Service-Quality (GAP) Model

Gaps that Cause Unsuccessful Service

Delivery
• Gap between consumer expectation and management perception –
Perception Gap
• Gap between management perception and service-quality
specifications – Standard Gap
• Gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery –
Delivery Gap
• Gap between service delivery and external communications –
Communication Gap
• Gap between perceived service and expected service – Service
Quality Gap
GAP 1
• Gap 1 represents the general incompatibility between
company management and customers. The basic reason of its
appearance is not understanding the real customers’
expectations. The first gap is actually the result of wrongly
interpreted information concerning customers’ expectations,
non-existence of demand analysis and inadequate perception
of the relationship between the company and its customers.
The important reason for the emergence of this Gap is the
existence of too many levels of organisation which restrain and
alter certain levels of information about the expectations and
demands of. Moreover, not understanding the customers’
expectations can be as well the result of a bad management of
customers’ complaints
GAP 1
• When problems concerning the mentioned variations are
overcome, i.e. when managers understood the market
demands, problems may arise in the very process of
realization. The company knows the wishes of its customers
but can not satisfy them. For example, management can
adequately evaluate the time that guests are willing to spend
when checking in at the reception of a hotel, but do not have
enough staff to fulfill those expectations.
GAP 2
• Gap 2 variation between perceptions of the management
about the expectations of customers and specifications of
service quality are the following:
Badly designed services: • Unclear, undefined service design;
• Badly designed service design; • Unsystematically process of
new service development.
Lack of standards defined from the aspect of customers: •
Standards are not defined respecting customers’ demands; •
There is no procedural management focusing upon customers’
demands; • Lack of formalised processes needed for
installation of adequate goals of service quality.
Inadequate service ambience and physical elements: • Failure
to develop perceptible values in accordance with customers’
expectations; • Service ambience is not created to suit the
needs of customers and employees; • Inadequacy when
innovating the ambience and undertaking necessary
reparations.
GAP 3
• Gap 3
Oversights in the human resources management: • Bad
reputation; • Unclear roles and conflict of interests; • Poor
system of evaluation and praising; • Lack of team work,
inadequate jurisdiction.
Poor cooperation of customers: • Customers do not
understand or do not know what their role and responsibility
in the service process are; • Customers make a negative
influence among themselves.
Problems with servicing agents: • Conflicts concerning aims
and performances; • Problems with the control of quality and
consistency; • Conflicts concerning jurisdiction and controls.
Badly harmonized offer and demand: • Failure to soften the
demanding extremes; • Poor choice of customers/segments; •
Excessive reliance upon the price when balancing the demand.
GAP 3
• Gap 3
Managers are able to define specifications of services based
upon the customers’ demands. However, what can happen is
that the employees are not able to deliver the service in an
adequate way. For example, management of a restaurant
orders that a specific dish needs to be delivered within 20
minutes while the waiter delivers the same dish after the
period demanded. Possible reasons for that are: conflicts
between the staff, poor intersectoral cooperation between the
kitchen and the restaurant, conflict with management and
customers, unskilled staff, inadequate system of motivation,
old-fashioned kitchen equipment, too may crowd in the
restaurant etc.
GAP 4
• Gap 4
A promise that a service company gives about the service
quality using different forms of market communications are
crucial for the creation of customers’ expectations. The main
reasons for not fulfill these promises, which leads to the
emergence of Gap 4
Lack of integrated service marketing communications: •
Custom that each external communication is observed
independently; • Interactive marketing is not part of
communication plan; • Lack of a developed programme of
internal marketing.
Inefficient management of customers’ expectations: • Lack of
the management of customers’ expectations through all forms
of communication; • Customers are not educated in an
adequate way.
GAP 4
• Gap 4
Unreasonable promises: • Unreasonable promises in
marketing activities, personal sale etc.
Inadequate horizontal communication: • Poor communication
between people responsible for promotional campaign and
people responsible for operational activities; • Insufficient
communication between people responsible for retail and
people responsible for operational activities; • Differences in
politics and procedures between certain branches of the same
company.
Unreasonable promises and inadequate management of
customers’ expectations lead to the appearance of too
demanding expectations. The result is offering services below
the expected level and negative perception of the quality by
customers .
GAP 5
• Gap 5
If any of the mentioned gaps or the combination of the same
occurs, then the last Gap 5 or the “gap of customers” will
inevitably occur. It appears as the difference between the
expectations of customers concerning the services and their
perception of the service received in the company itself.
Service Quality
SERVICE QUALITY
• Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985, 1988)
posited and operationalized service quality as a
difference between consumer expectations of ‘what
they want’ and their perceptions of ‘what they get.’
• Based on this conceptualization and
operationalization, they proposed a service quality
measurement scale called ‘SERVQUAL.’
• The SERVQUAL scale constitutes an important
landmark in the service quality literature and has
been extensively applied in different service settings.
SERVPERF Scale
• They, therefore, opined that expectation (E)
component of SERVQUAL be discarded and instead
performance (P) component alone be used. They
proposed what is referred to as the ‘SERVPERF’ scale.
SERVQUAL Scale
• RELIABILITY-Ability to perform the promised service
dependably and accurately
• ASSURANCE-Knowledge and courtesy of employees
and their ability to convey trust and confidence
• TANGIBLES-Appearance of physical facilities,
equipment, personnel, and communication materials
• EMPATHY-Caring, individualized attention the firm
provides its customers
• RESPONSIVENESS-Willingness to help customers and
provide prompt service
SERVQUAL Scale
Reliability
1. Providing services as promised.
2. Dependability in handling customers' service
performed.
3. Performing the services right the first time.
4. Providing services at the promised time.
5. Maintaining error-free records.
SERVQUAL Scale
Assurance

10. Employees who instill confidence in customers.

11. Making customers feel safe in their transaction.
12. Employees who are consistently courteous.
13. Knowledgeable employee to answer customer
questions.
SERVQUAL Scale
Tangibles

19. Modern equipment.

20. Visually appealing facilities.
21. Employees who have a neat, professional
appearance.
22. Visually appealing materials associated with the
service
SERVQUAL Scale
Empathy

14. Giving customers individual attention.

15. Employees who deal with customers in a caring
fashion.
16. Having the customer's best interest at heart.
17. Employees who understand the needs of their
customers.
18. Convenient business hours.
SERVQUAL Scale
Responsiveness

6. Keeping customers informed about when services

will be performed.
7. Prompt service to customers.
8. Willing to help customers.
9. Readiness to respond to customers' requests.