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WEEK 3 - Session 5

This document discusses the GAPs model of service quality and how it can be used to analyze where a company may be failing to meet customer expectations. The GAPs model identifies four key gaps within a company: [1] the listening gap between customer expectations and company understanding; [2] the design gap between company understanding and service standards; [3] the performance gap between standards and actual service delivery; and [4] the communication gap between promised and delivered service. The document provides questions to assess each gap and determine where a company needs to improve in order to close the gaps and provide consistently high quality service that meets or exceeds customer expectations.

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Sofia Pereira
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25 views6 pages

WEEK 3 - Session 5

This document discusses the GAPs model of service quality and how it can be used to analyze where a company may be failing to meet customer expectations. The GAPs model identifies four key gaps within a company: [1] the listening gap between customer expectations and company understanding; [2] the design gap between company understanding and service standards; [3] the performance gap between standards and actual service delivery; and [4] the communication gap between promised and delivered service. The document provides questions to assess each gap and determine where a company needs to improve in order to close the gaps and provide consistently high quality service that meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Uploaded by

Sofia Pereira
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WEEK 3 – SESSION 5

Strategic Diagnosis Analysis: The GAPs Model of Service Quality

In-class exercise: What kind of failures can we have on the company side that may explain bad
service experiences (expectations not matching perceptions)?

Poor communica+on
Not having enough staff - > affec+ng our performance
Too much focus on the product - > listening, defining the standards
Incompetent or rude staff (hiring&training) -> affec+ng our performance
No quality control (lack of monitoring) -> defining the standards, iden+fica+on of the wrong things.
Bad condi+on of the stores (tangibles) -> performance
Not caring about the customer aHer the sales is done -> listening, performance
Not knowing what the customer really wants -> listening, performance

Gaps Model of Service Quality: Company Gaps


Gap 1: The Listening GAP :

Difference between customer expectations (perceived service) of service and company understanding of
those expectations.

Strong relationship marketing


impairs magnitude of this GAP

What needs to be assessed:


Market Research Orientation
• Is the amount and type of market research adequate and enough to understant what customer
want and expect?
Are we having a focus on developing marketingresearchtounderstandmy customer’s expectations and perceptions?

Inadequate use of Marketing Research


• Do managers and customers interact enough for management to know what customers
expectations are?
• Do“contact”employeesinteractwithmanagers?
• Is the company using this information properly?
Do we spread properly marketing research insights through the company?

Relationship Focus
• To what extent does the company try to understand the expectations of different segments?
How?
• Is the company focused on establishing relationships instead of transactions?
Is the company focused on establishing relations or rather in selling “stuff”?

1
Gap 2: The Design and Standards GAP
Difference between company understanding of customer expectations and development of customer-
driven service designs and standards.

Companies often have


difficulties in translating
customer expectations into
service quality specifications
that employees can understand
and execute.

What needs to be assessed


Systematic Service Design
• How well are new services defined for customers and employees?
• How effective and constant is the company’s service development process?
Are we having a focus on developing services in a well-structured way?

Presence of Customer-Driven Standards


• How well defined are the company’s service standards?
• Are service standards defined to meet customers’ expectations?
• How effective is the process for setting and tracking service quality goals?
Do we define our standards in line with customers’ expectations?

Appropriate Physical Evidence and Servicescape


• Are the company’s physical facilities, equipment, and other tangibles appropriate to the service
offrering?
• Are the company’s physical facilities, equipment, and other tangibles attractive and effective?
Are we investing and developing adequately in the right tangibles?

2
Gap 3: The Performance GAP
Discrepancy between development of customer-driven service standards and actual service
performance by company employees.

Companies must have systems,


processes, and people in place to
ensure that service delivery actually
matches the designs and standards in
places

What do we need to assess

Effective Human Resources Policies


• How effectively does the company recruit, hire, train, compensate, and empower employees?
• Are the appraisal system appropriate with a customer orientation?
Are we proper HR policies?

Effective Role Fulfillment by Customers


• Do customers understand their roles and responsibilities?
• Does the company implement any set of measures to “teach” customers what their role is?
Are we “educating” our customers in order for them to know what to expect?

Effective Alignment with Service Intermediaries


• How well are service intermediaries aligned with the company customer orientation goal?
• Are there conflicts over objectives and performance, costs and rewards?
• Is service quality delivered consistently across intermediaries?
Are we training our intermediaries in order for them to follow our services standards?

Alignment of Demand and Capacity


• How well is the company able to match supply with demand fluctuations?
Are we investing in resources that allows us to respond to demand peaks?

Service Recovery
• Are there any service recovery measures being implemented?
• How effective and well tested are these service recovery measures?
Do we have service recovery guidelines?

3
Gap 4: The Communication GAP
Accurate, coordinated and appropriate company communications is essential to deliver services that
customers perceive as high in quality

Service delivery
<->
External communications to customers

Companies’ promises made


through media channels and
sales force may raise
customer expectations, the
standards against which
customers assess service
quality.

What do we need to assess


Integrated Services Marketing Communications
• How well do all company communications express the same message and level of service quality?
• How well does the company communicate to customers about what will be provided to them?
Are we communicating consistently across the different channels?

Ineffective management of customers expectations


• Does the company communicate in line with customer expectations of value?
• Is the company careful not to price so high that customer expectations are raised?
Is the company focused in managing customers’ expectations?

Overpromising
• Does the company avoid overpromising and overselling?
Is the company using reliable selling arguments, not falling into the temptation of overpromising?

HorizontalCommunications
• How well do different parts of the organization communicate with each other so that service
quality equals what is promised?
Does the company have in place tools that foster communication “inside” the organization?

4
Services Marketing Triangle

How to use the Gap Analysis


Overall Strategic Assessment:
• How are we doing overall in meeting or exceeding customer expectations?
• How are we doing overall in closing the four company gaps?
• Which gaps represent our strengths and where are our weaknesses?

Specific Service Implementation


• Who is the customer? What is the service?
• Are we consistently meeting/exceeding customer expectations with this service?
• If not, where are the gaps and what changes are needed?

Service Quality Gaps Model AUDIT

5
EXAMPLE (1)

EXAMPLE (2)

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