Question

Marketers know that both the social elements of the service encounter (i.e., the employee and the customer) and the physical elements, including the servicescape, are important to a positive service experience. To measure service quality, marketers use the SERVQUAL scale, which measures five (5) dimensions of service quality.

1. List the five dimensions of service quality.
2. Briefly explain each of the five dimensions of service quality.
3. Gap analysis is a related metric. What is gap analysis – what does it measure, and why is understanding this important to marketers?

Answer 1

(1)

The five dimensions of service quality measured by the SERVQUAL Instrument

The SERVQUAL Instrument measures the five dimensions of Service Quality. These five dimensions are: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy.

(2)

Tangibility

Since services are tangible, customers derive their perception of service quality by comparing the tangible associated with these services provided. It is the appearance of the physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials. In this survey, on the questionnaire designed, the customers respond to the questions about the physical layout and the facilities that FFR offers to its customers.

Reliability

It is the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Reliability means that the company delivers on its promises-promises about delivery,sevice provision, problem resolutions and pricing. Customers want to do business with companies that keep their promises, particularly their promises about the service outcomes and core service attributes. All companies need to be aware of customer expectation of reliability. Firms that do not provide the core service that customers think they are buying fail their customers in the most direct way.

Responsiveness

It is the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. This dimension emphasizes attentiveness and promptness in dealing with customer’s requests, questions, complaints and problems. Responsiveness is communicated to customers by length of time they have to wait for assistance, answers to questions or attention to problems. Responsiveness also captures the notion of flexibility and ability to customize the service to customer needs.

Assurance

It means to inspire trust and confidence. Assurance is defined as employees’ knowledge of courtesy and the ability of the firm and its employees to inspire trust and confidence. This dimension is likely to be particularly important for the services that the customers perceives as involving high rising and/or about which they feel uncertain about the ability to evaluate. Trust and confidence may be embodied in the person who links the customer to the company, for example, the marketing department. Thus, employees are aware of the importance to create trust and confidence from the customers to gain competitive advantage and for customers’ loyalty.

Empathy

It means to provide caring individualized attention the firm provide its customers. In some countries, it is essential to provide individual attention to show to the customer that the company does best to satisfy his needs. Empathy is an additional plus that the trust and confidence of the customers and at the same time increase the loyalty. In this competitive world, the customer’s requirements are rising day after day and it is the companies’ duties to their maximum to meet the demands of customers, else customers who do not receive individual attention will search elsewhere.

(3)

A gap analysis is process that compares actual performance or results with what was expected or desired. The method provides a way to identify suboptimal or missing strategies, structures, capabilities, processes, practices, technologies or skills, and then recommends steps that will help the company meet its goals. By comparing the current state with the target state, companies, business units, or teams can determine what they need to work on to make their performance or results better and get on the right path quicker. Companies can also use the gap analysis process to elevate individual or team performance, and look at attributes such as task competency, performance level, and productivity. Other names for the process include need-gap analysis, needs analysis, and needs assessment. As opposed to a risk assessment, which tend to be forward-looking, a gap analysis examines the current state. ANSI (American National Standards Institute), ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security), and RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society) standards say that risk assessment includes the identification, analysis, and evaluation of uncertainties to objectives and outcomes of an organization.