What is the Servqual model? Customer rating scale according to Servqual
The Servqual model is applied by many businesses in the process of evaluating customer satisfaction, thereby helping to improve service and product quality. So what is the Servqual model ? Join 1C Vietnam to immediately learn about the Servqual model and the customer's product/service quality assessment scale according to Servqual.
1. Origin and role of the Servqual model for businesses
The Servqual model was developed in 1988 by American marketing experts Valarie Zeithaml, Leonard Berry and A. Parasuraman. This is one of the effective methods to capture and measure service/product quality, as well as customers' service experience.
The focus of the Servqual model is on identifying customer needs. So, the Servqual model is calculated using the formula:
Satisfaction = Actual experience - Customer expectations
Normally, each type of service will have unique characteristics and properties. This makes it impossible for businesses to objectively evaluate their quality compared to their competitors' products and services.
The development of the Servqual model has provided companies and retailers with a way to evaluate the factors that influence consumers' perception of a business's overall service quality.
The Servqual model is often widely applied in fields specializing in providing services such as banks, restaurants - hotels, hospitals, schools, airlines,...
2. Criteria for evaluating product/service quality in Servqual
The Servqual model has been successfully applied in many fields based on 5 reference criteria for evaluating the quality of business services:
- Competency: This criterion is expressed through the necessary knowledge and skills of employees when consulting or providing services.
- Courtesy: Usually expressed through the behavior of employees, showing respect, politeness and friendliness to customers.
- Credibility: Usually includes factors such as: reliability, trust and honesty, and the company's reputation. For example, service quality matches advertising information, genuine products, consultants with expertise in products and services,...
- Security: Criteria are expressed in aspects including financial and information security for customers.
- Access: Used to refer to channels where customers can contact the business easily and reliably. For example, the business's phone number and location.
3. Customer rating scale according to the Servqual model
The evaluation scale of the Servqual model is the gap between the customer's expectations before and after using the product or service or the business's perception of its ability to respond. This gap has a close relationship with customer satisfaction. The smaller the gap, the higher the level of customer satisfaction, so the business's goal is to find ways to narrow this gap.
Therefore, the Servqual model has clearly defined 5 gaps to help businesses improve their ability to meet customer needs and desires, which are clearly explained and defined in the table below.
| No | Distance | Detail |
| first | Distance 1 (KC1) | This is the gap between a business's perception of customer expectations and actual customer expectations. This gap often appears during the period when the business has not carefully researched customer needs or the business has not clearly understood the market. |
| 2 | Distance 2 (KC2) | The gap between businesses' perceptions of consumer expectations and service quality standards. Businesses are shaping themselves about what customers expect. In case of misconfiguration and not meeting customer expectations, the business will develop a service model with poor quality standards. |
| 3 | Distance 3 (KC3) | Is the gap between the standards and the actual service when provided to customers. This gap appears when the services provided are not what customers expect, or the services do not meet the standards as advertised by the business. |
| 4 | Distance 4 (KC4) | This is the gap between the actual service quality and the service quality advertised to customers. This gap often occurs when businesses promise services they cannot deliver in their marketing communications to customers and create false expectations. This leads to a gap between consumer experience and expectations, making customers think businesses are deceiving them by exaggerating service quality. |
| 5 | Distance 5 (KC5) | KC5 is the gap between the service received and consumers' expectations of the service, often directly affected by the four gaps above. This gap stems from the overall difference between customer expectations and actual perceptions of the service provided. Consumers will automatically judge service quality based on the difference between expectations and actual service experiences. |
4. Significance of the Servqual model for businesses
The Servqual model plays a crucial role in evaluating and improving the service quality of businesses. Here are the important implications of this model:
- Evaluate service quality easily
Servqual provides a service quality assessment scale based on the 5 important factors mentioned above. This helps organizations better understand how consumers evaluate service quality.
- Enhance customer satisfaction
By measuring and learning about customer expectations, businesses can focus on providing services that customers appreciate. This helps create positive experiences and increase customer satisfaction.
- Detect weaknesses and strengths:
The Servqual model helps businesses identify the strengths and weaknesses of their current business model. In this way, businesses can promptly allocate appropriate resources and strategies to improve service quality.
- Directing service strategy:
Measurement results and information from Servqual are used to develop service strategies, service delivery methods, employee training and product development.
- Improve competitiveness:
Improving services through the Servqual model helps businesses increase their competitiveness in the market. Consumers always tend to choose businesses that provide services with the best experience, improving service quality is an important factor in creating that choice.
- Customer relationship management:
Based on regularly evaluating service quality according to the Servqual model , businesses can clearly understand customer expectations and needs. This helps organizations build and maintain strong customer-seller relationships.
- Enhance the brand and reputation of the business:
Providing services according to Servqual's assessment helps businesses build a positive brand image and enhance reputation in the eyes of customers.
Above is all the information about the Servqual service quality assessment model that businesses can track. Hopefully, through 1C Vietnam's article, managers can understand more about the Servqual model as well as the evaluation criteria of this model. If you have any questions, please contact us for support.