1. Measuring Quality in The Service Industry
Written by:
Hamed A. Al-Saggaf
Summarized by:
Turki M. Al-Thonayan
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Good evening every body
Name
Topic of
Written by
Basis of Selection:
SCECO-East was chosen as a subject for investigation since it meets several criteria:
It provides a very important service i.e. safe and reliable power to its customers, so it is a typical service provider.
It has a very large client base that demands electric power, so SCECO- East quality service will have a great effect.
It is desirable to check the effect of the newly introduced TQM 1, on both staff and the client.

2. Problem Statement
The mismatch between prior expected and perceived quality of the services from the customer point view
Management as well as employees are very happy with the results achieved (reducing cost, reducing cycle of the process).
So, if the management is happy this does not mean costumers also happy.

3. Basis of Selection SCECO-East
Provides a very important service
Very large client base
Check the effect of the newly introduced TQM
SCECO now one company
No experience more than paying bills through the internet
Basis of Selection:
SCECO-East was chosen as a subject for investigation since it meets several criteria:
It provides a very important service i.e. safe and reliable power to its customers, so it is a typical service provider.
It has a very large client base that demands electric power, so SCECO- East quality service will have a great effect.
It is desirable to check the effect of the newly introduced TQM 1, on both staff and the client.
It will reveal the applicability of conceptual model of analysis to the industry.

4. Primary Objective
Investigate the quality shortfall between SCECO- East and its customers

5. Secondary Objectives
Measure client expectations and perceptions of the service quality
Determine the importance of the features which constitute service quality from the perspective of client
Determine the degree to which SCECO- East understands and meets these expectations.
Find out opportunities and take advantage of them to improve its services.

6. The Gap Model Gap 1 Management understanding the customer’s needs
Gap 2 Service quality specifications
Gap 3 Service performance (Delivery)
Gap 4 External communication
Gap 5
=Customer expectation – Management perception of CE
=Management's Perception of CEs- Quality Specifications
=Service quality specification – service delivery
= Service delivery – external communication

7. Research Methodology Surveys Customers Supervisors Contact personnel
Three surveys have been conducted for this project: one amongst SCECO-East's customers, one amongst the supervisors in the company, and the third amongst the contact personnel (front line staff).
The questionnaire was of three types: client, supervisor and employee surveys. The clients were asked to indicate how they expected and perceived the SCECO- East services by answering the questionnaire related statements of service quality. In addition, supervisory staff and front line employees of SCECO-East filled out the same set of statements about client expectations.

8. Gap 1 = Customer expectation – Management perception of CE
Marketing Research Orientation
Upward Communication
Levels of management
Both
Monopoly agency
Standard service
Reliability
Empathy
More effort needed to improve the management perception of customer expectation.
Managers should spend more time with frontline staff to improve their knowledge of customer requirements.
"flattening out" with some layers of management being omitted. This is to improve the upward communication to allow clearer messages to be transmitted from frontline staff through a shorter path to top management

9. Gap 2 =Management's Perception of CEs- Quality Specifications
Management commitment to service quality
Goals setting
Task standardization
Perception of Feasibility
21 diminsions are classifies as the follwing
Management need to be more committed to service quality
set long-term goals for quality
establish quality indicators and to target staff to improve those indicators

10. Gap 3 =Service quality specification – service delivery
Teamwork
Employee job fit
Technology fit
Perceived control
Supervisory control system
Role conflict
Role ambiguity
Expectation from top management
Unclear info to perform the job
No control for contact personnel
Amount of paper work
The main area for improvement is eliminating the distress of role conflict.
use performance measurement systems that focus on the consumer and internal efficiency goals.
focus on down- ward communication to clearly direct and influence personnel at lower levels in the organization focus on down- ward communication to clearly direct and influence personnel at lower levels in the organization
Several other improvements such as empowering frontline staff to make decisions and the reduction of paper work are needed to complete transactions which will improve the service delivery and will narrow gap 3.

11. Gap 4 = Service delivery – external communication
Horizontal communication
Propensity to over promise
Frontline employees need to be aware of all company communications before they occur and participation in any campaign would result in more consumer expectations
SCECO-East management needs to enforce the coordination or integration of departments and different branches to achieve strategic objectives.
SCECO-East should not allow managers of individual branches to make significant changes in procedures and policies as consumers may not receive the same level of service quality across the branches.

12. Gap 5
Tangibles
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
External

13. Conclusion & Recommendation
Manage and control every service encounter to enhance overall perceptions of service quality.
More Understanding the customer's expectation forming process
SCECO-East should focus on strategies to manage adequate service levels expectations
SCECO-East should focus on measurement of adequate service more frequently than desired service