Expected service refers to the level of service a customer anticipates or expects to receive based on their past experiences, personal needs, and word-of-mouth information. It is a crucial component in the Gap Model of Service Quality, which examines the discrepancies between customer expectations and perceptions of the actual service delivered.
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Expected service is influenced by a customer's past experiences, personal needs, and word-of-mouth information about the service provider.
Customers often have a zone of tolerance, where their expected service level can vary between a desired service level and an adequate service level.
The Gap Model of Service Quality suggests that the greater the gap between expected service and perceived service, the lower the perceived service quality.
Factors such as company image, personal needs, and word-of-mouth can shape a customer's expected service level.
Understanding and managing customer expectations is crucial for service providers to deliver high-quality service and meet or exceed customer expectations.
Review Questions
Explain how a customer's expected service level is formed and how it relates to the Gap Model of Service Quality.
A customer's expected service level is formed based on their past experiences, personal needs, and word-of-mouth information about the service provider. This expected service level is a key component in the Gap Model of Service Quality, which examines the discrepancies between customer expectations and their perceptions of the actual service delivered. The greater the gap between expected service and perceived service, the lower the perceived service quality. Understanding and managing customer expectations is crucial for service providers to deliver high-quality service and meet or exceed customer expectations.
Describe the role of the customer's zone of tolerance in the context of expected service and the Gap Model of Service Quality.
Customers often have a zone of tolerance, where their expected service level can vary between a desired service level and an adequate service level. The desired service level represents the level of service the customer hopes to receive, while the adequate service level is the minimum acceptable level of service. The Gap Model of Service Quality suggests that the greater the gap between the customer's expected service level (within their zone of tolerance) and their perceived service level, the lower the perceived service quality. Service providers must understand and manage this zone of tolerance to ensure they are delivering service that meets or exceeds the customer's expected service level.
Analyze how factors such as company image, personal needs, and word-of-mouth can shape a customer's expected service level and impact the overall service quality evaluation.
Factors such as company image, personal needs, and word-of-mouth can significantly shape a customer's expected service level. A company's image and reputation can set certain expectations for the level of service the customer anticipates. Additionally, a customer's personal needs and preferences will influence their expected service level. Word-of-mouth information from friends, family, or other customers can also shape these expectations. The Gap Model of Service Quality suggests that the greater the discrepancy between the customer's expected service level (influenced by these factors) and their perceived service level, the lower the overall perceived service quality. Service providers must carefully consider and manage these factors that contribute to customer expectations to ensure they are delivering a level of service that meets or exceeds those expectations.
Related terms
Perceived Service: Perceived service is the customer's subjective evaluation of the service they actually received, based on their personal experiences and impressions.
Service quality is a measure of how well the service delivered matches the customer's expectations. It is the difference between expected service and perceived service.
The Gap Model of Service Quality is a framework that identifies five gaps between customer expectations and perceptions of service, which can lead to a discrepancy in the overall service quality.