Received: 01-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. GJMSSR-22-82402; Editor assigned: 04-Nov-2022, Pre QC No. GJMSSR-22-82402 (PQ); Reviewed: 18-Nov-2022, QC No. GJMSSR-22-82402; Revised: 25-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. GJMSSR-22-82402 (R); Published: 02-Dec-2022, DOI: 10.15651/2408-5511.22.7.051
Service sector plays great role in the growth of Indian economy. An economy is treated as service economy, when more than 50 percent of its GDP comes from service sector. For an economy, service sector become a tool for generation of wealth in many ways. It is also helpful in increasing the level of employment. It is reported that level of employment is decreasing in manufacturing sector but it is increasing in service sector every year. Yet, at the time of depression, while manufacturing sector was facing setback, the service sector has kept employment up. In today‘s era of technology, one cannot imagine one‘s life in the nonappearance of services. Various services like education, banking and transportation have become a part of our daily lives. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, most of the services were provided to the consumers by public sectors. Because of excessive demand more than supply and absence of competition, various companies enjoyed the state of monopoly. The only way to retain customers is to supply superior quality of services.
Expectation of customer-perception of management
The first gap shown in this model is known as knowledge gap. Some inequalities exist between management perception and customer‘s expectation regarding quality of services provided by a service firm. The employees of the firm always do not realize that which types of functions specify superior quality of services to customers, what types of functions must have, while delivering a service as per customer‘s requirement and to supply high service quality.
Perception of management specification of service quality
Second gap is known as policy gap. This gap arises between perception of management regarding expectation of consumers and the real conditions recognized for a service. It may arise due to market conditions, lack of management commitments and lack of resources. This gap may affect the customer‘s perception towards service quality.
Specification of service quality service delivery
It is known as delivery gap. It arises due to the executives of service providing firm. It is so hard to maintain standardized quality of a service because the employees have leverage on the service quality perceived by the consumers. From Customer point of view, service quality may affect this gap.
Service delivery-external communications
It is known as communication gap. This gap arises due to variance between service delivery and communication about service deliver. This variance arises because external communication and media advertising by a firm can affect consumer expectation. From customer point of view, service quality may be affected by the gap arisen between real service provided and exterior communication.
Expected service-perceived service gap
It is the last gap found in service quality measurement process by using SERVQUAL scale. This is known as the service quality gap and can be considered as a function of the above four gaps, hence shows a relationship in all gaps. The quality that a customer perceives in a service is a function of the magnitude and direction of the gap between expected service and perceived service.