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Fundamentals,Sydney25thMay2015

Brainrants

TheCustomerServiceGapModel
Postedon8July2009bySara

12
3

FLARES

Todaysconsumerhasbecomeincreasinglydemanding.Theynotonlywanthighqualityproductsbuttheyalsoexpecthigh
qualitycustomerservice.Evenmanufacturedproductssuchascars,mobilephonesandcomputerscannotgainastrategic
competitiveadvantagethroughthephysicalproductsalone.Fromaconsumerspointofview,customerserviceisconsidered
verymuchpartoftheproduct.
ListentoNickCosterHeadofTrainingServices(https://www.brainmates.com.au/trainingsummary/essentialsproduct
management)discusstheCustomerServiceGapModelwithPhilDobbie(http://www.bnetau.com.au/blog/aussierules/mind
thecustomerservicegapbtalk/7736).

(https://www.brainmates.com.au/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/Customer
ExperienceGapModel.gif)Deliveringsuperiorvaluetothecustomerisanongoing
concernofProductManagers.Thisnotonlyincludestheactualphysicalproductbut
customerserviceaswell.Productsthatdonotoffergoodqualitycustomerservicethat
meetstheexpectationsofconsumersaredifficulttosustaininacompetitivemarket.
SERVQUAL(servicequalitygapmodel)isagapmethodinservicequality
measurement,atoolthatcanbeusedbyProductManageracrossallindustries.The
aimofthismodelisto:
Identifythegapsbetweencustomerexpectationandtheactualservicesprovided
atdifferentstagesofservicedelivery
Closethegapandimprovethecustomerservice
ThismodeldevelopedbyParasuraman,ZeithalmandBerryin1985identifiesfive
differentgaps:

TheCustomerGap:TheGapbetweenCustomerExpectationsandCustomer
Perceptions
Thecustomergapisthedifferencebetweencustomerexpectationsandcustomerperceptions.Customerexpectationiswhat
thecustomerexpectsaccordingtoavailableresourcesandisinfluencedbyculturalbackground,familylifestyle,personality,
demographics,advertising,experiencewithsimilarproductsandinformationavailableonline.Customerperceptionistotally
subjectiveandisbasedonthecustomersinteractionwiththeproductorservice.Perceptionisderivedfromthecustomers
satisfactionofthespecificproductorserviceandthequalityofservicedelivery.Thecustomergapisthemostimportantgap
andinanidealworldthecustomersexpectationwouldbealmostidenticaltothecustomersperception.
Inacustomerorientatedstrategy,deliveringaqualityserviceforaspecificproductshouldbebasedonaclearunderstanding
ofthetargetmarket.Understandingcustomerneedsandknowingcustomerexpectationscouldbethebestwaytoclosethe
gap.

TheKnowledgeGap:TheGapbetweenConsumerExpectationandManagement
Perception
Theknowledgegapisthedifferencebetweenthecustomersexpectationsoftheserviceprovidedandthecompanysprovision
oftheservice.Inthiscase,managersarenotawareorhavenotcorrectlyinterpretedthecustomersexpectationinrelationto
thecompanysservicesorproducts.Ifaknowledgegapexists,itmaymeancompaniesaretryingtomeetwrongornon
existingconsumerneeds.Inacustomerorientatedbusiness,itisimportanttohaveaclearunderstandingoftheconsumers
needforservice.Toclosethegapbetweentheconsumersexpectationsforserviceandmanagementsperceptionofservice
deliverywillrequirecomprehensivemarketresearch.

ThePolicyGap:TheGapbetweenManagementPerceptionandServiceQuality
Specification
AccordingtoKasperetal,thisgapreflectsmanagementsincorrecttranslationoftheservicepolicyintorulesandguidelinesfor
employees.Somecompaniesexperiencedifficultiestranslatingconsumerexpectationintospecificservicequalitydelivery.This
canincludepoorservicedesign,failuretomaintainandcontinuallyupdatetheirprovisionofgoodcustomerserviceorsimplya
lackofstandardisation.Thisgapmayseeconsumersseekasimilarproductwithbetterserviceelsewhere.

TheDeliveryGap:TheGapbetweenServiceQualitySpecificationandService
Delivery
Thisgapexposestheweaknessinemployeeperformance.OrganisationswithaDeliveryGapmayspecifytheservicerequired
tosupportconsumersbuthavesubsequentlyfailedtotraintheiremployees,putgoodprocessesandguidelinesinaction.Asa
result,employeesareillequippedtomanageconsumersneeds.Someoftheproblemsexperiencedifthereisadeliverygap
are:
Employeeslackofproductknowledgeandhavedifficultymanagingcustomerquestionsandissues
Organisationshavepoorhumanresourcepolicies
Lackofcohesiveteamsandtheinabilitytodeliver

TheCommunicationGap:TheGapbetweenServiceDeliveryandExternal
Communications
Insomecases,promisesmadebycompaniesthroughadvertisingmediaandcommunicationraisecustomerexpectations.
Whenoverpromisinginadvertisingdoesnotmatchtheactualservicedelivery,itcreatesacommunicationgap.Consumers
aredisappointedbecausethepromisedservicedoesnotmatchtheexpectedserviceandconsequentlymayseekalternative
productsources.

CaseStudy:Amazon.com
Amazon.comprovidesbooks,movies,musicandgamesalongwithelectronics,toys,apparel,sports,tools,groceriesand
generalhomeandgardenitems.Amazonisagoodexampleofanonlinebusinessthattriestoclosetheservicegapsinorder
tothoroughlymeetconsumerexpectations.

UnderstandingCustomerNeeds
FromthetimetheconsumerstartstoshopatAmazonsonlinestore,Amazonwillattempttounderstandtheirexpectations.
FromwhenacustomerfirstmakesaproductselectionAmazoncreatesaconsumerprofileandattemptstoofferalternative
goodsandservicesthatmaydelighttheconsumer.ThelongertheconsumershopsatAmazon,themorethecompany
attemptstoidentifytheirpreferencesandneeds.

CustomerDefinedStandards
WhenaconsumerbuysaproductfromAmazontheyselectsthemodeofdeliveryandthecompanytellsthemtheexpected
numberofdaysitwilltaketoreceivetheirmerchandise.
Forexample:standardshippingisthreetofivedaysbutshippinginoneortwodaysisalsoavailable.Thecompanyhasset
standardsforhowquicklycustomersareinformedwhenaproductisunavailable(immediately),howquicklycustomersare
notifiedwhetheranoutofprintbookcanbelocated(threeweeks),howlongcustomersareabletoreturnitems(30days)and
whethertheypayreturnshippingcosts.
ThesestandardsexistformanyactivitiesatAmazonfromdeliverytocommunicationtoservicerecovery.

ServicePerformance
Apartfromdefiningtheirservicedelivery,Amazongoesonestepfurtheranddeliversonitspromises.Amazonperforms!
Ordersoftenarriveaheadofthepromiseddatesordersareaccurateandareinexcellentconditionbecauseofcarefulshipping
practice.
Customerscantrackpackagesandreviewpreviousordersatanytime.Amazonalsomakessurethatallitspartnerswhosell
usedandnewbooksandotherrelateditemsmeetAmazonshighstandards.Thecompanyverifiestheperformanceofeach
purchasebysurveyingthecustomerandpostingscoresthatarevisibletoothercustomers.
Managingpromisesishandledbyclearandcarefulcommunicationonthewebsite.Everypageisveryeasytounderstandand
tonavigate.
Forexamplethepagedealingwithreturnseliminatescustomermisunderstandingbyclearlyspellingoutwhatcanbereturned.
Thepagedescribeshowtorepackitemsandwhenrefundsaregiven.Thecustomeraccountpageshowsallprevious
purchasesandexactlywhereeveryordereditemisintheshippingprocess
AmazonstrategyhasbeenwellreceivedbyitscustomersandtheAmazonbrandisknownworldwide.

Conclusion
Effectiveproductmanagementisacomplexundertakingwhichincludesmanydifferentstrategies,skillsandtasks.Product
managersplanforcreatingthebestproductsandoperationalexcellencetomaximizecustomersatisfaction,loyaltyand
retention.Recognisingandclosinggapsoffershighqualitycustomerservicetotheconsumerandhelpsthemtoachievetheir
goalwhilstmaximisingmarketposition,marketshareandfinancialresultsthroughcustomersatisfaction.Italsohelps
managerstoidentifyareasofweaknessandmakeimprovementstoacompanysservicedelivery.
CheckoutourblogpostonTheValueCurve:visualisingthevalueproposition(https://www.brainmates.com.au/?p=1746).
Thistoolallowsproductmanagerstotakeinformationgleanedfromgapanalysistodeveloporrefineproductsthatareboth
compellingtocustomersanddistinctfromcompetitors.

Tags: Amazon(/?tag=amazon),customerservice(/?tag=customerservice),productmanagement(/?tag=product
management)

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19Comments
JohnGary(http://www.cfigroup.com)says:

Itstrikesmethatwhatismissinginthisgapdiscussionisatechniqueforprioritisingthegap.Isthebiggestgaptheonethatshouldbefixed
first?Howaboutthegapthatisthestrongestdriverofcustomerbehaviour?Whileitiscertainlyagoodideatounderstandwhereonefalls
shortofcustomerexpectation,itisanevenbetterideatoknowwheretoapplyscarceresourcestomostbenefitboththecustomerandthe
business.
harrietesays:

Veryhelpful
Thankyou
Adrienne(http://www.brainmates.com.au)says:

HiJohn,
Thanksverymuchforyourperceptivecomment.
Sincetheservicesandproductsprovidedbyindustriesaredifferent,theimportanceofeachgapmightbedifferentforeachindustrybased
onthenatureofthebusinessanditsneed.
Jamessays:

Anyoneknowhowyouwouldapplythistoafitnesscentre??
nickcostersays:

@JamesAFitnessCentreisaservicebusiness.Youarenotsellinganythingtangible.Itisallaservice.
GapbetweenCustomerExpectationsandCustomerPerceptionswhoareyourcustomersandwhataretheyexpectingfromthefitness
centre.Youmayrunacentrethatcaterstoanumberofdifferenttypesofcustomersoryoumaytargetaverydistinctmarketsegment.The
CustomerExpectationsofsomeonewhowantstolooseweightwillbedifferenttosomeonewhoisbodybuilding.Thefirstcustomerwho

wantstolooseweightmayexpecttheFitnessCentretoprovideclasses,coachingandnutritionadvice.Thebodybuildermayexpectthat
thereisawiderangeofavailablefreeweightsandequipmenttouse.Iftheseexpectationsarenotmetforthesecustomersthenthereis
likelytobeagapinthewaythattheFitnessCentresserviceisperceived.
ThissameprocesscanbeappliedtotheothertypesofCustomerServiceGaps.
Customerserviceisnotjustthehospitalitythatyoureceivefromthestaffofabusiness.Itincludestheentirecustomerexperiencewitha
productorservice.
nickcoster
Jamessays:

ThanksNick
Veryhelpful
Vikramsays:

Howcanoneapplythistoazoo,Iknowitsoundsodd!butineedtoapplythegapmodelinanassignmentbasedonmyindividualanalysis
oftheLondonzoo.
Iwouldreallyappreciateanyhelpthaticancomeby
Cheers
V
nickcostersays:

@VikramAvisitortoazooisnottheretobuyanythingphysicalastheymayinastandardretailstore.Theyaretheretohavean
experiencethatdrawstogetherallofthepartsofthezoo,fromtheinitialentryandticketing,themapsandthelayoutofthezoothatallow
youtofindyourwaytotheexhibitsthatareofinterest,alltheywaytothepointthatthevisitorleavesthezoo.
ToapplytheGapModeltotheLondonZoofirstexploretheCustomerGap.WhatarecustomersexpectingbeforetheyvisittheZoo?How
wellaretheseexpectationsbeingmetwhentheyarriveandthroughouttheirvisit?Arethereareaswherethecustomerexpectationsare
notonlynotbeingmetbutarewellbelowexpectations?
Unfortunatelythesearenotquestionsthatcanbeansweredjustsittingatakeyboard.Youwillneedtovisitthezooforyourself,watchthe
visitorsandhowtheyinteractwiththeoverallzooexperience,andbepreparedtoaskthemquestions.Whatdidtheyenjoyandwhatdid
theyfeelletthemdown?Thenaskwhy?togetunderstandwhattherealgapisbetweentheirexpectationsandtherealityoftheir
experience.
SaraTalebzadehsays:

Runningpropermarketresearchiscrucialinordertoapplythecustomergapmodel.Thishelpsfindthegapsineveryindustry.
Theinitialrespondentsforresearchshouldbetheusersoftheserviceorproduct.Thiswillhelpustounderstandthecustomerneed,
expectationandperceptionregardingtheservice.
Thesecondrespondentsforresearchshouldbetheinfrontlinecustomerserviceemployee,sincetheyareindirectcontactwith
customers.ForexampleinthecaseofaZoo,itsgoodtosurveythepeoplewhoworkinhelportheinformationdeskofficeorasguides
throughtheZoo.
ThefinalrespondentsofthesurveyshallbetheProductManagersthemselves.QuestionstoasktheProductManagers:
Havetheyagoodevaluationofthesituationandcustomerperceptionregardingtheirservice?
Dotheyknowthecustomers,employeeandproductorservice?
Dotheyknowwhatthecustomerwantsandneed?
Analysingandinterpretingtheinformationgatheringfromtheabovethreesurveysnotonlyshowsthegapsbutalsohelpsthemanagerto
makedecisionsbasedontherealsituationnotassumptionsandperception.
Sharadasays:

itsusefulinanykindofindustry..veryhelpfulformylecturestoo..
Thanks
Vimalsays:

Hi,
Howcanweputthisframeworktouseincaseofaneducationalinstitute??
vusikampi(http://brainmate.com)says:

brilliantinformation,veryhelpful
Joycesays:

Hello,

Anyoneknowhowicanapplythistoafullservicerestaurant,whichisaFranchise?
thankyou
PARAMESWARCHOUDHURYsays:

Actuallyihavealreadyspent3yearsinretailsectorbutreallyidonothasanyconceptaboutcustomergapmodel.
ITSVERYHF.
THNKS
Neelsays:

Howwouldyouapplytheother3gapsforthefitnesscentreexamplecommentedabove?
Olga(http://digdes.com)says:

Hi!
Ithink,itisaverygoodmodelforundestandingtheprocessofservicedelivery.Buthowonecanunderstandhowlargeisthegap?What
arethemetrics,forthenamedFintessCentre,forexample?
Andhowdoyouthink,howcanthismodelbeusedtoanalyseITserviceGAPsinanITservicecompanies?Imean,notcallcentresorso,
but,forexample,ITintegrators,servingsoftwarebasedbisnesssolutions.CanyouhelpmeinanalyzingtheseGAPsinsideanITService
company?
AbrahamDenis(http://ibrahassani187@gmail.com)says:

whichofthefourgapsishardesttoclose?Why?
QUESTION:cangapfour(4)beclosed.beforeclosingtheotherprovidergaps?Why?
AbrahamDenis(http://ibrahassani187@gmail.com)says:

howisthetechnologychangingthenatureservice?
AbrahamDenis(http://ibrahassani187@gmail.com)says:

ifyourthemanagerofcertainorganisation,pepsiforexample.andyouwanttoapplyagapmodalanalysis.Whichgapyouwouldstart
with?Why?inwhatorderyouproceedtoclosethegap?

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