This document discusses the SERVQUAL model, which is a framework for measuring service quality. It was developed in the 1980s and measures service quality across five dimensions: reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness. The document explains the five gaps in service quality as identified by the SERVQUAL model and provides examples. It also discusses criticisms of the model and how organizations can use it to measure customer expectations and perceptions over time to improve service quality.
It defines the relations, promises and marketing efforts between the three key stakeholders in services marketing - companies, providers (employees), and customers. Internal marketing is done between company and providers, external marketing is performed between companies and customers, and interactive marketing takes place between customers and providers.Marketing service triangle plays a very important role in service industries.
It defines the relations, promises and marketing efforts between the three key stakeholders in services marketing - companies, providers (employees), and customers. Internal marketing is done between company and providers, external marketing is performed between companies and customers, and interactive marketing takes place between customers and providers.Marketing service triangle plays a very important role in service industries.
Service Positioning
After a service strategy has been identified, a company must decide how to position its product most effectively. The concept of positioning involves establishing a distinctive place in the minds of target customers relative to competing products.
In “The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy”, Jack Trout distills the essence of positioning into the following four principles
1. A company must establish a position in the minds of its targeted customers.
2. The position should be singular, providing one simple and consistent message.
3. The position must set a company apart from its competitors.
4. A company cannot be all things to all people—it must focus its efforts.
Positioning and Marketing Strategy
Companies use positioning strategies to distinguish their services from competitors and to design communications that convey their desired position to customers and prospects in the chosen market segments. There are a number of different dimensions around which positioning strategies can be developed.
Service marketing introduction, , classification and challengesPROF.JITENDRA PATEL
This Module contain basic of Service Marketing, its definition, major characteristics of Services, its various classification, contribution of service in economy and various challenges faced by service marketer.
This is a compilation of introductory notes on Service Marketing with emphasis on meaning, evolution, universal nature of services, challenges to delivering services and finally basic insights into 7Ps of marketing from the perspectives of marketing of services.
Significance of Service quality is very important for the success of a service company :
1. To win credibility & get repeat customers : If a company offers quality service consistently, It enjoys repeat business, i.e., customers visit it repeatedly. They may even refer it to their friends & relatives and provide positive word-of-mouth publicity to the quality service offered by the company.
2. To charge premium price : When a company offers superior quality service, compared to its competitors, customers who value quality will always prefer this company to other players in the market. So, the company will be in a position to charge a premium price from customers.
According to Berry & A Parasuraman, service quality is determined by customers using various criteria like credibility, security, access, communications, tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, competence, courtesy, tangibles, understanding, etc. Gronoos also suggested another list of criteria as professionalism & skills, attitude & behaviour, accessibility & flexibility, reliability & trustworthiness, reputation & credibility, and recovery. Since some of these factors are similar or overlapping, the authors have consolidated these into five distinct dimensions,
These dimensions represent how consumers organise information about service quality in their minds. These five dimensions were found relevant for banking, insurance, appliances repair, & maintenance, securities brokerage, long distance tele-service, auto repair service, & others. The dimensions are also applicable to retail & business services. This can be logically extended to internal services as well.
Service Positioning
After a service strategy has been identified, a company must decide how to position its product most effectively. The concept of positioning involves establishing a distinctive place in the minds of target customers relative to competing products.
In “The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy”, Jack Trout distills the essence of positioning into the following four principles
1. A company must establish a position in the minds of its targeted customers.
2. The position should be singular, providing one simple and consistent message.
3. The position must set a company apart from its competitors.
4. A company cannot be all things to all people—it must focus its efforts.
Positioning and Marketing Strategy
Companies use positioning strategies to distinguish their services from competitors and to design communications that convey their desired position to customers and prospects in the chosen market segments. There are a number of different dimensions around which positioning strategies can be developed.
Service marketing introduction, , classification and challengesPROF.JITENDRA PATEL
This Module contain basic of Service Marketing, its definition, major characteristics of Services, its various classification, contribution of service in economy and various challenges faced by service marketer.
This is a compilation of introductory notes on Service Marketing with emphasis on meaning, evolution, universal nature of services, challenges to delivering services and finally basic insights into 7Ps of marketing from the perspectives of marketing of services.
Significance of Service quality is very important for the success of a service company :
1. To win credibility & get repeat customers : If a company offers quality service consistently, It enjoys repeat business, i.e., customers visit it repeatedly. They may even refer it to their friends & relatives and provide positive word-of-mouth publicity to the quality service offered by the company.
2. To charge premium price : When a company offers superior quality service, compared to its competitors, customers who value quality will always prefer this company to other players in the market. So, the company will be in a position to charge a premium price from customers.
According to Berry & A Parasuraman, service quality is determined by customers using various criteria like credibility, security, access, communications, tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, competence, courtesy, tangibles, understanding, etc. Gronoos also suggested another list of criteria as professionalism & skills, attitude & behaviour, accessibility & flexibility, reliability & trustworthiness, reputation & credibility, and recovery. Since some of these factors are similar or overlapping, the authors have consolidated these into five distinct dimensions,
These dimensions represent how consumers organise information about service quality in their minds. These five dimensions were found relevant for banking, insurance, appliances repair, & maintenance, securities brokerage, long distance tele-service, auto repair service, & others. The dimensions are also applicable to retail & business services. This can be logically extended to internal services as well.
Carnival Cruises Marketing plan and Business Case - Yolanda WilliamsYolanda Williams
by implementing and controlling the proposed fundamental marketing strategies and marketing mix strategies, Carnival will be able to achieve the stated objectives and maintain its leadership position in the multi-night vacation travel industry.
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Services Marketing
Chapter – 9
Pricing Of Services
Introduction
Pricing or Price is the key element in the traditional marketing mix (the 4Ps) and also the enhanced marketing mix (the 7 Ps). This is the element which earns revenue. This is highly critical because this is the strategy which can make or mar the business.
The firms must make it both ways –the price must
(1) get profits for the firm, and
(2) give value to its customers.
Names of Service Pricing
Pricing for goods is easy and straight forward, while for services it is complicated, may be controlled by several authorities, varies with time, place, people, etc.
For goods the price has a single name “PRICE”, but for services it has several names like :
Names of Service Prices
What Makes Service Pricing Different?
No Ownership of Services
Higher Ratio of Fixed Costs to Variable Costs
Variability of Both Inputs and Outputs.
Many Services Are Hard to Evaluate
Chapter 2:
Service Quality I
HRT476
*
Chapter 2. Discussion Points:
How to define service quality? Explain service quality using Gap Analysis Model (GAM): How to fill each gap?Five dimensions of Service Quality: Reliability, Tangibles, Empathy, Responsiveness, & Assurance: How to assess service quality using 5 dimensions of service quality?
=> Your individual research project us assessing service quality of a hospitality entity using Five Dimensions of Service Quality
AGENDAWhat is Service Quality (SQ)?Gap Analysis ModelWhy is quality service important in the hospitality industry?SERVQUAL
Five Dimensions of Service Quality
Service Quality“Consumer’s judgment about an entity’s overall excellence or superiority” (Zeithaml, 1987)“Customer’s overall evaluation of a product or service, similar to attitude” (Olshavsky, 1985)“The result of evaluation process in which customers compare their perceptions of service delivery to that they expect” (Gronroos, 1990)“Degree & direction of discrepancy between consumers’ ( ) & ( )” (PZB, 1988)
Perceptions
Expectations
*
How to define service quality? You can try defining it by yourself.
Popular textbook definitions are introduced here….The last one “Degree & direction of discrepancy between consumers’ expectations and perceptions (PZB, 1988)” is the most popular one.
Customers build expectations before purchase, and get involved in the evaluation process after the consumption. The difference or gap between prior expectations and actual experiences, that is service quality.
*
View of SQ & CS Process
Prepurchase
Expectation
Perceived
Performance
Disconfirmation
Customer
Satisfaction
Customer
Loyalty
Service Quality
*
The gap between expectations and perceived performance is the primary indicator of overall service quality.
Expectation“Desires & wants of customers”Three levels of service expectations:Essential (Predicted): Essence of the serviceFundamental requirements to continue operationsGuests predict these services will be performedExpected (Adequate): Go beyond the essential serviceTend to become essential service over the yearsOptional (Desired): Added bonus or unique service enhancing the value of serviceContribute to its competitive edgeGuests do not fault the service provider for this service
*
Customers build expectations in three levels: Essential, Expected, and Optional. Think about what types of expectations you make when making a hotel/restaurant reservation, and then categorize them using the three levels of service expectations.
Performance/ExperienceCustomers’ perceptions of firms providing the servicesA product of a technical (what) and functional quality (how), which is filtered through the imageStandard of comparison by which to assess disconfirmation
After consumption of service or products, we evaluate our experience based on WHAT (product or technical quality) was delivered and HOW (fun ...
sometes we wonder why the other Business i s perfoming better than the other especially in the service industry, the answer might be that one company is able to fill its GAPS while the other isn't able to do so. Therefore Gap Analysis tries to educate you on which Gaps are very crucial and how can we address them. that is Knowledge Gap, Policy Gap,Delivery Gap,Communication Gap and Customer Gap
5 big bets to drive growth in 2024 without one additional marketing dollar AND how to adapt to the biggest shifting eCommerce trend- AI.
1) Romance Your Customers - Retention
2) ‘Alternative’ Lead Gen - Advocacy
3) The Beautiful Basics - Conversion Rate Optimization
4) Land that Bottom Line - Profitability
5) Roll the Dice - New Business Models
AI-Powered Personalization: Principles, Use Cases, and Its Impact on CROVWO
In today’s era of AI, personalization is more than just a trend—it’s a fundamental strategy that unlocks numerous opportunities.
When done effectively, personalization builds trust, loyalty, and satisfaction among your users—key factors for business success. However, relying solely on AI capabilities isn’t enough. You need to anchor your approach in solid principles, understand your users’ context, and master the art of persuasion.
Join us as Sarjak Patel and Naitry Saggu from 3rd Eye Consulting unveil a transformative framework. This approach seamlessly integrates your unique context, consumer insights, and conversion goals, paving the way for unparalleled success in personalization.
It's another new era of digital and marketers are faced with making big bets on their digital strategy. If you are looking at modernizing your tech stack to support your digital evolution, there are a few can't miss (often overlooked) areas that should be part of every conversation. We'll cover setting your vision, avoiding siloes, adding a democratized approach to data strategy, localization, creating critical governance requirements and more. Attendees will walk away with actions they can take into initiatives they are running today and consider for the future.
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
First Things First: Building and Effective Marketing Strategy
Too many companies (and marketers) jump straight into activation planning without formalizing a marketing strategy. It may seem tedious, but analyzing the mindset of your targeted audiences and identifying the messaging points most likely to resonate with them is time well spent. That process is also a great opportunity for marketers to collaborate with sales leaders and account managers on a galvanized go-to-market approach. I’ll walk you through the methods and tools we use with our clients to ensure campaign success.
Key Takeaways:
-Recognize the critical role of strategy in marketing
-Learn our approach for building an actionable, effective marketing strategy
-Receive templates and guides for developing a marketing strategy
Digital marketing is the art and science of promoting products or services using digital channels to reach and engage with potential customers. It encompasses a wide range of online tactics and strategies aimed at increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, generating leads, and ultimately, converting those leads into customers.
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Come learn how YOU can Animate and Illuminate the World with Generative AI's Explosive Power. Come sit in the driver's seat and learn to harness this great technology.
In this presentation, Danny Leibrandt explains the impact of AI on SEO and what Google has been doing about it. Learn how to take your SEO game to the next level and win over Google with his new strategy anyone can use. Get actionable steps to rank your name, your business, and your clients on Google - the right way.
Key Takeaways:
1. Real content is king
2. Find ways to show EEAT
3. Repurpose across all platforms
A.I. (artificial intelligence) platforms are popping up all the time, and many of them can and should be used to help grow your brand, increase your sales and decrease your marketing costs.In this presentation:We will review some of the best AI platforms that are available for you to use.We will interact with some of the platforms in real-time, so attendees can see how they work.We will also look at some current brands that are using AI to help them create marketing messages, saving them time and money in the process. Lastly, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI in marketing & branding and have a lively conversation that includes comments from the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will learn about LLM platforms, like ChatGPT, and how they work, with preset examples and real time interactions with the platform. Attendees will learn about other AI platforms that are creating graphic design elements at the push of a button...pre-set examples and real-time interactions.Attendees will discuss the pros & cons of AI in marketing + branding and share their perspectives with one another. Attendees will learn about the cost savings and the time savings associated with using AI, should they choose to.
Mastering Multi-Touchpoint Content Strategy: Navigate Fragmented User JourneysSearch Engine Journal
Digital platforms are constantly multiplying, and with that, user engagement is becoming more intricate and fragmented.
So how do you effectively navigate distributing and tailoring your content across these various touchpoints?
Watch this webinar as we dive into the evolving landscape of content strategy tailored for today's fragmented user journeys. Understanding how to deliver your content to your users is more crucial than ever, and we’ll provide actionable tips for navigating these intricate challenges.
You’ll learn:
- How today’s users engage with content across various channels and devices.
- The latest methodologies for identifying and addressing content gaps to keep your content strategy proactive and relevant.
- What digital shelf space is and how your content strategy needs to pivot.
With Wayne Cichanski, we’ll explore innovative strategies to map out and meet the diverse needs of your audience, ensuring every piece of content resonates and connects, regardless of where or how it is consumed.
Videos are more engaging, more memorable, and more popular than any other type of content out there. That’s why it’s estimated that 82% of consumer traffic will come from videos by 2025.
And with videos evolving from landscape to portrait and experts promoting shorter clips, one thing remains constant – our brains LOVE videos.
So is there science behind what makes people absolutely irresistible on camera?
The answer: definitely yes.
In this jam-packed session with Stephanie Garcia, you’ll get your hands on a steal-worthy guide that uncovers the art and science to being irresistible on camera. From body language to words that convert, she’ll show you how to captivate on command so that viewers are excited and ready to take action.
The Forgotten Secret Weapon of Digital Marketing: Email
Digital marketing is a rapidly changing, ever evolving industry--Influencers, Threads, X, AI, etc. But one of the most effective digital marketing tools is also one of the oldest: Email. Find out from two Houston-based digital experts how to maximize your results from email.
Key Takeaways:
Email has the best ROI of any digital tactic
It can be used at any stage of the customer journey
It is increasingly important as the cookie-less future gets closer and closer
2. Introduction
Service quality is an approach to manage business processes in
order to ensure full satisfaction of the customers & quality in
service provided. It works as an antecedent of customer
satisfaction.
If expectations are greater than performance, then perceived
quality is less than satisfactory and hence customer
dissatisfaction occurs.
SERVQUAL is a service quality framework, developed in the
eighties by Zeithaml, Parasuraman & Berry, aiming at measuring
the scale of Quality in the service sectors.
SERVQUAL was originally measured on 10 aspects of service
quality: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy,
communication, credibility, security, understanding the customer,
and tangibles, to measure the gap between customer
expectations and experience.
3. SERVQUAL as a Measuring Tool
In 1988 the 10 components were collapsed into five dimensions
(RATER). Reliability, tangibles and responsiveness remained distinct,
but the remaining seven components collapsed into two aggregate
dimensions, assurance and empathy.
Parasuraman et al. developed a 22-scale instrument with which to
measure customers’ expectations and perceptions (E and P) of the five
RATER dimensions. Four or five numbered items are used to measure
each dimension.
The instrument is administered twice in different forms, first to
measure expectations and second to measure perceptions.
Dimensions
Scale
Reliability
4
Assurance
5
Tangibles
4
Empathy
5
Responsiveness
4
4. The Key Service Dimensions
The five SERVQUAL dimensions are: R-A-T-E-R:
1.
RESPONSIVENESS - Willingness to help customers
and provide prompt service
2.
ASSURANCE - Knowledge and courtesy of employees
and their ability to convey trust and confidence
3.
TANGIBLES - Appearance of physical facilities,
equipment,
personnel,
and
communication
materials
4.
EMPATHY - Caring, individualized attention the firm
provides its customers
5.
RELIABILITY - Ability to perform the promised service
dependably and accurately
5. Conceptual Model of Service Quality
GAP 1: Not knowing
what customers expect
GAP 2: wrong service
quality standards
GAP 3: The service
performance gap
GAP 4: promises do not
match actual delivery
GAP 5: The difference
between customer
perception and
expectation
6. The SERVQUAL Gaps
Gap 1
M a na ge m e nt
P e r c e p t io n s
o f C u s to m e r
E x p e c t a t io n s
Commonly known as the management perception gap
Gap
1 results from a difference between what customers
expect and what management perceives these
expectations to be.
It
indicates a problem with the understanding of the
market. This can occur, as a result of insufficient research
or communication failures.
E.g.
: Management of ABC Dry cleaning Ltd perceives that
a particular segment simply expects low prices on its
service, when in fact, the expectation is a value-for-money
service.
E x p e c te d
S e r v ic e
7. The SERVQUAL Gaps
Gap 2
S e r v ic e
Q u a lity
S p e c i f ic a t i o n s
Commonly known as quality specification gap.
Gap
2 results from a difference between management
perceptions of what customers expect and the
specifications that management draws up when detailing
the service quality delivery actions that are required.
Service
design and performance standards are prerequisites for bridging this gap.
E.g.
: Most hotels do not do housekeeping in a room on the
day the customer is checking out. But has management
realised that the customer who is doing a late checking out
wants a clean room during that day?
M a na ge m e nt
P e r c e p t io n s
o f C u s to m e r
E x p e c t a t io n s
8. The SERVQUAL Gaps
Gap 3
S e r v ic e
D e liv e r y
Commonly known as the Service delivery gap.
Gap
3 results from a mismatch between the service delivery
specifications required by management and the actual service that is
delivered by front line staff.
It
is the difference between customer-driven service design &
standards, and the service delivery of the provider.
Managers
need to audit the customer experience that their
organization currently delivers in order to make sure it lives up to the
expected level.
E.g.
: Usually, all restaurants need to attend to every request and
orders of the customers. But very often when customers place orders,
they either do not receive the orders at all or the waiter has confused it
with that of another customer.
S e r v ic e
Q u a lity
S p e c i f ic a t i o n s
9. The SERVQUAL Gaps
Gap 4
S e r v ic e
D e liv e r y
Commonly known as market communication gap.
This is the gap between the delivery of the customer experience
and what is communicated to customers, i.e. the discrepancy
between actual service and the promised one
All too often organizations exaggerate what will be provided to
customers, or discuss the best case rather than the likely case,
raising customer expectations and harming customer
perceptions.
E.g. A company commercialising slimming products boasts that
customers may lose up to 4-5 kgs/week. But they do not specify
that a strict diet and regular exercise must accompany the
treatment for it to have the desired effect.
E x te rn a l
C o m m u n ic a t io n s
to C u s to m e rs
10. The SERVQUAL Gaps
Gap 5
E x p e c te d
S e r v ic e
•
Commonly known as the perceived service quality gap.
•
Gap 5 may be identified as the overall difference between
the expected service and the perceived service
experienced. Gap 5 results from the combination of Gaps 1
to 4
•
Customers' expectations have been shaped by word of
mouth, their personal needs and their own past service
experiences.
•
Unless Gap 5 is kept under check, it may result in lost
customers, bad reputation, negative corporate image.
P e r c e iv e d
S e r v ic e
11. Causes for the Gaps
GAP 1 - not knowing what customers expect
E.g. : XYZ Events Ltd organised a wedding with the usual
white and blue decorations, when the customer had
expected something new and original.
Causes:
Lack of a marketing orientation to quality
Poorly interpreted information about customer’s
expectations
Research not focused on demand quality
Too many layers between the front line personnel &
top level management
12. Causes for the Gaps
GAP 2 - The wrong service quality standards
E.g. : XYZ Events Ltd perceived that the customer wanted a
very nice reception with at least 2 waiters at each table,
but management eventually decided otherwise to reduce
costs.
Causes:
inadequate commitment to service quality
lack of perception of feasibility
inadequate task standardization
the absence of goal setting
Insufficient planning of procedures
13. Causes for the Gaps
GAP 3 - The service performance gap
E.g.
: XYZ Events Ltd had promised the most exquisite
catering and wedding cake, but the food was not appreciable
and the bride didn’t like the cake at all.
Causes:
Poor
employee or technology fit - the wrong person or
wrong system for the job
Deficiencies
in human resource policies such as ineffective
recruitment, role ambiguity, role conflict
Failure to match demand and supply
Too much or too little control
Lack of teamwork within the organisation
14. Causes for the Gaps
GAP 4 - When promises do not match actual delivery
E.g. : XYZ Events Ltd promised to have a Mercedes limousine
for the entry of the groom, but eventually the latter was
given a simple Nissan Sunny.
Causes:
inadequate horizontal communication
Over-promising in external communication campaign
Failure to manage customer expectations
Failure to perform according to specifications given to
customers
15. Causes for the Gaps
GAP 5 - The difference between customer perception of
service and the expectation they had
Usually the cause is the occurrence of the 4 other Gaps, which
results in a difference between customer perception and the
expectation they had. Ultimately the groom’s experience was
way too far from what he had expected, and thus results in
dissatisfaction.
Other causes can be:
cultural background, family lifestyle, personality,
demographics, advertising, experience with similar service
information available online
16. Solution for the Gaps
No Solutions as such, but rather, measures that can be taken to minimize the gaps
Gap
Definitions
Measures
1
Customers’ expectations
versus management
perceptions
Use of good Customer Relationship Management Techniques to profile & know
customer’s expectations, tastes and needs
E.g: XYZ Events Ltd should conduct sample surveys to know what customers expect
nowadays
2
Management perceptions
versus service specifications
Managers need to make sure the organization is defining the level of service they
believe is needed.
E.g.: XYZ Events Ltd could have offered pre-set wedding packages at different prices
with different services set.
3
Service specifications versus
service delivery
Managers need to audit the customer experience that their organization currently
delivers in order to make sure it lives up to the expected level.
E,g.: XYZ Events Ltd needs to ask customers to give their post experience feedbacks
4
Service delivery versus
external communication:
Use of good Communication skills and avoid ambiguous or fraudulent terms to
confuse or mislead the customer.
E.g.: XYZ Events Ltd should clearly inform the customer about something that will
not be possible to implement
5
The discrepancy between
customer expectations and
their perceptions of the
service delivered
Application of all the above measures to make sure the service delivered meets the
expectations of the customer
17. Criticisms to SERVQUAL
It has been criticized that SERVQUAL's 5 dimensions (RATER)
are not universals, and that the model fails to draw on
established economic, statistical and psychological theory.
There is little evidence that customers assess service quality
in terms of Perception / Expectation gaps.
SERVQUAL focuses on the process of service delivery, not
the outcomes of the service encounter.
There is a high degree of intercorrelation between the five
RATER dimensions, thus the scores obtained cannot be
exact.
18. SERVQUAL; Good or Bad???
SERVQUAL “remains the most complete attempt to
conceptualize and measure service quality” – Nyeck, et al.
(2002)
The main benefit to the SERVQUAL measuring tool is the
ability of researchers to examine numerous service industries
such as healthcare, banking, financial services, and education
Nyeck et al. (2002) reviewed 40 articles that made use of the
SERVQUAL measuring tool and discovered “that few
researchers concerned themselves with the validation of the
measuring tool”, which means it is well anchored as a trusted
model.
Service Quality is widely regarded as a driver of corporate
marketing and financial performance
19. Advantages of
SERVQUAL
Enables
assessing
service
quality from the customer’s
perspective
We can track customer
expectations and perceptions
over time, together with the
discrepancies between them
Servqual enables comparison to
competitors
on
common
aspects
We can assess the expectations
and perceptions of internal
customers
–
e.g.
other
departments or services we
deal with.
Disadvantages of
SERVQUAL
The uniform applicability of the
method for all service sectors is
difficult.
The use of expectations in
measuring service quality has
currently come under a lot
of criticism.
Does not measure
outcome perceptions.
service
20. Methodology of SERVQUAL
The method essentially involves conducting a sample survey of
customers so that their perceived service needs are understood.
For measuring their perceptions of service quality for the
organization in question, customers are asked to answer
numerous questions within each dimension that determines:
The relative importance of each attribute.
A measurement of performance expectations that would relate to
an “excellent” company.
A measurement of performance for the company in question.
This provides an assessment of the gap between desired and
actual performance.
This allows an organization to focus its resources where
necessary and to maximize service quality whilst costs are
controlled
21. Uses of SERVQUAL
To assess a company's service quality along each of the 5
SERVQAL dimensions. E.g. XYZ Events Ltd carries out the servqual
survey to know where it stands in the perception of customers.
To track customer's expectations and perceptions over time. E.g.
XYZ Events Ltd wants to compare its score of last year against
that of the current year to know whether it has improved or has
to improve
To compare a company's SERVQUAL scores against competitors.
E.g.: XYZ Events Ltd wants to compare its score against that of
1570 Events Ltd to see who is the best.
To identify and examine customer segments that differ
significantly in their assessment of a company's service
performance.
To assess internal service quality (interdepartmental comparison)
22. Applications of SERVQUAL
Service quality has become an important research topic
because of its apparent relationship to costs, profitability,
customer satisfaction, and customer retention
SERVQUAL has been a keyword in 41 publications which
incorporate both theoretical discussions and applications of
SERVQUAL in a variety of industrial, commercial and not-forprofit settings.
Some of the published studies include :
Hotels ,travel and tourism
Car servicing, business schools
Accounting firms, architectural services
Airline catering
Mobile Telecommunications in Macedonia
23. Conclusions
SERVQUAL is considered very complex, subjective and
statistically unreliable. The simplified RATER model however is
a simple and useful model for qualitatively exploring and
assessing customers' service experiences
It is an efficient model in helping an organization shape up
their efforts in bridging the gap between perceived and
expected service
SERVQUAL is used to track customer's expectations and
perceptions over time to compare the company's SERVQUAL
scores against competitors.
Although SERVQUAL's face and construct validity are in doubt,
it is widely used in modified forms (RATER) to measure
customer expectations and perceptions of service quality.