SERVQUAL
(Zeithaml Parasuraman Berry)

Comparing service quality performance with customer service quality needs. Explanation of SERVQUAL Methodology of Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry. ('88)

What is SERVQUAL? Description

The SERVQUAL method from Valarie A. Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, and Leonard L. Berry is a technique that can be used for performing a gap analysis of an organization's service quality performance against customer service quality needs.

SERVQUAL is an empirically derived method that may be used by a services organization to improve service quality. The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers. These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is "excellent". The resulting gap analysis may then be used as a driver for service quality improvement.

SERVQUAL takes into account the perceptions of customers of the relative importance of service attributes. This allows an organization to prioritize. And to use its resources to improve the most critical service attributes.

The data are collected via surveys of a sample of customers. In these surveys, these customers respond to a series of questions based around a number of key service dimensions.

The methodology was originally based around 5 key dimensions:

Tangibles. Appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials.
Reliability. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.
Responsiveness. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.
Assurance. Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence.
Empathy. The firm provides care and individualized attention to its customers.

This has been adapted later by some to cover:

Tangibles. Appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials.
Reliability. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.
Responsiveness. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.
Competence. Possession of required skill and knowledge to perform service.
Courtesy. Politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness of contact personnel.
Credibility. Trustworthiness, believability, honesty of the service provider.
Feel secure. Freedom from danger, risk, or doubt.
Access. Approachable and easy of contact.
Communication. Listens to its customers and acknowledges their comments. Keeps customers informed. In a language which they can understand.
Understanding the customer. Making the effort to know customers and their needs.

Origin of SERVQUAL. History

The authors conducted a qualitative study, from which they concluded that customers ranked the importance of two SERVQUAL dimensions consistently. Regardless of service industry. Reliability is the most important contributing factor to service quality and tangibles is the least important.

Usage of SERVQUAL. Applications

SERVQUAL is widely used within service industries to understand the perceptions of target customers regarding their service needs. And to provide a measurement of the service quality of the organization.
SERVQUAL may also be applied internally to understand employees' perceptions of service quality. With the objective of achieving service improvement.

Steps in SERVQUAL. Process

The method essentially involves conducting a sample survey of customers so that their perceived service needs are understood. And for measuring their perceptions of service quality for the organization in question.

Customers are asked to answer numerous questions within each dimension that determines:

The relative importance of each attribute.
A measurement of performance expectations that would relate to an "excellent" company.
A measurement of performance for the company in question.

This provides an assessment of the gap between desired and actual performance, together with a ranking of the importance of service criteria. This allows an organization to focus its resources. To maximize service quality whilst costs are controlled.

Strengths of SERVQUAL. Benefits

Most users would agree that a comprehensive and thorough examination of service needs and service quality provides an invaluable approach to improving service quality. SERVQUAL provides detailed information about:

Customer perceptions of service (a benchmark established by your own customers)
Performance levels as perceived by customers
Customer comments and suggestions
Impressions from employees with respect to customers expectations and satisfaction

Limitations of SERVQUAL. Disadvantages

There have been a number of studies that doubt the validity of the 5 dimensions. And of the uniform applicability of the method for all service sectors. According to an analysis by Thomas P. Van Dyke, Victor R. Prybutok, and Leon A. Kappelman, it appears that the use of difference scores in calculating SERVQUAL contributes to problems with the reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and predictive validity of the measurement. These findings suggest that caution should be exercised in the use of SERVQUAL scores and that further work is needed in the development of measures for assessing the quality of information services.

Assumptions of SERVQUAL. Conditions

The results of market surveys are accurate. The validity of the model is based around the results of empirical studies. A number of academics have since performed further empirical studies that appear to contradict some of the original findings.
Customer needs can be documented and captured, and they remain stable during the whole process.

Book: Zeithaml Parasuraman Berry - Delivering Quality Service: Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations. -

Journal: Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1988) - SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring customer perceptions of service quality - Journal of retailing 64 (1) Spring. 12-40 -

Journal: Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1991) - Refinement and reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale - Journal of retailing 67 (4) Winter. 420-450 -

Journal: Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985) - A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research - Journal of marketing 49 (4) Fall. 41-50 -

Journal: Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1994) - Alternative scales for measuring service quality: A comparative assessment based on psychometric and diagnostic criteria - Journal of marketing 70 (3) Fall. 201-230 -

SERVQUAL Forum (31)

Explanation of the SERVQUAL Gaps
"Parasuraman et al., 1985, (p.41-50) developed a conceptual model of service quality where they identified five gaps that could impact the consumer’s evaluation of service quality in four different industries (retail banking, credit card, securities brokerage and product repair and maintenance). These gaps were:
Gap 1: Consumer expectation - management perception gap
Service firms may not always understand what features a service must have in order to meet consumer needs and what levels of performance on those features are needed to bring deliver high quality service. This results to affecting the way consumers evaluate service quality.
Gap 2: Management perception - service quality specification gap
This gap arises when the company identifies want the consumers want but the means to deliver to expectation does not exist. Some factors that affect this gap could be resource constraints, market conditions and management indifference. These could affect service quality perception of the consumer.
Gap 3: Service quality specifications – service delivery gap
Companies could have guidelines for performing service well and treating consumers correctly but these do not mean high service quality performance is assured. Employees play an important role in assuring good service quality perception and their performance cannot be standardised. This affects the delivery of service which has an impact on the way consumers perceive service quality.
Gap 4: Service delivery – external communications gap
External communications can affect not only consumer expectations of service but also consumer perceptions of the delivered service. Companies can neglect to inform consumers of special efforts to assure quality that are not visible to them and this could influence service quality perceptions by consumers.
Gap 5: Expected Service – perceived service gap
From their study, it showed that the key to ensuring good service quality is meeting or exceeding what consumers expect from the service and that judgement of high and low service quality depend on how consumers perceive the actual performance in the context of what they expected."

How to analyze a Supply Chain Using SERVQUAL Model?
"Can I use the SERVQUAL to analyze the interfaces in a supply chain? For example the interface between supplier-farmer or between retailer-customer. I am researching this for the organic supply chain in Badulla district in Sri Lanka.
How should I go about this? Any tips are appreciated, thanks..."

Impact of Service Delivery on Strategy
"I need your guide to justify why service delivery is important for strategy:
- Why should we put service delivery as a consideration of the company's long-term plan?
- Wat are the necessary initiatives to be available in the strategic plan to ensure that service delivery is met at all standards?"

Customer Service is an Opportunity to Differentiate your Business
"I am constantly amazed at the low standards of customer service here in Queensland. There are obviously a lot of people who are working in customer service positions who do not enjoy interacting with people.
In today's business world, great customer service will make you stand out. Many larger businesses advertise how customer service-orientated they are, but the difference between their marketing hype and reality is quite often very significant.
With the internet threatening traditional models, sincere customer service is now even more important for traditional businesses that want to stay around for the long term."

SERVQUAL in Public Services
"Has anybody done a study on application of SERVQUAL in administrative services, especially in the government sector? If yes, please let me know. It would be a very good reference for my research."

SERVQUAL Method at Airlines
"I am working on my thesis improving service quality to reach customer satisfaction and I am applying it in the field of VIP airlines and I want to use SERVQUAL as a tool to analyze and improve the service quality. Can you help me to how to evaluate SERVQUAL: how would it help me in my thesis as a questionnaire and as a tool for service improvement. I need your replies, thanks.."

Analyzing Gap 4 of SERVQUAL
"How can I analyze gap 4 with the aid of a SERVQUAL questionnaire?"

Analysing SERVQUAL with SPSS
"How do you analyse SERVQUAL data utilising SPSS? Thanks for your advice..."

Referencing 12manage
"May I please refer to this 12manage page as a source in my master research, adopting the figure and linking the source to this web-page? I am studying for a master in vocational pedagogy and want to study business internal development of the company's own employees regarding developing service and service quality."

Using SERVQUAL for Employee Satisfaction
"I am eager to know if the model is recommended to use for measuring employees satisfaction throughout an organization. Do you have some experience to share?"

SERVQUAL Data Analysis with Excel
"I would like to analyse the data collected through SERVQUAL questionnaire without using SPSS package. I wish to do it on Excel. Can someone help me in this regard?"

SERVQUAL in Production of Software
"Is it possible to use SERVQUAL as a scale to measure quality services in a production software center?
"

Standard SERVQUAL Questionaire
"Is there a standard questionnaire for SERVQUAL?"

Designing a SERVQUAL Questionaire
"I need to make an evaluation of the level of services that a spare part store provides to their internal customers (employees of the same company). How can I design a questionaire in line with SERVQUAL methology?"

Data Analysis Using SERVQUAL Model
"How do you analyse the data obtain from this model? What statistical tool do you use and how is it done?"

SERVQUAL Questionnaire Design
"All the sample questions i have seen have appeared neutral and almost unfriendly. One person thought they were aggressive. The original questions were by Zeithmal et al. How much can the style of these questions be changed, i.e. to make them softer? Thanks "

Weighted and Unweighted Average SERVQUAL Scores?
"If the unweighted average SERVQUAL score is 1.312, and the average weighted score is 30.606 what does that mean? I'm using the average discrepancy between a customer's expectations and the customer's perceptions for 5 SERVQUAL dimensions, likert-type scale were used for ranking the statements anchored 1 to 7 with “strongly disagree” and “strongly agree”, using 22 questions in total for 100 surveyed users. Please help?"

SERVQUAL in IS System
"I just completed my research, measuring the service quality of (DIMS system and it’s support services within our organization) using SERVQUAL module as the discrepancy across five dimensions (Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy ) between employee/users expectations for a service offering and the employee/users perceptions of the service received by IT have been measured and analyzed to identify areas of improvements. I would like to seek others/organizations (who is willing and interested) opinions/ feedback on my report and evaluate my work accordingly) and if it’s applicable to be published. Any recommendations? "

Thesis on Challenges of Customer Service in Hotel Enterprises
"I have difficulty using the qualitative method to measure data which I collected by just unstructured interviews and observations. How do I do the rating when my sample was only a focus group of ten people?"

SERVQUAL in Software Services
"Can the SERVQUAL model be applied to software services?"

Lodging Quality Index (Getty)
"I'm working on my dissertation on Critical Success Factors for Lodges in Zambia, have adopted to use lodging Quality Index by Getty (2003), that seems to be flexible in dimensions, but I do not know which model of SERVQUAL was used/adapted for conceptual framework. Was it Parasuraman? And what scale to test the validity?"

Alternative Models to the SERVQUAL model?
"Can somebody help me to find alternative models to the SERVQUAL model? Thanks!"

Service Quality in Insurance
"How is the SERVQUAL model used in the insurance industry?"

SERVQUAL in Business to Business (B2B)
"Can you adopt the SERV QUAL model to B2B organisations? I.e. do the dimensions such as tangible, responsiveness etc measure the advantages of using only one outsourced business. It's just I'm doing an assignment on stakeholder marketing and I have used the SERVQUAL to show advantages of long term relationships in terms of B2B organisation."

Validity test of servqual
"I am working on measuring customer satisfaction in two wheeler service industry. But I have a problem: how can we calculate the validity of the servqual model? please help me"

Extra Servqual Dimensions
"The five key dimensions form the base - just like the 4Ps and the extended Ps do for the Marketing Mix. Depending upon the context there can be the need to add one or more variables or factors to Servqual, it makes the utility optimal."

Profitable Value Added Services
"In the HBR of May 2008 there is an article from Werber Reinartz and Wolfgang Ulaga about how manufacturing companies can sell value added services more profitably. Four steps to developing a profitable services capability are mentioned:
1. Recognize that you already have a services company. Charge for services
2. Industrialize the back office. Exploit new technologies
3. Create a service-savvy sales force. From cost-plus pricing to value-based pricing
4. Focus on customers' processes."

Calculating the variations in expectations in SERVQUAL
"I am working on my thesis and I am using the SERVQUAL method to calculate the variations in expectations among hotel personnel. Where can I find more information on how to calculate the results from the surveys?"

SERVQUAL for Product Quality
"There is no pure service. The Gaps model is better to include product quality as well."

Gap 5 in SERVQUAL model
"It is relevant to note that the difference between the expected service by the customer and the perceived service by the customer (= gap 5) in the SERVQUAL model equals the sum of the gaps 1 + 2 + 3 + 4. As a result, gap 5 can only be influenced indirectly by management; by changing the gaps 1 to 4."

How to deal with Change in Perceptions in SERVQUAL?
"Service quality perceptions and expectations may change over time. How can Servqual deal with the dynamics of changing customer expectations?"

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