The
gap model (also known as the "5 gaps model") of service quality is an
important customer-satisfaction framework.
In "A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for
future research" (The Journal of Marketing, 1985), A. Parasuraman, VA
Zeitham and LL Berry identify five major gaps that face organizations seeking
to meet customer's expectations of the customer experience.
The five gaps that organizations should
measure, manage and minimize:
Gap 1 is the distance between what
customers expect and what managers think they expect - Clearly survey research
is a key way to narrow this gap.
Gap 2 is between management perception
and the actual specification of the customer experience - Managers need to make
sure the organization is defining the level of service they believe is needed.
Gap 3 is from the experience
specification to the delivery of the experience - Managers need to audit the
customer experience that their organization currently delivers in order to make
sure it lives up to the spec.
Gap 4 is the gap between the delivery of
the customer experience and what is communicated to customers - All too often
organizations exaggerate what will be provided to customers, or discuss the
best case rather than the likely case, raising customer expectations and
harming customer perceptions.
Finally, Gap 5 is the gap between a
customer's perception of the experience and the customer's expectation of the
service - Customers' expectations have been shaped by word of mouth, their
personal needs and their own past experiences. Routine transnational surveys
after delivering the customer experience are important for an organization to
measure customer perceptions of service.
Each gap in the customer experience can
be closed through diligent attention from management. Survey software can be
key to assisting management with this crucial task.
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