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Service Quality (Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Relevant Knowledge Series) ReviewThis is one of the monographs in the Relevant Knowledge Series published by the Marketing Research Institute. As Leigh M. McAlister explains in the Foreword, "Zeithaml and Parasuraman offer readers a rigorous and practical overview of service quality: how to define it, how to measure it, and how to improve customer service performance. They also discuss growing evidence of the strong links between service quality, customer loyalty, and profitability, and the still-emerging challenges of delivering quality service via the Internet." Quite true.
I especially appreciate the provision of an Executive Summary, followed by the authors' Introduction. This approach enables their reader to read strategically the material which follows, guided and informed -- but not limited -- by the remarks which precede it. Of special interest to me is what Zeithaml and Parasuraman have to say about the ten "Dimensions" of customers' assessments of service quality. They range from "Tangible" (e.g. appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials" to "Understanding the Customer" (i.e. making the effort to know customers and their needs). Basic stuff. No head-snapping revelations. However, Zeithaml and Parasuraman skillfully stress and correlate key points between and among the ten "Dimensions."
I was also interested in their analysis of SERVQUAL (introduced in 1988), an instrument designed by the marketing research team of Parasuraman, Leonard Berry,and Zeithaml (PB&Z). Through numerous qualitative studies, they evolved a set of five dimensions which have been consistently ranked by customers to be most important for service quality, regardless of service industry. These dimensions are defined as follows:
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; and
Empathy: the caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers
Based on the five SERVQUAL dimensions, the researchers also developed a survey instrument to measure the gap between customers' expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered. The SERVQUAL instrument helps service providers understand both customer expectations and perceptions of specific services, as well as quality improvements over time. It may also help target specific service elements requiring improvement, and training opportunities for staff.
Those who wish to learn more about SERVQUAL are urged to check out Raymond P. Fisk, Stephen W. Brown, and Mary Jo Bitner's "Tracking the Evolution of the Services Marketing Literature," Journal of Retailing 69 (published in 1993), pages 61-103; also Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry's Delivering Quality Service: Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations, published by The Free Press in 1990.
When conducting workshops on customer service, I always begin with this observation: "I have both bad news and good news. First the bad news: Customer service has never been worse. Now the good news: Customer service has never been worse." Those organizations which reduce (if not eliminate) the gap between their customers' expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered are the only organizations which will not only survive but prosper.
In this monograph, Zeithaml and Parasuraman explain with both rigor and eloquence HOW to accomplish that with cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective initiatives.
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