Service Quality

SERVICE QUALITY • Service quality is a measure of how well the service level delivered matches customer expectations • Delivering quality service means conforming to customer expectations on a consistent basis. • Generally a set of discrepancies or gap exists regarding organization perceptions of service quality and the tasks associated with service quality to consumers.

• GAP 1 • CONSUMER EXPECTATION- MANAGEMENT PERCEPTION GAP • These are discrepancies between executive perceptions and consumer expectations. • The executives may not always understand what features a service must have in order to meet the consumer needs • And what level of performance on those features are needed to deliver high quality service. • Such is a knowledge gap.

• GAP 2 • MANAGEMENT PERCEPTION- SERVICE QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS • There may be constraints which prevents the management from delivering what the consumer expects, • Or there may be an absence of Total Management Commitment to service quality. • Such is a standard gap.

• GAP 3 • SERVICE QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS-SERVICE DELIVERY GAP • There may be difficulty in standardizing employee performance even when guidelines exist for performing services well and treating consumers correctly • Such is a delivery gap

• GAP 4 • SERVICE DELIVERY – EXTERNAL COMMINUCATION GAP • Media advertising and other communication by an agency can affect consumer expectations. • Promising more than can be delivered will raise initial expectations but lower perceptions. • Such is an internal communication gap.

• GAP 5 • EXPECTED SERVICE – PERCEIVED SERVICE GAP • This is how consumers perceive the actual service performance in the context of what they expected. • Such is a perception gap.

DETERMINANTS OF SERVICE QUALITY ØReliability •Providing services as promised •Dependability in handling customers' service problems •Performing services right the first time •Providing services at the promised time •Keeping customers informed about when services will be performed

ØEmpathy •Giving customers individual attention •Employees who deal with customers in a caring fashion •Having the customer's best interest at heart •Employees who understand the needs of their customers

ØTangibles •Modern equipment •Visually appealing facilities •Employees who have a neat, professional appearance •Visually appealing materials associated with the service •Convenient business hours

ØAssurance •Employees who instill confidence in customers •Making customers feel safe in their transactions •Employees who are consistently courteous •Employees who have the knowledge to answer customer questions

Why Wal-Mart Is Successful? • Wal-Mart is committed to improving operations, lowering costs and improving customer service. But the key to retailer Wal-Mart's success is its ability to drive costs out of its supply chain and manage it efficiently. • The Wal-Mart business model would fail instantly without its advanced technology (Wal-Mart has the largest IT systems of any private company in the world) and supply chain (Wal-Mart has made significant investments in supply chain management).

CUSTOMER RELATION • Wal-Mart's suppliers - both large and small either break even or make profit supplying at Wal-Mart's stores. But the real winners are Wal-Mart's customers who save thousands of dollars buying at low prices. • Nearly two million employees at Wal-Mart focus on cost, customers and continuous improvement on a daily basis

JIT Distribution Approach • Every Wal-Mart store operates like a small company. Store managers are trained to manage one store at a time, one department at a time, and one customer at a time. • Wal-Mart has implemented advanced logistics solutions like RFID (radio frequency identification) RFID solutions help maintain lower costs, identify out-of-stocks and increase sales.

SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH INDUSTRY • Staff factors Ø Clinical skills: Particular emphasis has been given to family planning and the treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Ø Improved supervision: The ability of district supervisors to provide supportive supervision has been increased through the provision of training the development of streamlined supervision tools and improvements to transport capacity and management. Ø Community links: Health staff are important members of the community that they serve. The existence of strong links between communities and the health facility staff is central to the quality and sustainability of services.

SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH INDUSTRY • Facility factors Ø Infrastructure and equipment provision: Project funds are used to upgrade health facilities. Renovation is closely linked with other project activities designed to improve service quality. Renovated facilities are equipped to a level which allows essential curative and preventive services to be provided. • Drugs and supplies: As an interim measure the project supplies drugs for the management of sexually transmitted infections at primary care units.

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SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH INDUSTRY • Service factors Ø Management: Quarterly meetings of district maternal and child health coordinators and service quality trainers help to identify and resolve local problems. Ø Service integration: At the level of the rural dispensary, where staff are fewer, the objective of integration has been to ensure that all curative preventive services are available and offered on a daily basis throughout the day in one building though not necessarily in the same room. Ø Quality assurance: A quality assurance method specific to family planning services has been introduced in the form of the Client Oriented Provider Efficient system developed by the Population Council [4–6], and a formal evaluation of service needs at health facilities has been developed and is now practiced regularly in all health districts. • Service provisions: Local health authorities are implementing a package of inputs to strengthen their capacity to provide high quality preventive services.

CONCLUSION § Users and customers have to be more demanding in the kind of service they receive. § They should demand quality. 100% availability, bandwidth adherence to the signed contracts, low latency, low jittery and low losses. § With the widespread use of Web services, quality of service (QoS) will become a significant factor in distinguishing the success of service providers. QoS determines the service usability and utility, both of which influence the popularity of the service.