Perception of Service Quality: The Complaining Customer

Carr et al. (1995) said that, quality is an objective that is important and widely recognised through the world, but that low quality service providers are unlikely to survive due to increasing customer demand and the removal of trade barriers. A second perspective is Oakland (2000, cited in Douglas and Connor, 2003) described quality as a way of managing business processes to satisfy customers both internally and externally at every stage. Reference to the case study, presto cleaner did not identify customer needs in order to match their expectations to the organisation objectives. This can be assumed to be the beginning of the problems, for example, a new computer system was installed to generally increase efficiency. However, customers' have to fill out a preference card although this is to happen once. Then, customers' will have to pay for special bags anytime they visit the laundry which cost $3. In addition, they still have to wait in-line and a counterperson is needed just like the previous system. This shows lack of analysis and variation on the benefit of the new system before it was installed. This raises the question of quality planning by quality guru Juran who believes that quality does not happen by accident, it must be planned (Carr et al., 1995). Juran sees quality planning as part of a trilogy which are: quality control, quality planning and quality improvement.

Furthermore, the theorem identifies elements such as determining the needs of customers, developing a process which is able to produce the product or services and optimising the process as vital to organisations (Peterson, 1999). Presto cleaner could have avoided the quality problems only, if the new system was verified to the needs of the customers. Although, the complaining customer acknowledged the friendliness of the counter staff, but his expectations were not met. Carr et al. (1995) said that Juran's quality trilogy concept is vital to implement an organisation wide strategic planning. Palmer (1998, cited in Douglas and Connor, 2003) said that customers are more than ever eager to complain to transfer their allegiances to service providers. The customer leaves his shirt to be cleaned and collected but this did not happen on the agreed date as it was given to another customer. Again, this raises concerns of service delivery in relation to quality chain, quality gap model and SERVQUAL.

Below is a of the gap model:

Figure: 1 GAP MODEL

Source: Parasuraman et al. (1994)

It is clear from the diagram above that perceptions form the basis for this conceptual model created by Parasuraman et al. (1985). Samson and Parker (1994) explained that, the gaps between service providers and customers is in fact based on expectations and perceived results of the model. Reference