Can’t see the trees for the forest? Why IS-ServQual items matter

Despite longstanding concern with the dimensionality of the service quality construct as measured by ServQual and IS-ServQual instruments, variations on the IS-ServQual instrument have been enduringly prominent in both academic research and practice in the field of IS. We explain the continuing popularity of the instrument based on the salience of the item set for predicting overall customer satisfaction, suggesting that the preoccupation with the dimensions has been a distraction. The implicit mutual exclusivity of the items suggests a more appropriate conceptualization of IS-ServQual as a formative index. This conceptualization resolves the paradox in IS-ServQual research, that of how an instrument with such well-known and well-documented weaknesses continue to be very influential and widely used by academics and practitioners. A formative conceptualization acknowledges and addresses the criticisms of IS-ServQual, while simultaneously explaining its enduring salience by focusing on the items rather than the “dimensions.” By employing an opportunistic sample and adopting the most recent IS-ServQual instrument published in a leading IS journal (virtually, any valid IS- ServQual sample in combination with a previously tested instrument variant would suffice for study purposes), we demonstrate that when re-specified as both first-order and second-order formatives, IS-ServQual has good model quality metrics and high predictive power on customer satisfaction. We conclude that this formative specification has higher practical use and is more defensible theoretically.

Calidad en servicios educativos : análisis del instrumento SERVQUAL.

Resumen tomado de la revista

Att tillämpa återkommande mätning av kundnöjdhet i IT-projekt : En vidareutvecklad modell baserad på modellerna American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) och SERVQUAL

I dagens samhälle är det allt viktigare för företag att behålla sina existerande kunder då konkurrensen blir allt hårdare. Detta medför att företag försöker vidta åtgärder för att vårda relationer med sina kunder. Detta problem är även högst relevant inom IT-branschen. Inom IT-branschen är det vanligt att arbeta agilt i IT-projekt. Vår samarbetspartner har sett ett ökat behov av att mäta servicekvalitet på ett återkommande sätt inom IT-projekt, detta för att mäta relevanta variabler som sträcker sig utanför kravspecifikationen. För att mäta framgång gällande detta arbetssätt vill man kunna mäta Nöjd Kund Index (NKI) för att kunna jämföra IT-projekt internt i företaget. Då tidigare forskning visat avsaknad av modeller innehållande både mätning av servicekvalitet samt NKI har lämplig litteratur studerats där det framkommit att modellen SERVQUAL är vedertagen för mätning av servicekvalitet och modellen American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) är vedertagen för mätning av NKI. Detta har legat till grund för arbetets problemformulering och syfte. Syftet med arbetet är att skapa en vidareutvecklad modell för mätning av NKI för att jämföra IT-projekt internt samt återkommande mätning av servicekvalitet inom IT-projekt. Framtagande av denna modell har sedan skett genom forskningsstrategin Design and Creation. Intervjuer har genomförts för kravfångst till den vidareutvecklade modellen. Resultatet av denna forskningsstrategi blev sedan en vidareutvecklad modell baserad på ovan nämnda modeller med återkommande förhållningssätt för mätning av servicekvalitet inom IT-projekt och mätning av NKI för att jämföra IT-projekt internt i företaget. Den framtagna modellen har sedan verifierats genom ytterligare intervjuer med respondenter som innehar god erfarenhet från kundsidan av IT-projekt. Från dessa intervjuer kunde sedan slutsats dras att denna modell är att anse som applicerbar i empirin gällande IT-projekt.

A comparative analysis of international education satisfaction using servqual

University education, the world over, has undergone significant transformation and reform with respect to higher education systems meeting the growing role of information and communication revolution, and the demand for knowledge, which represent the new challenges of globalisation. These challenges are seen as threats as well as opportunities for higher education systems around the world. The driving force of globalisation is competition and the international education market has become fiercely competitive with different marketing strategies being implemented by educational institutions to attract the growing number of students seeking higher education. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between the SERVQUAL constructs proposed by Parasuraman et al (1988 & 1985) and the country of origin and satisfaction among four cohorts of Asian international postgraduate students studying in Australian universities. Country of origin is recognized as an important predictor of satisfaction and choice in the international education environment. The data used in this study is derived from a mail survey conducted among international postgraduate students from China, India, Indonesia and Thailand studying in five universities in Victoria, Australia. An adapted version of the SERVQUAL instrument was used to collect the data and was designed to measure the gap between student responses on expectations and perceptions of the university as a study destination on a seven point bi-polar scale. The responses were sought on 36 statements representing aspects of the operations and services of the university under desired (ideal) expectations of choice and post-choice perceptions. Scales were developed to investigate the relationship between the SERVQUAL constructs of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles and the country of origin and were shown to be reliable. Using ANOVA and MANOVA techniques, the study found significant differences between country of origin and the SERVQUAL constructs and discusses strategic implications and opportunities for higher
educational institutions

An analysis of the perceived service quality of hospitality industry in Rio de Janeiro through the SERVQUAL model: a multiple case study

Brazil is under political and financial crises where the end seems far away. Because of that, researchers argue that the hotel rooms offered by Rio de Janeiro, built to host the Olympic Games 2016, will be difficult to occupy after the event. It is then necessary for the hotels to understand how guests perceive the service quality in order to adapt to this new era. If guests’ perceptions meet or exceed their expectations, they will be satisfied and will probably return. Thus based on the SERVQUAL approach, this paper aims to study the impact of the service dimensions on the guests’ overall satisfaction at hotels of Rio de Janeiro. Two hotels were considered representative of the city in terms of service quality and customers’ profile. Interviews to the hotel managers were performed, and questionnaires to the guests were administered. Among the five SERVQUAL dimensions – Reliability, Tangibles, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy – the Empathy dimension appears to be the only one that affects the guests’ overall satisfaction. The study could also identify that gender, country of residence, home country and family income have an impact on guests’ satisfaction. This study has no intention of generalization, but rather of refining the theory about services and the SERVQUAL model.

Avaliação da qualidade dos serviços hospitalares com a adaptação do modelo SERVQUAL em dois hospitais de Bauru - SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação da medida de independência funcional - escala MIF - e qualidade de serviço - escala SERVQUAL - em cirurgia cardíaca

Pós-graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia - FMB

Some insights for a relationship marketing model integrating SERVQUAL and customer loyalty in dental clinics

The demand of new services, the emergence of new business models, insufficient innovation, underestimation of customer loyalty and reluctance to adopt new management are evidence of the deficiencies and the lack of research about the relations between patients and dental clinics. In this article we propose the structure of a model of Relationship Marketing (RM) in the dental clinic that integrates information from SERVQUAL, Customer Loyalty (CL) and activities of RM and combines the vision of dentist and patient. The first pilot study on dentists showed that: they recognize the value of maintaining better patients however they don't perform RM actions to retain them. They have databases of patients but not sophisticated enough as compared to RM tools. They perceive that the patients value "Assurance" and "Empathy" (two dimensions of service quality). Finally, they indicate that a loyal patient not necessarily pays more by the service. The proposed model will be validated using Fuzzy Logic simulation and the ultimate goal of this research line is contributing a new definition of CL.

Aplicação do Modelo SERVQUAL para a Avaliação da Qualidade e Satisfação dos Clientes: Caso Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo

A qualidade dos serviços é um campo de estudo organizacional que tem evoluído de forma exponencial nos últimos anos, facto este que vem no seguimento do aumento concorrencial e da atual instabilidade económica existente no país. Assim, dada a constante dificuldade de se agradar à totalidade dos clientes e à elevada intangibilidade associada aos serviços, torna-se fundamental as organizações desenvolverem mecanismos que permitam avaliar e medir a qualidade associada aos serviços prestados. Posto isto, inserido no âmbito do estágio curricular realizado, desenvolveu-se um estudo para se avaliar, de forma quantitativa, a qualidade dos serviços prestados, bem como a satisfação dos clientes da Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo do Noroeste, através de um questionário online, baseado na escala SERVQUAL (escala que avalia a qualidade dos serviços de acordo com cinco dimensões – tangibilidade, fiabilidade, capacidade de resposta, segurança e empatia). Com este estudo, constatou-se que apenas a dimensão tangibilidade apresenta expetativas inferiores às perceções tidas pelos clientes, enquanto as restantes dimensões apresentam valores superiores nas expetativas em relação às perceções. Salienta-se neste ponto a diferença pouco significativa, na dimensão empatia.

Assessing service satisfaction between a 3PL provider and a vehicle manufacturer using the SERVQUAL technique

This paper reports on a new study conducted within a leading UK based (and US owned) car manufacturing company looking at the satisfaction between parties within a newly formed third party logistics (3PL) relationship. The study contains a two-way assessment of the relationship (i.e. the vehicle manufacturer’s Parts Supply and Logistics Operation’s assessment of the 3PL’s service and the 3PL’s assessment of the vehicle manufacturer’s relationship management ability). The study principally used an online SERVQUAL survey, (backed up with an on-line questionnaire, and face to face interviews) for data collection. The paper discusses the background and problems that have arisen in the relationship, the analysis of how each of the parties sees one other in terms of the service provided. Also, the findings and recommendations presented to management are outlined: these include factors such as the need for information sharing, reliability, flexibility, role specificity, trust and effective requirements management.

An enhanced Servqual approach to measure service quality in higher education

This paper explores the factors of service quality in higher education and how they contribute to the overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions of students. Our research has three facets. The first is a conceptual issue: using different instrument for the measurement of academic and administrative quality as opposed to an overall assessment of quality. The second is a measurement issue: measuring directly disconfirmation instead of separately measuring perception and expectation. The third issue concerns the concept of minimum service quality level versus an ideal one (zone of tolerance), and their inferences with the disconfirmation concept.

Medición de la calidad de los servicios estratégicos del primer banco de los trabajadores a través del modelo Servqual.

Nuestro Trabajo de investigación se enmarca en la Calidad de los Servicios y se enfocó a identificar cuáles son las expectativas y las percepciones de los clientes que visitan El Primer Banco de los Trabajadores (PBT). Para evaluar la calidad de los servicios estratégicos del banco (Servicio Créditos y Servicio Depósitos), se implementó el Modelo Servqual, dicho modelo permite recabar información referente a las expectativas y percepciones de los clientes; al conocer cuáles son los aspectos que los clientes evalúan sean éstos positivos o no, nos brindan los insumos necesarios para poder presentar un conjunto de estrategias que permitan mejorar la prestación de los servicios estratégicos del Banco. Nuestra investigación toma como base el método científico, el cual se auxilió de los métodos inductivo y deductivo a fin de obtener resultados en lo relacionado a los servicios financieros bancarios. Se determinó un universo infinito y la muestra asignada a partir de la fórmula fue de 97 personas; las herramientas usadas en el proceso de recolección de datos fueron las encuestas y la observación directa así como otras fuentes secundarias de información. Las áreas de evaluación de los servicios son clasificadas por dimensiones de los servicios (Seguridad, Empatía, Capacidad de Respuesta, Elementos Tangibles, Fiabilidad), la encuesta está diseñada con preguntas que indaguen en cada una de las dimensiones. Algunos de los principales resultados obtenidos en la investigación, separados por dimensión y por servicio son: En el Servicio de Créditos, en la dimensión de capacidad de respuesta; el cliente pide que se acorten los tiempos de otorgamiento y facilitar los trámites. Así mismo en la Dimensión de Fiabilidad, Los clientes demandan certeza y compromiso con las fechas de respuesta y otorgamiento del crédito, extender el plazo del crédito, quitar requisitos y capacitar al personal. En el Servicio de Depósitos, las mayores demandas presentadas son específicas y que en conjunto no afectan de manera negativa el resultado en la calidad del servicio. Los clientes solicitan la revisión de la tasa de interés que ofrece el banco por los depósitos, solicitan una mayor rentabilidad. En cada una de las dimensiones, los resultados obtenidos poseen aspectos positivos así como otros aspectos que necesitan ser revisados; en general el banco cuenta con un muy buen enfoque en atención al cliente, pero ha desatendido a sus clientes internos (empleados) ya que su desempeño no es valorado y no se sienten reconocidos ni recompensados, este factor incide directamente en la motivación de los empleados, pudiendo afectar su trabajo. Todo el diagnóstico realizado en este trabajo sirve para crear el Plan de Mejora, dicho plan contiene aquellas ideas, estrategias y acciones de mejora que cambiarían aquellos aspectos mal evaluados y fortalecerían los buenos, permitiendo optimizar el potencial que posee el Primer Banco de los Trabajadores.