Part two: Managing Service Quality GAP-Model (illustration of fice quality gaps in service provision) Wrap-up discussion 1

2 The five quality gaps in service provision 1. Gap –The management perceptions gap – Management perceives the quality expectations inaccurately – This gap is due to: Inaccurate information from market research and demand analysis Inaccurately interpreted information about expectations Non-existent demand analysis Bad or non-existent upward information from the firm’s interface with its customers to management Too many organizational layers, which stop or change the pieces of information that may flow upwards from those involved in customer contacts 2. Gap – the quality specification gap – Service quality specifications are not consistent with management perceptions of quality expectations – This gap is due to: Planning mistakes or insufficient planning prcedures Bad management of plannng Lack of clear goal-setting in the organization Insufficient support for planning for service quality from top management 3. Gap – the service delivery gap – Quality specifications are not met by performance in the service production and delivery process – This gap is due to: Specification are too complicated and too rigid Employees not agreeing with the specifications and therefore not fulfilling them Specifications not being in line with the existing corporate culture Bad management of service operations Lacking or insufficeint internal marketing Technology and systems not facilitating performance according to specifications

4. Gap – the market communication gap – Promises made by marketing communication are not consistent with the service delivered – This gap is due to: Marketing communication planning not being integrated with service operations Lacking or insufficient coordination between traditional external marketing and operations The organization failing to perform according to specifications, whereas marketing communication campaigns follows these specifications An inherent propensity to exaggerate and, thus, promise too much 5. Gap – the perceived service quality gap – The perceived or experienced service is not consistent with the expected service – This gap results in: Negatively confirmed quality (bad quality) and a quality problem Bad word-of-mouth A negative impact on corporate or local image Lost business 3

4 4 Gap model (Zeithaml et al. 1988) Personal needs Word of mouth Past experiences Expected service Perceived service External communication Service delivery Translations of perceptions Into service quality specifications Management perceptions of customer expectations

5 The topics of this course and readings 1.Part One: Service Quality in the eyes of the customer Customers’ perception of the service Service quality models and service quality criteria ARTICLES: – Gronroos, C. (1984) A Service Quality Model and its Marketing Implications, European Journal of Marketing, 18,4. – Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1985) A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research, Journal of Marketing, vol. 49, fall, p – Brady, M.K. and Cronin, J. Jr (2001) Some New Thoughs on Conceptualizing Perceived Service Quality: A Hierarchical Approach, Journal of Marketing, vol. 65, July, Relationship quality ARTICLES: – Gummesson, E. (2008) Quality, service-dominant logic and many-to-many marketing, The TQM Journal, vol. 20, no.2. – Holmlund, M. (2007) A definition, model, and empirical analysis of business-to-business realtionship quality, International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 19, no 1, Researching service quality – Questionnaires – Critical incidents – Narratives – Mystery customers ARTICLE: – Berry, L. and Parasuraman, A. (1997) Listening to the Customer – The Concept of a Serivce Quality Information System, Sloan Management Review, Spring. Workshop I – Service stories

2.Part Two: Managing Service Quality Service failures, service recoveries and complaint management ARTICLE: – Edvardsson, B., Tronvoll, B. And Hòykinpuro, R. (2011) Complex service recovery processes: how to avoid triple deviation, Managing Service Quality, vol. 21, no.4. Service blueprinting ARTICLE: – Bitner, M.J., Ostrom, A.L. And Morgan, F.N. (2008) Service Blueprinting: A practical technique for Service Innovation, California Management Review, vol. 50, no. 3. Internal service processes, internal service quality and internal service recovery Branding service quality and service productivity ARTICLE: – Rindell, A., Edvardsson, B. and Strandvik, t. (2010) Mapping the ”roots” of the consumer’s image-in-use of companies, Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19/6. – Gronroos, C. and Ojasalo, K. (2004) Service productivity – Towards a conceptualization of the transformation of inputs into economic results in services, Journal of Business Research Workshop II – Cases (Analysis of quality problems and solutions for mangaging service quality) Gap-Model, Conclusions and wrap-up discussions 6

Thank you for your attention and participation in this course Dead line for essays is Return the essays to my 7