measuring service quality
The aim of this essay is to review the problems faced with the measurement of quality in the services industry and to suggest strategies an operations manager could employ to resolve these issues.The essay starts by focusing on the definitions and dimensions of service quality. Drawing on the wealth of service quality research, it identifies the inherent problems that hamper the assessment of service quality. Some of the techniques that are used to measure service quality are discussed, while attempting to highlight possible strategies to overcome these problems. The essay concludes with a summary of the main issues and suggestions towards resolving these problems facing the measurement of service quality.IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE QUALITY MEASUREMENTImproving service quality is of paramount importance to many organizations for a number of reasons. It is seen to be the answer in gaining a competitive edge, (Parasuraman, 1995; O'Neill et al, 2001), assisting in increasing profitability (Phillip and Hazlett, 1997a) and is viewed as a major strategic variable in developing and maintaining fruitful and prosperous relationships in different areas of marketing. Further, service quality measurement also facilitates inter-
Undeniably, measuring service quality is resource consuming in addition to being difficult and complex. A further insight to what constitutes service quality is given by the three dimensions identified by Lehtinen and Lehtinen, (1982) in Parasuraman, (1995), and Ghobadian et al, 1994. Indeed, in the intensifying competition faced by many businesses in today's changing global environment, superior quality is seen as a profitable way of achieving efficiency and competitive differentiation (Mei et al, 1999) as well as gaining and maintaining market leadership (Kandampully and Manguc, 2000). "Hence while expectations are formed as a result of previous experiences it is important to also understand the determinants of customer expectations for the evaluation of service quality. (which) will also affect the quality of the service experienced". Fluctuating demand where services cannot be stockpiled is a factor that contributes to inconsistent service quality. Some of the identified problems that impede and make assessment of service quality difficult are:a) Problems related to dimensions of service quality (Davies et al, 1999) b) Characteristics of services, (Kuei, (1999); Phillip and Hazlett, 1997a; Mersha and Adlakha, (1992), c) Variations in customer expectations and perceptions (Ennew et al, 1993) and d) The nature of measurement tools (Davies are et al, (1999). e) Tangibles: State and condition of facilitating goods and equipment, and appearance of personnel. Intangibility Services are: "Not possible to taste, feel, see, hear or smell before they are purchased. Further, perishability also means that quality inspection cannot be postponed. SERVQUAL has been adapted in many contexts, sometimes with significant changes to the items and dimensions of the instrument. However, an empirical study conducted on an electric gas company using SERVQUAL by Babakus and Boller, (1992) cited in Robinson, (1999), came to the conclusion that service quality is uni-dimensional, rather than multi (five) dimensional as dimensions are specific to the function of the service under investigation.
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