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Section 4 Techniques and Tools

4.04 Servqual

An understanding of customer expectations is essential for performance improvement. This is discussed in full in the section on assessing satisfaction and expectations.

Servqual is a service quality measurement tool that assesses both service perceptions and expectations across a range of different service characteristics. Using Servqual, the gap between expectations and perceptions can be analysed to help managers see where to target and prioritise improvement efforts for best effect.

General satisfaction surveys tend to focus on customer perceptions of the services they are currently getting and not their expectations. The extent to which services meet customers’ needs or expectations is one measure of service quality. The fact that frequently little is known about customer expectations makes it difficult to interpret the ratings produced by satisfaction surveys.

The Servqual approach is best suited to assessing existing service quality. It assesses customer satisfaction with the processes supporting the service provision and not the quality of the end result, or outcome. For example, it will not help to assess the quality of a completed repair, although it will assess the processes necessary to provide a repairs service.

Practice point

• Think carefully about what it is you are trying to find out about services before deciding on a methodology. If you are interested in customer expectations or needs there may be other ways to explore these.

Servqual is a survey tool that calculates ‘gap scores’ to measure the difference between expectations and perceptions for different aspects of services. It provides a useful structure for thinking about which aspects of a service affect service quality.

Figure 4.2 below breaks down the different determinants of service quality by highlighting the different service characteristics that are relevant to most services.

Figure 4.2 Determinants of service quality and examples

Source: Accounts Commission (1999) Can’t get no satisfaction?

Practice point

• The task of identifying the different characteristics of service quality in this way is an important step in the design of any questionnaire or survey, whether or not it uses a Servqual methodology. This will avoid questionnaires becoming an unstructured collection of loosely or unrelated questions and so will enhance the usefulness of the data collected.

A full explanation of this approach is beyond the scope of this guidance. There is some experience of using Servqual in the public sector in Scotland and further information and guidance is available elsewhere (see references (1)).

In outline, Servqual condenses these ten determinants into five groups or dimensions of service quality. A questionnaire is then designed which uses a series of ‘gap statements’ each of which are used to assess both expectations and perceptions. For example, in assessing responsiveness the expectation statement will be assessed in a general way such as “Employees of an excellent service will tell customers exactly when the service will be provided”. A seven point response scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree is used. The perception statements are comparable but based on the specific service being assessed. The questionnaire also uses a section for respondents to indicate the relative importance of the five dimensions.

Servqual is an attractive idea but the design of a Servqual survey is complex and samples should be statistically representative. This approach will require expertise in questionnaire design, survey methodology, sampling design and statistical analysis. External assistance may be necessary if it is to be conducted effectively.

A further issue is one of presentation of findings. Typically the scores produced are negative; that is that an organisation will usually fail to meet expectations. Whilst service managers may find this useful information of help to direct their efforts towards service improvement, there may be issues about direct reporting of these scores to staff, elected members or Board members and the public. Negative scores may automatically be seen as service failure.

Servqual does not give a complete picture of needs, expectations and perceptions. Expectations will change over time, although the survey can be repeated to capture this. The priorities and needs of the public service provider may conflict with those of the service users; the results of Servqual may surprise and challenge assumptions made by service managers. For example, service users may not prioritise the state of an organisation’s premises, although as an employer investment in modern office premises may be important for other reasons.

Servqual: checklist

√ It is important to understand service user expectations; there may be a number of ways to do this and which should be considered more generally, even if a Servqual approach is not adopted.

√ Expectations will change over time and the methods used need to be able to capture these changes.

√ Consider how to assess satisfaction with both processes and outcomes of service delivery.

√ Consider whether there is the appropriate technical capacity to conduct a rigorous Servqual exercise or whether you need external support.

√ Think about how best to present the gap scores to different audiences and how best to encourage discussion of the findings of this approach.

√ There are also useful lessons for general questionnaire design in terms of identifying different determinants and dimensions of service character. This is likely to enhance the usefulness of all survey approaches.

Alternatives and related approaches:

• Focus groups

• Using comments, compliments and complaints as feedback

• Using existing information

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