Gap Analysis
What Is Gap Analysis?
Gap analysis is a survey instrument used to determine the
Gaps between a service offered and a customers
expectations.
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GAP
Customer service is largely a function of perception, customer
expectations and service actually provided.
If service provided meets customer expectations, than the
customer is satisfied.
If service provided is not up to customer expectations, than the
customer is dissatisfied.
Dissatisfaction arises due to GAP’s that arise in customer service.
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SERVQUAL
Expectations Survey &
Perceptions Survey
• Developed by Parasurman, Zeithamel, and Berry to
assess services quality.
• SERVQUAL instruments are a series of questions that
deal with tangibles, reliability, responsiveness,
assurance, and empathy
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TANGIBLES
EMPATHY RELIABILITY
SERVQUAL
MODEL
ASSURANCE RESPONSIVENESS
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Tangibles - physical facilities, equipment, staff appearance, etc.
Reliability - ability to perform service dependably and accurately.
Responsiveness - willingness to help and respond to customer
need.
Assurance - ability of staff to inspire confidence and trust.
Empathy - the extent to which caring individualized service is
given.
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Dimensions of service Quality
Reliability
(ability to perform service dependably and accurately)
The ability to complete the service
1. On time
2. Consistently
3. Error free every time
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Dimensions of service Quality
Responsiveness
(willingness to help and respond to customer need)
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Dimensions of service Quality
Assurance
(ability of staff to inspire confidence and trust)
1. Competence
2. Respect for customers
3. Effective communication
4. Attitude conveyed to customers
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Dimensions of service Quality
Empathy
(the extent to which caring individualized service is given)
1. Is customer service representative approachable ?
2. Does the customer service representative seem sensitive?
3. Is customer service representative trying to understand my need?
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Dimensions of service Quality
Tangibles
(physical facilities, equipment, staff appearance)
1. The aesthetics of the company
2. How visually appealing the company appears to the customer.
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SERVQUAL
Gap 1 – Tangibles - difference between Actual customer expectations, and what
Management perceives to be customer expectations.
Gap 2 – Reliability - difference in Managers expectations of service quality, and
the Actual service quality specifications.
Gap 3 – Responsiveness - Delivery of perfect services is Not guaranteed, even if
service specifications are defined, due to lack of preparations and training.
Gap 4 – Assurance - differences between Services delivery and the External
communications with the customer.
Gap 5 – Empathy - differences in Expected service and Perceived service.
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GAPS MODEL OF SERVICE
QUALITY
Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler
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Gaps Model of Service Quality
➢ Customer Gap: difference between customer expectations and perceptions
➢ Provider Gap 1 (The Knowledge Gap):
• not knowing what customers expect
➢ Provider Gap 2 (The Service Design & Standards Gap):
• not having the right service designs and standards
➢ Provider Gap 3 (The Service Performance Gap):
• not delivering to service standards
➢ Provider Gap 4 (The Communication Gap):
• not matching performance to promises
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The Customer Gap
Expected
service
Customer Gap
Perceived
service
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The Customer Gap
“Difference between what is delivered & what customer perceive they have received ”
Reasons :
Perception gap recognizes that the
customer do not always correctly
understand what the service has done
to them
This situation is likely to occur with
credence services , for which it is
difficult to judge service performance
even after delivery
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Provider Gap 1
Expected
CUSTOMER service
Perceived
GAP 1 service
COMPANY Company Perceptions of
Consumer Expectations
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Gap 1 -The Knowledge Gap
“Not Knowing what customer expect”
Reasons :
Lack of interaction between management
and customers
Insufficient communication between
contact employees and managers
Insufficient marketing research
Lack of market segmentation
Focus on transactions rather than
relationships
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Provider Gap 2 Expected
service
CUSTOMER Perceived
service
Customer-Driven
Service Designs and
Standards
COMPANY
GAP 2
Company Perceptions of
Consumer Expectations
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Gap 2 : The Service Design & Standards Gap
“Not Selecting the right service design & standards”
Reasons :
Poor service design
Inappropriate physical evidence
Unsystematic new service development
process
Failure to connect service design to
service positioning 21
Provider Gap 3 Expected
service
CUSTOMER Perceived
service
Service Delivery
COMPANY Gap 3
Customer-Driven
Service Designs and
Standards
Company Perceptions
22 of Consumer
Expectations
Gap 3 : The Service Performance Gap
“difference between specified standards & actual performance of these
standards”
Reasons :
Ineffective recruitment
Lack of empowerment perceived control and
teamwork
Role ambiguity and role conflict
Inappropriate evaluation & compensation
system
Customer lacks knowledge about their roles
and responsibilities 23
Provider Gap 4 Expected
service
CUSTOMER Perceived
service
External
Service Delivery Communications to
Gap 4 Customers
COMPANY
Customer-Driven
Service Designs
and Standards
Company Perceptions
24 of Consumer
Expectations
Gap 4 : The Communication Gap
“Not matching performance to promises made by the company”
Reasons :
Tendency to view each external
communication as independent
Not matching customer expectations
through all forms of communication
Not adequately educating customers
Overpromising – In Promotion & through
Physical evidence
Differences in policies and procedures
across branches or units 25
Gaps Model of Service Quality
Expected
service
CUSTOMER
Customer Gap Perceived
service
External
Service Delivery Communications to
Gap 4 Customers
Gap 3
COMPANY
Customer-Driven
Service Designs
and Standards
Gap 1
Gap 2
Company Perceptions
26 of Consumer
Expectations
The Gaps Model
The key to closing the Customer Gap is to close
all Provider Gaps 1- 4
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Key Factors Leading to the Customer Gap
Expected
service
Provider Gap 1: Not knowing what customers expect
Customer
Provider Gap 2: Not selecting the right service designs and standards
Gap
Provider Gap 3: Not delivering to service standards
Provider Gap 4: Not matching performance to promises
Perceived
service
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Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 1
Customer Expectations
Inadequate marketing research orientation
Insufficient marketing research
Research not focused on service quality
Inadequate use of market research
Lack of upward communication
Lack of interaction between management and customers
Gap 1
Insufficient communication between contact employees and managers
Too many layers between contact personnel and top management
Insufficient relationship focus
Lack of market segmentation
Focus on transactions rather than relationships
Focus on new customers rather than relationship customers
Inadequate service recovery
Lack of encouragement to listen to customer complaints
Failure to make amends when things go wrong
No appropriate recovery mechanisms in place for service failures
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Company Perceptions of
Customer Expectations
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 2
Customer-Driven Service
Designs and Standards
Poor service design
Unsystematic new service development process
Vague, undefined service designs
Failure to connect service design to service positioning
Absence of customer-driven standards
Gap 2
Lack of customer-driven service standards
Absence of process management to focus on customer
requirements
Absence of formal process for setting service quality goals
Inappropriate physical evidence and servicescape
Failure to develop tangibles in line with customer expectations
Servicescape design that does not meet customer and
employee needs
Inadequate maintenance and updating of the servicescape
30 Perceptions
Management
of Customer Expectations
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 3
Service Delivery
Deficiencies in human resource policies
Ineffective recruitment
Role ambiguity and role conflict
Poor employee-technology job fit
Inappropriate evaluation and compensation systems
Lack of empowerment, perceived control, and teamwork
Gap 3
Customers who do not fulfill roles
Customers who lack knowledge of their roles and responsibilities
Customers who negatively impact each other
Problems with service intermediaries
Channel conflict over objectives and performance
Difficulty controlling quality and consistency
Tension between empowerment and control
Failure to match supply and demand
Failure to smooth peaks and valleys of demand
Inappropriate customer mix
Overreliance on price to smooth demand
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Customer-Driven Service
Designs and Standards
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 4
Service Delivery
Lack of integrated services marketing communications
Tendency to view each external communication as independent
Not including interactive marketing in communications plan
Absence of strong internal marketing program
Ineffective management of customer expectations
Absence of customer expectation management through all forms of
Gap 4
communication
Lack of adequate education for customers
Overpromising
Overpromising in advertising
Overpromising in personal selling
Overpromising through physical evidence cues
Inadequate horizontal communications
Insufficient communication between sales and operations
Insufficient communication between advertising and operations
Differences in policies and procedures across branches or units
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External Communications
to Customers
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