Gaps Model Analysis

TO: Professor. Thelen

FROM: Binbin (Elaine) Du

DATE: October 23, 2015

SUBJECT: Gaps Model Analysis

Introduction  

    Unlike the qualities of products that have standards to measure whether they are qualified, the quality of service is very intangible and hard to manage. Gaps Model is an effective approach to service quality measurement. Through using this model, managers can identify the gaps between consumer expectations and the services offered at different stages of service delivery. The quality of service can be improved by narrowing those gaps.

Method

    To further understand the Gaps Model and apply this model to practice, I interviewed Ryan Peng, the executive director of Inheart Marketing, Qingdao, China. Inheart Marketing was established in 2008, located in Qingdao, China. It used to be a famous local company specializing in graphic design and advertising. Now it has become a comprehensive marketing company specializing in product/event marketing and brand management.

Results

    According to the interview, Ryan indicated that he had come up with several solutions to close the gaps, however, his company still suffers from some stages of service gaps, both internally and externally.

• The Knowledge Gap

    The knowledge gap appears when the manager fails to understand consumers’ real needs. Ryan defined his company as a marketing professional in product/event marketing and brand management, offering safe and effective marketing strategies. He feels that it is important to offer clients practical marketing strategies in a professional way, for instance, lowering the price to get more market shares or not blurring the brand identity by providing too much information. However, it turned out that his clients are reluctant to follow those strategies. Ryan believes that it is the clients’ lack of marketing insight and brand awareness to blame. I personally feel it is appropriate for a marketing company to define its services that way, but the real purpose of consumers coming to your office might not be to seek marketing strategies. Inheart is a local company and most of its clients are from small companies. They do not have much knowledge about how marketing works for their companies. The goals of the clients are to make their brands or products known. Their perception of “marketing” is more like advertising. Consumers who do their marketing based on this concept would feel offended when they are told to change their strategies. In order to narrow this knowledge gap, Inheart should educate their clients about the difference between marketing and advertising before they start the contracts, so that they can understand which service their clients really need, thus offering the right service.