What is the perceived quality of good service, and how can it be improved?

Photo by Pelle Martin on Unsplash

In this article, we review seven quality criteria for a perceived service. They enable the service company to provide the customer with better service as well as a customer experience. Meanwhile, it also improves the quality of the customer relationship and engages the customer in the company.

It is good to note that experiencing the quality of service is a complex process. It should therefore be viewed through the overall quality of the service and not through individual service transactions. The customer experiences total excellence at the customer journey’s every point. And that should be taken into account when developing and improving services

Service companies have several opportunities to show the customer the quality of their service. Unfortunately, these opportunities may also result in the loss of a customer. The loss of a customer can occur at any point in the customer’s journey. It is important to note that the normalization of problem situations in services has become part of a successful service experience.

7 criteria for perceived quality of good service

The following seven criteria can be considered as a guideline for quality service. These are good support for service management as well as for evaluating the results of service measurement.

Professionalism and skills

Customers understand that the service provider and its employees have the knowledge and skills, operating systems, and physical resources needed to solve their problems professionally.

For example, a customer checking in at a hotel can expect the service to run professionally. The reception staff has the necessary information about the hotel and the skills to use the customer management system.

Attitudes and behavior

Customers feel that customer service representatives pay attention to them and want to solve their problems kindly and spontaneously.

For example, a hotel guest wants a table reservation for a restaurant. The reception staff can make it for the customer. Also, the receptionist can offer to book a taxi that provides easy access from the hotel to the restaurant.

Likeness and flexibility

Customers feel that the service provider, its location, opening hours, employees, operating systems are designed and operated in such a way that the service is easy to obtain, and the company is ready to adapt to the customer’s requirements and wishes flexibly.

For example, a customer can book a hotel room conveniently from the online reservation system at any time. The customer of the same hotel chain can expect the same level of quality in its different hotels. The hotel is also taking the wishes into account in advance, for instance, by booking a meeting room. The customer’s possible wishes for check-in and check-out are also taking into account.

Reliability

Customers know that whatever happens or whatever is agreed upon, they can count on the promises of the service provider and its employees to act in the best interests of the customer.

Imagine a situation where a hotel is overbooked, and a customer arrives to check into the hotel. Apologizing for the circumstances, the receptionist says that he/she has made a room reservation for another hotel in the same hotel chain nearby. The room is the same standard at least, if not even better, for the price already paid by the customer.

Normalization of the service

Customers understand that whenever something goes wrong, or something unexpected happens, the service provider will take immediate action to keep the situation under control and find a new acceptable solution.

An example of a situation could be when a customer has stepped inside a hotel room and notices that it is not being cleaned. Upon notification, the receptionist will change the room immediately. As the customer’s accommodation process has not started well, the receptionist could provide a free drink from the hotel bar or deliver fruits to the room as a surprise, in addition to an apology.

Service landscape

Customers feel that the physical surrounding and other factors related to the service surrounding support a positive experience.

Here, too, we can use the hotel as an example. The hotel lobby is made pleasant, with furniture, lighting, and gentle background music. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Breakfast has also been served with the start of the day as convenient as possible for the customer. The staff also supports the service surroundings by their actions.

Reputation and credibility

The customer believes that the service provider’s actions can be trusted and given value for money, and it has performance criteria and values that the customer can also accept.

In the hotel example we use, the customer knows the hotel’s reputation being good. And therefore, trusts the service promise of that hotel chain. For example, the hotel may share similar values with the customer for environmental protection that influences the customer’s decision to stay in hotels in that chain.

Measuring services is a tool for the service designer

Measuring service quality is one tool that gives a service designer an excellent understanding of how service needs to be developed. In design thinking, the human is at the center, and from that point of view, the service design also begins. Attribute-based or qualitative metrics are methods to measure service quality.

Attribute-based is based on measuring properties and is more commonly used as a method. It measures the quality of delivered service, such as reliability, responsiveness, empathy, persuasiveness, and the service environment.

Qualitative measurement, on the other hand, is less used to measure services. Although, it provides much more in-depth information on service quality. It focuses on service events and their evaluation. Because these evaluations contain positive and negative feedback, they provide a wealth of material on strengths and areas for improvement. Also, they provide direct indications of the improvements needed.

From the service designer’s point of view, qualitative measurement of service is better than attribute-based, even though it will also give valuable information. Qualitative measurement results make it much better to observe the customer’s real problems in the service path. Thus, it is easier for a service modifier to innovate new solutions that better support the service entity from the customer’s perspective.