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Customer Service

2. Standards gap—The difference between the manage-
The service triangle ment’s perception of consumer’s expectation and the
standards established by the organization for service
delivery
The
Service 3. Delivery gap—The difference between the estab-
Strategy
lished standards and the actual quality of service
delivered by employees
4. Communications gap—The difference between the
actual quality of service provided and the quality of
The service communicated to consumers through pro-
Customer
motional material and activities
If any of these gaps exist, a service gap will follow—with
the probability of customer dissatisfaction.
The The
Systems People
THE NEW CUSTOMER
Customers, and the type and quality of service they
demand, are constantly changing. This requires businesses
Figure 1
to stay alert for changes and adjust to meet new service
challenges. In an article by Ron Zemke (2002), the con-
sumer of the twenty-first century was briefly characterized
by customer service professionals. Zemke described new
ria when they examine how well they are satisfying their
consumers as more knowledgeable about the products
customer’s needs:
they purchase, possessing more sophistication, being a lit-
• Tangibles—Physical facilities, equipment, employees’ tle more impulsive and less patient, wanting to be treated
as individuals rather than numbers, and desiring to be
appearance, etc.
treated fairly and like everyone else or knowing a clear rea-
• Reliability—Dependable and accurate service
son why not.
• Responsiveness—Prompt customer assistance At the end of the article Zemke presented a laundry
• Empathy—Firm/employees show concern about the list of fourteen customer needs identified by Chip Bell, a
individual needs of the customer Dallas-based consultant and author of Customer Love:
Attracting and Keeping Customers for Life.
• Assurance —Employees instilling trust and confi-
dence in the service provider through their knowl- 1. Make me smarter.
edge, courtesy, and helpfulness
2. Help me do it myself.
3. Make the response fast … but don’t sacrifice qual-
Gap Theory. One method of examining the degree to
which a firm is meeting the service expectations of the ity—quick and rushed aren’t the same.
consumer on these five dimensions is called the gap the- 4. Help me customize the experience like I want it.
ory. The gap theory first determines the difference 5. Anchor your offering to a cause I like and believe in.
between the customer’s service expectations and the cus- Good works sell.
tomer’s perception of the service actually received. This
6. Entertain me. Make the experience bright, shiny,
gap is referred to as the service gap and is considered the
and memorable.
most important because it determines the level of satisfac-
tion/dissatisfaction with the service and, ultimately, the 7. Don’t invade my privacy; never let me worry about
organization. whether you know too much about me.
If a service gap exists, management should examine 8. Respect my time by making your offer super easy to
four other gaps that most likely are the reason for the serv- deal with.
ice gap. These four gaps are: 9. Anticipate my needs.

1. Knowledge gap—The difference between the con- 10. Treat me with respect when things go wrong … not
sumer’s service expectations and management’s per- some cheap, generic atonement that is unmatched
ception of consumer’s expectations to the incident.

186 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION