The conceptual framework: The GAPS Model of Service

Quality Prof. Rupali Rajesh

Introduction

The effective services Marketing involves different strategies, skills, and tasks.

Execution of service organization is confused about how to approach in organized manner.

Viewing services in a structured, integrated way is called Gap model of service quality.

CUSTOMER GAP

Perceived Services

Expected service

Customer

Gap

Contd

The customer gap is the difference between customer expectations and perceptions.

Customer expectations are standards or reference points that customer brings into the service experience, whereas customer perceptions are subjective assessments of actual service experiences.

Customer expectations often consist of what a customer believes should or will happen.

E.g: Visit to an expensive restaurant, you expect a high level of service, one that is considerably superior to the level you would expect in a fast-food restaurant.

The Provider GAPS

The gaps occur within the organization providing the service and include:

GAP 1: The Listening Gap

GAP 2: The Service Design and Standards Gap

GAP 3: The Service Performance Gap

GAP 4: The Communication Gap

GAP 1: Not Knowing What Customers Expect

Customer Expectations

Inadequate marketing research orientation

Insufficient marketing research

Research not focused on service quality

Inadequate use of market research

Lack of upward communication

Lack of interaction between management and customers

Insufficient communication between contact employees and managers

Too many layers between customers rather than relationship customers

Insufficient relationship focus

Lack of market segmentation

Focus on transactions rather than relationship customers

Focus on new customers rather than relationship customers

Inadequate service recovery

Lack of encouragement to listen to customer complaints

Failure to make amends when things go wrong

No appropriate recovery mechanisms in place to service failures

Company perceptions of customer expectations

GAP 1: The Listening Gap

The difference between customer expectations of service and company understanding of those expectations.

A primary cause in many firms for not meeting customers expectations is that the firm lacks accurate understanding of exactly what those expectations are.

Many reasons exist for managers not being aware of what customers expect: they may not interact directly with customers, they may be unwilling to as about expectations.

Contd..

Listening gap is lack of upward communication. Frontline employees often know great deal about customers; if management is not in contact with frontline employees and does not understand what they know.

Formal and informal methods to capture information about customers expectations must be developed through marketing research.

Customer interview, survey research, complaint systems and customer panels must be used to stay close to the customer.

GAP 2: Not having the Right service quality designs and standards

Customer- driven service designs and standards

Poor Service Designs

Unsystematic new service development process

Vague, undefined service designs

Failure to connect service design to service positioning

Absence of customer-driven standards

Lack of customer-driven standards

Absence of process management to focus on customer requirements

Absence of formal process for setting service quality goals.

Inappropriate physical evidence and servicescape

Failure to develop tangibles in line with customer expectations

Servicescape design that does not meet customer and employee meets

Inadequate maintenance and updating of the servicescape

Management perceptions of customer expectations

Gap 2

Managers are responsible for setting standards, believe that customer expectations are unreasonable or unrealistic.

Also believe the degree of variability inherent in service defies standardization and therefore that setting standards will not achieved goal.

Technology changes and improvements are particularly helpful in closing the gap

GAP 3: Not delivering to service designs and standards

Customer- driven service designs and standards

Deficiencies in human resource policies

Ineffective recruitment

Role ambiguity and role conflict

Poor employee- technology job fit

Inappropriate evaluation and compensation systems

Lack of empowerment, perceived control and teamwork

Customers who do not fulfill roles Customers who lack knowledge of their roles and responsibilities

Customers who negatively impact each other

Problems with service intermediaries

Channel conflict over objectives and performance

Difficulty controlling quality and consistency

Tension between empowerment and control

Failure to match supply and demand

Failure to smooth peaks and valleys of demand

Inappropriate customer mix

Overreliance on price to smooth demand

Service delivery

Gap 3 Discrepancy between development of customer driven service standard and

actual service performance by company employees.

Standards must be backed by appropriate resources (people, systems, and technology)and must be enforced to be effective,

Employees must be measured and compensated on the basis of performance along those standards.

Performance of the standards accurately reflect customers expectations, if company fails to provide support for those standards.

Provider Gap 4: The Communication Gap

Service Delivery

Lack of Integrated Marketing Communications

Tendency to view each external communication as independent

Absence of interactive marketing in communications plan

Absence of strong internal marketing program

Ineffective management of customer expectations

Absence of customer expectation management through all forms of communication

Lack of adequate education for customers

Overpromising

Overpromising in advertising, personal selling or through physical evidence cues.

Inadequate horizontal communications

Inadequate communication between sales and operations, advertising and operations.

Differences in policies and procedures across branches or units.

External Communications to customers

Gap 4

Promises made by the company through its media advertising, sales force, and external communications may potentially raise customer expectations.

Broken promises can occur for many reasons: overpromising in advertising or personal selling, inadequate coordination between operations and marketing, and differences in policies and procedures across the service outlets.

GAP model of service quality

company perceptions of

consumer expectations

Customer-driven service

Designs and standards

Service Delivery External

Communications

To

customers

Perceived

Service

Expected

Service

GAP 2

GAP 3

GAP 5

GAP 4

Customer

Provider

GAP 1

Delivery of Quality Service

Service employees and HR practices that facilitates delivery of quality services.

GAP 1: Between management perceptions and consumer expectations. Not knowing what customers except

Gap 2:Between management perceptions and service quality specifications. Not selecting the right service designs and standards

Gap 3: Between service quality specifications and service delivery. Not delivering to service standards

Gap 4: Between service delivery and external communication. Not matching performance to promises.

Gap 5: Between expected service and perceived service.

Service performance gap

GAP 3- There is service performance gap in the service quality framework. Due to employees frequently deliver or perform the service, HR issues are a major cause of gaps

By focusing on--- Critical role of service employees, developing strategies will lead to effectives customer oriented service delivery will helps to close gap 3.

Thank You