to compete for students' tuition
dollars. To sustain our programs and protect enrollments we, as marketing educators, need to
market our degrees. Fortunately, marketing educators should possess the knowledge and skills
necessary to develop strategies to attract students to our offerings.
An often overlooked avenue to satisfy students needs and wants, and to maximize consumer
satisfaction, is the academic advising process. Good advising affects the career decisions and
educational aspirations of students (Winston, Enders and Miller 1982). However, in many cases
academic advising is not taken seriously by faculty members.
Administration often neither recognizes nor rewards good advising. Studies indicate that a
majority of institutions have no formal recognition/reward system for advisors and most do not
consider advising effectiveness in making promotion/tenure decisions (Crockett and Levitz
1984).
The need is present to take a proactive role in the academic advising process, or else marketing
programs could lose majors to other academic programs. Applying the concepts of service
quality to academic advising for marketing students/advisees is advocated.
As marketing faculty we straddle the line between the discipline we teach and the instructional
role we play as teachers. Marketing educators can therefore benefit from both arenas in which we
practice. An important lesson can be learned from marketing practitioners who recognize that
good service enhances an institution's ability to attract new customers and makes it easier to do
business with existing customers (Sonnenberg 1989). From another angle, researchers in
academic advising stress qualities familiar to marketers, as exemplified by the following:
"Effectiveness and efficiency of advising systems should be measured by how well
students' needs are met and the quality of their educational experiences" (Winston,
Miller, Ender and Grites 1984, P. 15).
Given these considerations, the basic premises of this paper are therefore the following:
- Advising is a service provided to students
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- Marketing educators are service providers
- Services can be marketed (Kotler and Levy 1969)
Service quality can be measured and defined by standard attributes (Parasuraman, Berry and
-
Zeithaml 1991)
- The service quality of academic advising can therefore be defined and measured
- Effective academic advising by faculty can by used to increase enrollments and retention
Thus defined, the role of an academic advisor will be examined. Advising as a service and the
characteristics which necessitate special marketing considerations are examined. Service quality
attributes applied to the academic advising process will also be addressed.
THE ROLE OF AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR
At some universities advising is not a faculty function. Advising may be performed by centers
and/or specialists. However, interaction between faculty and students can serve to foster a
binding relationship between the student and the institution (Frost 1991). The fact remains that
effective advising can be an asset to both the university and the student. It can be viewed as a
marketing tool. A consumer oriented student-advisor relationship can be an enduring form of
product/service differentiation.
Exactly what is involved in the role of academic advisor? At a minimum, the role of an advisor is
to convey, supervise and enforce the policies of the institution. Some commonly assumed roles
are that as adult, expert, teacher, friend, judge, authority or rubber stamp (Kramer and Gardner
1977). Too often an academic advisor, because of lack of rewards and time pressures to
accomplish other tasks, relies on that last role and rubber stamps whatever the student desires,
rightly or wrongly. Little thought or time may be allocated to an individual advisee. Ideally, the
roles each advisor assumes should be predetermined and the related tasks, responsibilities and
resources defined.
In essence, "....as advisors, faculty members provide specialized information and assistance
relative to systematic academic progress" (Kramer and Gardner 1977, P. 15). From the advisee's
viewpoint, an advisor should provide technical information and illumination into the entire
educational experience. The faculty advisor is an important source of information for the
advisee.
The typical business curriculum necessitates that an academic advisor be knowledgeable about
university-wide issues. Beyond core business courses and marketing-specific courses, the
marketing student will likely be required to take a variety of general education courses as
mandated by the university and/or degree program. A marketing student's advisor must therefore
be capable of explaining requirements the student will experience campus wide.
Each institution and each advisor will develop unique advising roles. Academic advising will
need to be scrutinized as a function and the participants determined to have similar expectations
before satisfaction will be achieved.
ADVISING AS A SERVICE
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Basic tenets of marketing, and specifically the marketing of services, can provide insights for
improving advising effectiveness. Advising as an exchange process and the four special
considerations for the marketing of services will be addressed.
In the advising process the product, or service, being offered for exchange is intangible. The
advisee enters into this exchange in search of advice, and information. In exchange, the student
enrolls in coursework at the institution and pays tuition. In the long run, contented advisees could
lead to increased enrollment and job security for the faculty advisor. Unfortunately, other than
"psychic income", the advisor may feel that he/she is not getting anything directly from the
advisor/advisee exchange process.
It is generally recognized that there are four elements that are unique to the marketing of
services. These four elements are intangibility, inseparability, variability/inconsistency, and
perishability/inventory. Each of these elements or characteristics will subsequently be related to
academic advising as a service.
The advising process is almost a pure service with very few related tangibles. Service marketers
should attempt to make their offerings tangible to the consumer (Levitt 1981). For example, an
advisor can do this by showing the advisee the progress they are making on an advising form.
Ideally an advisee will feel that the advising service is inseparable from a particular advisor.
Advising is a person-to-person process and the advisor represents the institution to the advisee,
therefore a relationship between the two should develop. Hopefully, this relationship will be
based on a sense of trust and respect.
Because of the nature of the process, and the number of interactions and variety of individual
circumstances involved, the advising process will produce great variabilities and inconsistencies
from one experience to the next. Horror stories about inadequate and incorrect academic advising
are not uncommon.
Some advisors take the task very seriously and are dedicated to the student's well being and
make every effort to be conscientious. Others might intentionally provide poor levels of service
so that the student seeks advise elsewhere. The same advisor may also provide a wide range of
service quality between advising experiences because of on time constraints and other pending
obligations, or information mortality.
Advising services can not be stored therefore they are a perishable inventory. An advisor's time
is what is being offered, as well as the provided academic advice. The advisor's time is valuable
and probably severely restricted. Unfortunately students are not likely to spread their need for
advising conveniently throughout the semester.
They will most likely desire attention beyond what traditional office hours provide when
registration and other significant events approach. Scheduling becomes key.
SERVICE QUALITY
The marketing literature has recently witnessed a multitude of research on service quality. In a
multistage research effort Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry have given careful consideration to
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the topic (ie. Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1985, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1988,
Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml 1991, Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml 1991, Zeithaml, Berry
and Parasuraman 1993, and Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1994). In their research
Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry have identified five dimensions used by consumers to
determine service quality. These dimensions have been operationalized in a scale (SERVQUAL)
that has been revised and validated in the aforementioned research.
Originally ten dimensions of service quality were identified and were later collapsed into the
following five dimensions for SERVQUAL:
Tangibles: Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel
Reliability: Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately
Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service
Assurance: Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust
and confidence
Empathy: Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers
(Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1988, P. 23)
SERVQUAL is not without critics. Teas (1993) questions the validity of the "perceptions-minus-
expectations" perceived nature of the SERVQUAL model. Carman (1990) expressed concerns
over aspects of the SERVQUAL instrument.
Other researchers have also criticized the conceptionalizations employed by Parasuraman,
Zeithaml and Berry (Cronin and Taylor 1992 and Cronin and Taylor 1994). These concerns have
lead Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry to defend their conclusions and offer future research
directions to add to the body of knowledge concerning service quality assessment (Parasuraman,
Zeithaml and Berry 1994).
Regardless of the controversy in the literature, the concept of service quality is important to
marketing practitioners (ie. Sherden 1988, Sonnenberg 1989, Cina 1990, Berry, Zeithaml and
Parasuraman 1990, and Shycon 1992). In a highly competitive environment the practicing
marketer recognizes service quality as a new frontier of competition.
The concepts provided by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry and the dimensions addressed in
SERVQUAL have implications for research in specific applications. Some of these applications
have, and can in the future, benefit the work in academic research.
Looking to provide a framework in which to improve teaching excellence Allen and Davis
(1991) applied the five dimensions identified in SERVQUAL in a study involving MBA students
and alumni. SERVQUAL has also been used to assess the service quality provided at a business
school placement center (Carman 1990).
THE SERVICE QUALITY OF ACADEMIC ADVISING
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By applying research on service quality to the academic advising process, marketing educators
can improve the service provided to the new and continuing student. Insight into the role of the
advisor and the expectations of the student can benefit the academic advising process.
An interesting exercise into the nature of service quality and academic advising involves
applying the dimensions of service quality identified in SERVQUAL to the academic advising
relationship. Asking students to perform this task can be very insightful.
Each of the five SERVQUAL attributes will be examined here within the context of academic
advising service. Because of the nature of the service under investigation, it was considered
fruitful to also examine three other dimensions identified in Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry's
original model (1985), namely access, communication and understanding.
Tangibles
The tangibles in the academic advising process involve more than just the appearance of the
advisor and the support staff, although this may be an important factor in an advisee's assessment
of the quality of the service provided.
The credibility of the advisor may very well be affected by the demeanor and appearance of the
advisor and his/her work space (Bitner 1990). Will an advisor, and support staff, in professional
attire offer the perception of higher levels of service quality to the advisee?
Other tangibles include a comfortable physical facility and appropriate up-to-date equipment.
The advisee would appreciate a place to sit. The advising environment should be perceived as
nonthreatening, at a minimum. Computers can also make the advising process more efficient
and/or increase the perception of service quality.
Each institution will be unique in many other tangibles inherent in the academic advising
process. Regardless of what ancillary materials are employed in the advising process they should
be user friendly. University catalogs, schedules of classes and advising sheets should be
available and easy to interpret, while also appearing official and credible.
Reliability
Whether the promised advising service is performed dependably and accurately is of interest to
the customer. A dependable advisor is one who keeps appointments and is trustworthy. An
advisee wants to feel as if he/she is in good hands and all his/her advising needs are being
considered.
Advisors are providing advice and suggestions for the student. The student is trusting the advisor
to be accurate in the advice they are offering. This requires efficient record keeping. The advisor
also needs to be aware of degree requirements, prerequisites and other potential pitfalls.
Responsiveness
Expectations will be a key issue when considering the responsiveness of the academic advisor. A
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conscientious advisor will be more than just a signature to the advisee and will provide helpful
advice. Prompt service may also be an expectation, however the definition of 'prompt' may need
to be jointly determined by the advisor and the advisee.
Assurance
The essence of this dimension makes it critical for the assessment of the service quality of
academic advising. The title "advisor" implies that the individual is worthy of being solicited for
their opinions. Therefore, an advisor should possess more knowledge than the advisee.
An advisor should be knowledgeable about the degree program and various processes within the
institution. Ideally, an advisor should be able to answer such questions as, "What subject matter
is involved in this course?", "Why is this course in the program?", and "With this degree what
jobs will I be qualified for after graduation?".
When it comes to courtesy, faculty often forget that students are customers. Not only does the
advisor need to be perceived as courteous, but all the personal contacts in the advising process,
which may be several, must also be gracious. A sense of trust and confidence is essential in the
advisor/advisee relationship. The advisee should feel as if their best interest is being considered
and that any problems that they may have will be taken care of by the advisor. Confidentiality of
the advisee's progress and/or problems will be expected also.
Empathy
An advisee would like to believe that their advisor cares about them as an individual.
Individualized attention should be devoted to the advisee. Concern about an advisee and their
progress, or lack of, should be expressed. To recognize an advisee by name and to remember
their situation would help improve the service quality perceived by that advisee.
Access
Access is one of the three dimensions from the original ten that was collapsed into the assurance
and empathy dimensions. However the three additional dimensions detailed here are felt to have
special implications for this topic and are thus included.
Advisors that are not accessible to the advisee are not utilized and the opportunity to increase
service quality is lost. Hours convenient to the customer are advisable. A convenient location is
also desirable. The ability to access the advisor easily by phone would be perceived positively by
the advisee. No one likes to be kept waiting for service, including advisees.
Communication
The communication dimension entails, "....keeping customers informed in language they can
understand and listening to them" (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1985, p.47). Freshmen and
students new to the institution may need to be addressed differently than continuing students.
Those less sophisticated to the institution's procedures may need detailed and simplified
explanations.
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The benefits of the program should be explained as compared to the cost, or personal investment.
The advising service should be explained and the benefits of utilizing the service detailed.
Understanding/Knowing the Customer
The practice of effective marketing is predicated on satisfying consumers' needs and wants. A
service provider should be able to identify a specific customer's needs and requirements.
Considering most academic advisors, and all marketing educators, were students once
themselves, identifying the needs of the advisee should not be a difficult task.
The advisees' needs, collectively, should be considered when designing the advising process for
the institution and the degree program. Additionally, an advisor should attempt to determine the
individual needs of a particular advisee and to respond to those needs.
CONCLUSIONS
Each advising encounter should not be considered as an individual transaction, but as a step in a
long-term relationship with the marketing student. The institution and the degree program will
benefit from this type of philosophy.
When it comes to practicing what we preach, marketing practitioners recognize, "....the critical
importance of service quality to the company's future must be accurately communicated to
employees" (Sonnenberg 1989, p. 57). Everyone from top administrators, who must send the
right message, to advisors and staff members must be trained to this philosophy of service
quality. For this process to be effective monitoring and rewarding become key ingredients. In
order to have academic advising become a tool to differentiate a degree program, rewards must
become evident to the advisors and we must move beyond rhetoric, or lip service. Limitations
must also be recognized, such as the number of students assigned to each advisor and the time
available for advising.
As marketing educators, if we practice as advisors what we preach in the classroom about the
importance of service quality we should be able to attract and maintain the number and quality of
students we desire. In short, advisees should be treated as customers, or long-term assets. The
adaptation of service quality research and methodology to advising issues would prove to be
insightful and fruitful work benefiting both the researcher and the student.
REFERENCES
Allen, Jeff and Duane Davis (1991), "Searching for Excellence in Marketing Education: The
Relationship Between Service Quality and Three Outcome Variables," Journal of Marketing
Education, (Spring), 47-55.
Berry, Leonard L., Valarie A. Zeithaml and A. Parasuraman (1990). "Five Imperatives for
Improving Service Quality," Sloan Management Review, (Summer), 29-38.
Bitner, Mary Jo (1990), "Evaluating Service Encounters: The Effects of Physical Surroundings
and Employee Responses," Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, 69-82.
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Carman, James M. (1990), "Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality: An Assessment of the
SERVQUAL Dimensions," Journal of Retailing, V. 66, No. 1, 33-55.
Cina, Craig (1990), "Five Steps to Service Excellence," Journal of Services Marketing, V. 4, No.
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Crockett, David S. and Randi S. Levitz (1984), "Current Advising Practices in Colleges and
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Cronin, J. Joseph and Steven A. Taylor (1992), "Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination
and Extension," Journal of Marketing, V. 56, No. 3, 55-68.
_________ (1994), "SERVPERF Versus SERVQUAL: Reconciling Performance-Based and
Perception-Minus- Expectations Measurement of Service Quality," Journal of Marketing, V. 58,
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Frost, Susan H. (1991), Academic Advising for Student Success, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education
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_________ (1988),"SERVQUAL: A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions
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_________ (1991 b), "Refinement and Reassessment of the SERVQUAL Scale," Journal of
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_________ (1994), "Reassessment of Expectations as a Comparison Standard in Measuring
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Sherden, William A. (1988), "Gaining the Service Quality Advantage," The Journal of Business
Strategy, March/April, 45-48.
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