Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1991) had explained the use of the SERVQUAL Model and established the various dimensions of service quality through empirical evidence. In today's highly competitive scenario in the marketing of services, these dimensions can prove to be very important for marketers to gain an edge over competitors. However, they need to be handled in an adroit manner to ensure effectiveness. The impact of proper handling is bound to be felt on service quality. The five dimensions and the manner in which they should be handled have been discussed below.
Even in services, the tangibles play a big role. Contrary to popular belief, customers form judgments regarding service quality by taking the tangibles into consideration. The risks associated with the purchase of services are higher, since the customer is not fully aware of the quality that would be finally delivered. This is because service creation and consumption happen simultaneously. Therefore, to judge the quality of service, the customer has to actually experience the service. So, before purchasing a service, the customer forms a judgment about the quality on the basis of the tangibles. The important issues for managing tangibles include:
The quality becomes evident from the equipment used to create and deliver the service. Restaurants boast of their modern kitchens, airlines flaunt their newly acquired aircrafts, while B-schools stress their state-of-the-art Wi-Fi enabled campuses with air-conditioned classrooms. For example, Barista coffee shops use the latest equipment for brewing innovative blends of coffee. The use of suitable tangibles comprising ultra-modern equipment helps in delivering credibility to the service that is being offered.
|
