HoffmanPP Ch11 Final

8/6/2019 HoffmanPP Ch11 Final

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2010 Cengage Learning, Inc.

Chapter 11

Defining and measuringservice quality


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Chapter objectives

Contrast service quality as it compares to customer

satisfaction.

Identify the gaps that influence consumer perceptions of

service quality and discuss factors that influence the size

of each service quality gap.

Understand the basic concepts of SERQUAL.

Describe the components of a service quality informationsystem.


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Opening vignette: the ACMAmonitoring telephone service

The Australian

Communications and

Media Authority (ACMA)

checks and reports how

telephone companies are

meeting their requirements.


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Service quality:

long-run overall evaluation of the firms

performance

looks at how firms should perform

measures a higher standard of service delivery

expectations drive service quality perceptions.

Customer satisfaction:

short-term, transaction specific measure.

What is service quality?


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What is service quality?

Customer satisfaction and service quality are

intertwined, however the relationship is unclear.

Does customer satisfaction lead to perceived

service quality?

Or does service quality lead to customer

satisfaction?

The relationship between customer satisfaction and

service quality and how it relates to purchasingbehaviour remains largely unexplained.


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Conceptual model of service quality


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Service gap:

The distance between a customers expectations of a

service and perception of the service actually

delivered.

Diagnosing failure gaps

in service quality


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Gap 1: The knowledge gap

research orientation

upward communication

levels of management.


in service quality


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Gap 2: The standards gap

perceptions of feasibility commitment to service

quality vs. cost reduction

and short-term profits

no culture or goal setting

for services:

timeliness, accuracy,

responsiveness.


in service quality


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Gap 3: The delivery gap

willingness to perform

employee-job fit

role conflict

role ambiguity

dispersion of control learned helplessness

inadequate support.


in service quality


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Gap 4: The communication gap

propensity ofover-promising

flow of horizontal

communication within an

organisation.


In service quality


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Diagnostic tool used to determine gap scores.

The larger the gap, the lower the service qualityevaluation.

SERVQUAL is a 44 item scale that measures

customer expectations and perceptions regarding

five service quality dimensions.

Measuring service

quality: SERVQUAL


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Measuring servicequality: SERVQUAL

The tangibles dimension

The reliability dimension

The responsiveness dimension

The assurance dimension

The empathy dimension


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A firms ability to manage its tangibles.

Tangibles expectations:

E1: Excellent companies will have modern-looking

equipment.E2: The physical facilities at excellent companies will be

visually appealing.

E3: Employees of excellent companies will be neat inappearance.

E4: Materials associated with the service (such aspamphlets or statements) will be visually appealing inan excellent company.

SERVQUAL:The tangible dimension


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Tangibles perceptions:

P1: XYZ has modern-looking equipment.

P2: XYZs physical facilities are visually appealing.

P3: XYZs employees are neat in appearance.

P4: Materials associated with the service are visually

appealing at XYZ.

SERVQUAL:The tangible dimension


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Reflects the consistency and dependability of the firmsperformance.

Reliability expectations:

E5: When excellent companies promise to do something by a

certain time, they will do so.E6: When customers have a problem, excellent companies

will show a sincere interest in resolving it.

E7: Excellent companies will perform the service right the firsttime.

E8: Excellent companies will provide their services at the timethey promised to do so.

E9: Excellent companies will insist on error-free records.

SERVQUAL:The reliability dimension


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The willingness or readiness of employees to provide

the service.

Responsiveness expectations:

E10: Employees of excellent companies will tell customersexactly when services will be performed.

E11: Employees of excellent companies will give prompt

service to customers.

E12: Employees of excellent companies will always be

willing to help customers.

E13: Employees of excellent companies will never be too

busy to respond to customer requests.

SERVQUAL:The responsiveness dimension


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Reflects the competence of the firm, the courtesy extendedto its customers, and the security of its operations.

Assurance expectations:

E14: The behavior of employees of excellent companies willinstil confidence in customers.

E15: Customers of excellent companies will feel safe in theirtransactions.

E16: Employees of excellent companies will be consistently

courteous to customers.E17: Employees of excellent companies will have the

knowledge to answer customer questions.

SERVQUAL:The assurance dimension


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The ability to experience anothers feelings as ones own.

Empathy expectations:

E18: Excellent companies will give customers individualattention.

E19: Excellent companies will have operating hours convenientto all their customers.

E20: Excellent companies will have employees who givecustomers personal attention.

E21: Excellent companies will have the customers best interestat heart.

E22: The employees of excellent companies will understand thespecific needs of their customers.

SERVQUAL:The empathy dimension


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Length of the questionnaire:

expectation and perception questions seemredundant

whats the value of including the expectation set?

Validity of the five dimensions:

questions need to be adjusted to fit the specificindustry under examination

measurement issues.

Predictive power:

ability to predict consumer purchase intentions.

Criticisms of SERVQUAL


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The diagnostic advantage

of SERVQUAL scores


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Solicitation of customer complaints:

identify unhappy customers

identify weaknesses in the firms service delivery

system.

After-sales surveys:

more pro-active approach to assessing customer

satisfaction than above

survey taken while the encounter is fresh in the

customers mind.

Service quality information systems


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Customer focus group interviews:

group interaction provides ideas

other forms of research are needed to confirm the

groups ideas.

Mystery shopping:

measures individual employee behavior

aids in coaching, training and evaluating.



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Employee surveys:

employee satisfaction is directly related to

customer satisfaction

employee surveys should examine morale,attitudes and perceived obstacles.

Total market service quality surveys:

assess the firm and its competitors satisfactionratings.



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Key components that need to be built into every service

quality system include:

Listening:

quality is defined by the customer

expectations are a rising bar

Reliability:

little else matters when the service is unreliable

Basic service:

deliver the basics first, the frills can come later.



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Service design:

design flaws hinder the basic service

Recovery:

firms that do not respond to customer complaintsescalate the service failure

Surprising customers

exceeding customers expectations requires the

element of surprise

Fair play:

be careful of the squeaky wheel.



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Teamwork:

service team building should not be left to

chance

Employee research: employee needs are as important as customer

needs

Servant leadership:

leadership must serve the services, inspiringand enabling them to achieve.


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HoffmanPP Ch11 Final