CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.6 RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the interviews and observations during the department visits, my recommendations will focus on which method should be used to measure the customer satisfaction and the tools that should be combined.
Method was defined as the tool that may help them to have the data in scales; this can be surveys or phone calls. With the combination of the SERVQUAL and the QFD, it will be a reliable way for them to accomplish the CSM methodology and fulfill all the expectations from the people inside and outside the financing department.
Excellence in customer service can only be fully achieved by having a departmental culture and system which places the customer at the heart of everything that and department and its people do.
Democracy, human rights, transparency, accountability, service delivery, accessibility, and appropriateness
Management should respond attentively to the customers.
It is also recommended that the financing department uses SERVQUAL to track service trends and to assess its quality of service along tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy dimensions. SERVQUAL could also serve as a diagnostic methodology for uncovering broad areas of financing department’s service quality strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, SERVQUAL could serve as market segmentation tool as different client groups may consider different dimensions of service quality as more desirable or more important.
And lastly it is recommended that an appropriate service testing routine be in place and implemented, meaning involving training of staff and practicing good service quality.
6.6.1 Recommendations based on interviews
The administration of the SERVQUAL customer perception tool and the subsequent analysis of the results
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overall customer perception of the service quality provided by the Finance Department was within the acceptable level, analysis of the difference between the expectation of excellent service quality and perceived service quality revealed room for improvement in all areas.
Developing training and marketing platforms to increase exposure of staff as well as promote their professionalism.
A complete "paradigm shift" in managerial thinking in terms of service quality by placing customer satisfaction and customer service as their organisation's ultimate objectives. This can be achieved by using the customer and the customers' expectations as the focal point and seeing customers as the "reason for their existence" and every function that is to be performed should in some way contribute to total customer satisfaction.
Ensuring that staff is well trained and re-trained, properly screened and ensuring that they possess the necessary interpersonal skills to perform their functions well will assist.
The format of the quality standard is to be set by all the personnel involved with delivering quality service.
More communication needs to take place between all the staff involved in delivering quality service to ensure proper coordination and completion of the service offering.
As the problems illustrated from the response in interviews it is validated that, the following conclusions have been drawn. The consumer’s perception of service quality as offered by Finance is generally perceived as being satisfactory. It was also noted that the service quality that is being offered isof a fair standard. The poor perception that occurred is as a direct result of the very high expectations that have been set by consumers. This is evident that consumers have very high expectations of the service offered by the Finance Department and these impacts significantly on their overall perception of service quality.
The delivery of quality service requires the consistent responsibility of staff. Staff needs to concentrate on guaranteeing that the better detail in conveying quality service is not disregarded, as this seriously effects on the view of service quality. The SERVQUAL model is a useful tool for measuring service quality.
However, a common problem that was observed was the length of the interview. It was noted that a few respondents from the interview were not basic enough regarding their impression of service quality.
6.6.2 Recommendations from questionnaires based on GAP model of SERVQUAL
Gap 1 - not knowing what customers expect
Several participants in the service quality field agree that expectations are very important in a customers' evaluation of service. This also seems to occur in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction literature. Expectations also serve as a reference point in customers' assessment of service performance. However, the debate continues about how best to incorporate expectations into service quality measurement (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1994).
Gap 2 - setting the wrong standards
The understanding of customer expectations is not sufficient to ensure that service quality is offered.
Once customer expectations are understood this knowledge should be utilised to set the service quality standards for the Finance Department.
Gap 3: the service performance gap
Should the top management of service organisations manage to reduce both the size of gap 1 and gap 2 it does not imply that the service quality that is provided, is perceived by the customer as being of a high level. As is often the case, problems occur with the actual delivery of the service by employees.
This could be as a direct result of unwillingness or inability of staff to deliver the service quality that is expected of them.
Gap 4: promises not being kept
The difference between the promises of service organisations compared to what it actually delivers is the fourth gap in the service quality model. These promises are made through advertising, personal selling and public relations and results in high customer expectations being formed.
Gap 5: the expectations-perceptions gap
As stated in chapter 1 of the study, Gaps 1 through 4 are the internal service quality problems within the organisation. These gaps result in a customer formulating a perception about the service quality
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also been pre-determined by aspects such as; word-of-mouth communication, personal needs and past experiences. The expectations are then compared to the perception of the service that has been delivered, resulting in Gap 5 being formed, namely service quality. Should the perception of the service exceed the expectations of the consumer, the service quality would be regarded as being good.