SERVQUAL Model

9. Literature Review
Choice of theories
The research study focuses mainly on how an ICT organisation can provide exceptional quality services. The SERVQUAL model is applied to analyse the service quality provided at Comnet.
The literature review is categorised into six sections, I will discuss relevant theories such as service quality, define customer expectation and perception, define and discuss customer satisfaction, present the SERVQUAL model; describe the different gaps, give an overview of the SERVQUAL and ICT finally present criticism of the model.

Service Quality
Service quality is “a measure of how well the service level delivered matches customer expectations; delivering quality service means conforming to customer expectation on

This is why it’s essential to keep customers satisfied and this can be done by studying their expectations and perceptions, assessing the organisations service quality and applying improvement measures where necessary.

The SERVQUAL model
The SERVQUAL model identifies reasons for any gaps between customer expectations and perceptions. The expectations and perceptions are accessed from 22 questions which serve as a SERVQUAL scale, furthermore five dimensions of service quality namely: reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness, are used to analyse service quality. Perceived service quality results from comparisons from customer perceptions and expectations of service delivered by the service providers (Zeithamal et al., 1990). If a gap score is positive it indicates that expectations are exceeded.
A model of service quality was designed by Parasuraman et al., 1985, (p.41-50), five gaps that evaluate service quality were identified.

The SERVQUAL gaps are as

• Gaps model: there is little evidence that customers assess service quality in terms of P – E gaps.
• Process orientation: SERVQUAL focuses on the process of service delivery, not the outcomes of the service encounter.
• Dimensionality: SERVQUAL’s five dimensions are not universal; the number of dimensions comprising service quality is contextualized; items do not always load on to the factors which one would a priori expect; and there is a high degree of intercorrelation between the five dimensions (Reliability, assurance, tangible, empathy and responsiveness).

Operational Criticism
• Expectations: the term expectation is polysemic meaning it has different definitions; consumers use standards other than expectations to evaluate service quality; and SERVQUAL fails to measure absolute service quality