Gaps Model

Question 1

Expected service

Answer 1

Should-be provided service

Question 2

Perceived service

Answer 2

Did-provided service

Question 3

Knowledge gap

Answer 3

The difference between what senior management believes customers expect and what customers actually need and expect

Question 4

Standards/policy gap

Answer 4

The difference between the management’s understanding of customers’ expectations and the service standards they set for service delivery.
We call it the policy gap because the management has made a policy decision not to deliver what they think customers expect

Question 5

Delivery gap

Answer 5

The difference between specified service standards and the service delivery teams’ actual performance on these standard

Question 6

Communications gap

Answer 6

The difference between what the company
communicates and what the customer understands and subsequently experiences

Question 7

Customer gap

Answer 7

The existing of any of the other four gaps
Closed when all service gaps have been closed