Service Quality Flashcards
What is Service Quality?
Service Quality is a HIGH STANDARD of performance that consistently meets or exceeds customer expectations. (Wirtz and Lovelock 2016)
State the 9 main points for Understanding Service Quality
- Good manufacturers have made producing quality goods a priority issue
- > Establishing efficient, smoothly running operations
- Services cannot eliminate defects before the consumer sees the service
- Service quality must be an ongoing part of all management and production on a daily basis
- Service quality is DEFINED by the customer and
- depends on the customer PARTICIPATION
- Service quality is the starting point of the service-profit-chain
- Service quality results in economic performance
- Service quality is defined by potential quality, process quality and outcome quality
- process quality is crucial for the customer‘s service quality perception and thus for service quality management
Illustrate The Five Gaps Model of Service Quality
CONSUMER
Word-of-mouth communications, personal needs, past experience GIVE -> expected service (GAP 5) Percieved service
MARKETER Service delivery (Including pre- and post-conTActs) -> GAP 4 -> External communications to consumers
Management perceptions of consumer expectations -> GAP2 -> Translation of perceptions into service quality specitifications -> GAP 3 -> Service delivery
Explain the the Five(4) Gaps Model of Service Quality
Gap 1/5: Factors influencing the Listening/Knowledge Gap
a. Research orientation: a firm’s attitude toward conducting consumer research
b. Upward communication: the flow of information from front-line personnel to upper levels of the organization
c. Levels of management: the complexity of the organizational hierarchy and the number of levels between top management and the customer
Gap 2: Factors influencing the Standard Gap
• Commitment to service quality vs. cost reduction and shortterm profits
• No culture or goal setting for services timeliness, accuracy, responsiveness
c. The difficulty of writing specifications for particular employee behaviors
Gap 3: Factors influencing the Service Performance Gap
a. Employee’s willingness to perform: desire to perform to full potential
b. Employee-job fit: the degree to which employees are able to perform a service to specifications
c. Role conflict: inconsistency in employees’ minds between what the service manager expects them to provide and the service they think their customers actually want
d. Role ambiguity: uncertainty of employees’ roles in their jobs and poor understanding of the purpose of their jobs
e. Inadequate support, e.g. mgt failure to give employees personal training
Gap 4: Factors influencing the Communication Gap
a. Propensity of over promising: a firm’s promise of more than it can deliver
b. Amount of horizontal communication: the flow of internal communication between a firm’s headquarters and its service firms in the field
Slide 63
Illustrate Confirmation/Disconfirmation Paradigm
Perceptions:
functional and technical quality
search qualities, experience qualities, credence qualities
Expectations: Product itself marketing information from referents (people) Prior experience
Comparison
P > E : Positive Disconfirmation i.e SATISFACTION
P = E : Confirmation i.e INDIFERENT or neutral
P < E : Negative disconfirmation i.e UNSATISFACTION
Explain the Objective Measuring of service quality?
- Silent Shopper
- Expert observation!
Example:
Mystery Shoppers Check on Quality: - A form of NONCUSTOMER research that consists of trained personnel who pose as customers, shop unannounced at the firm, and evaluate employees.
State the (3) main orientations in Subjective Measuring?
- Characteristics-oriented measuring (e.g., SERVQUAL)
- Event-oriented measuring (e.g., Service blueprint)
- Problem-oriented measuring
Explain the Subjective Multi-attributive method - SERVQUAL
- A multi-item scale developed to assess customer perceptions of service quality
- Based on premise that customers can evaluate a firm’s service quality by comparing their perceptions with own experiences
- SERVQUAL is a Diagnostic tool used to determine “gap scores” (1 disagree - 7 agree)
1. If perceived performance ratings are lower than expectations, than it is a sign of poor quality
2. The larger the gap, the lower the service quality evaluation
Name and explain the (5) Service Quality dimensions – SERVQUAL
Hint: RATER
RATER:
1. Reliability: consistency and dependability in performing the service (i.e. an accurate bank statement, a confirmed hotel reservation)
- Assurance: Knowledge/competence of employees and ability to convey trust and confidence (i.e. a highly trained financial adviser)
- Tangibles: Physical evidence of the service (i.e. freshness of food, modern equipment used in medical exam)
- Empathy: Caring and INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION provided by employees (i.e. A nurse counseling a heart patient)
- Responsiveness: willingness and readiness of employees to provide the service (i.e. ambulance arriving within 3 mins)
Explain the Event-oriented method
● Method to visualize INtangible processes, touchpoints, tangible elements of a service delivery
● Similar to a construction plan
● Picture of a holistic service
● Illustration of a service supports a consistent understanding of all involved parties
i.e. Service Blueprint
Explain Service Blueprint
It is like a map and you follow step by step the service (examples from Service Blueprint of a flight)
- physical evidence (e.g computer,credit card, airport, baggage claim)
- customer actions (e.g make reservation, wait at gate, pick up luggage)
——————————————————————— line of external interaction
- “onstage” contact employee actions (e.g greet customer and take bags, check passanger)
——————————————————————— line of visibility
- “backstage” contact employee actions (e.g load bags on plane, pilot, mechanic)
——————————————————————— line of internal interaction
- support processes (e.g website, registration system)
Explain the Problem-detecting method
● Identify service quality problems
● Compile a list of all service quality problems
● Condense problems based on their relevance and eliminate redundant problems
● Collecting customer data based on paper-and-pencil, oral or phone interviews
● Data analysis
