SERVQUAL: a tool to measure service quality

Résumé du document

Services are unique performances between the buyers (customers) and the sellers (service or product providers). Companies which provide better quality can gain competitive advantage. The level of service quality is the difference between perceived service and the client's expectation. So we need a good method to evaluate service quality and the kind of service the customers expect. The level of service quality is the difference between perceived service and the client's expectation. So we need a good method to evaluate service quality and the kind of service the customers expect. We can measure service quality on five dimensions namely ? Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy. However, service quality is difficult when compared to manufacturing quality as service quality performance is difficult to define, measure and consistently execute.

Extraits

[...] Then, a question could be performed on the perception of customer with the same rating system. With both ratings the difference between expectation and perception could be calculated and a wider rating system could be achieved. This was done consistently with 90 pair of items. How the scale was determined? In order to achieve the different quality dimensions and group the survey items into the dimensions, statistical tools were applied. First phase eliminated items that had a low alpha coefficient. [...]

[...] SERVQUAL SERVQUAL consists of a model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1986) which helps measure service quality through a series of steps. It concentrates on the notion of perceived quality. “Perceived quality refers to a consumer's judgment about a product's overall excellence” (Zeithaml). Perceived quality is more subjective than other definitions of quality” (Zeithaml) . Through research conducted with focus groups, the researchers asked about the characteristics a service provider should have in order to have high quality. They found out that consistently all of the members of the focus group had similar criteria. [...]

[...] The criteria related to the service elements are very close to the ones in the SERVQUAL typology. The specificity of Gummesson research is the importance given to the tangibles elements. They can be estimated by three kind of perspective: goods (reliability, performance, features, conformance, service ability, and aesthetics), psychological (visibility, mapping, affordance, constraints, customer control, knowledge needed, and feedback), and environmental (ambient factors, functionality, aesthetics, service personnel, other customers, other people). Finally, for software elements, the criteria are focusing on estimating the help of the IT elements for the customer (Reliability, Extendability, Integrity and User friendliness). [...]

[...] Scheuing, 1993) How to measure service quality? Service quality has three unique features: intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability of production and consumption. (4. Parasuraman, Aeithaml and Berry,1986). Product quality seems to be different than service quality because products are tangible, homogenous and standardized. The needs for services are different from customer to customer with no situations that repeat throughout time. Certain standards procedures can be established in order to achieve a more homogenous service, but individual needs have to be considered to adapt services to their requirements. [...]

[...] What is service quality? The level of service quality is the difference between perceived service and the client's expectation. So we need a good method to evaluate service quality and to know what kind of service customers want. We can measure service quality on five dimensions - Tangibles - Reliability - Responsiveness - Assurance - Empathy What is the difference between service quality and manufacturing quality? Is the way to manage service quality different from the way to manage manufacturing quality? [...]