In service marketing, the five-step model of service quality is widely used. She defines quality of service in terms of meeting customer expectations. The firm must definitely know what the client expects and realize his expectations with excellent quality. The strategic advantage of the five-stage service quality model is that at each stage there are opportunities for growth and at each stage contradictions between the highest and existing levels of quality are overcome.

Stage 1. Consumer expectations and management response. At this stage, it is important to answer the question: what are the features of the client's requirements for providing high-level service?

In a MasterCard study, the question was asked: "Given the same conditions of location, price and cleanliness of the hotel, what other factors are most important in making a decision?" The results were distributed as follows:

• availability of a restaurant - 32%;
• level of service quality - 22%;
• room furnishings - 14%;
• contingent of guests - 11%;
• availability of exercise equipment and equipment for recreation - 14%;
• safety - 3%.

Hotels are finding different ways to cater to the needs of business travelers, such as women-only floors, business floors, business service centers, and dedicated in-room relaxation areas. Business floors are designed to provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for business meetings, transactions, and as a place to relax after a hard day. For example, clubs, cozy bars, a library with art or business books and periodicals, desktops with telephones, large-screen TVs can be located here.

Source. Ilna E., Shtykhno D. Business travel marketing (US experience) // Marketing in Russia and abroad. 1998. No. 1.

Stage 2. Perception of management and service quality specifications. This stage is reached when managers know what their customers want, but are unable or unwilling to develop systems to meet customer needs.

Stage 3. Quality of Service Specifications and Service Delivery. At this stage, management understands what the needs of the customers are and knows what relevant service quality specifications have been developed in this regard. However, employees are unable or unwilling to provide this level of service.

Step 4: Service delivery and external relations. At this stage, it is important to make sure that the firm promises what it can deliver. The customer's perception of a restaurant product (service) is usually the sum of two elements: the quality of the food and the quality of the service. The results of perception are presented in table. 31.3.

Thus, if a restaurant offers excellent cuisine, but the service is not of high quality, then 90% of customers will evaluate the restaurant negatively and most likely will be lost forever.

Stage 5. Expected service and perception of the service provided. Achieving high quality service is a long process. For achievement main goal- the highest customer satisfaction and its transformation into a loyal one - the company must develop a service quality program.

Source. Pally M. The Perfect Restaurant Owner's Handbook. M .: LLC "Modern restaurant and retail technologies", 1999.

Passenger service at British Airways

In first-class cabins, the chairs can be turned into a bed almost two meters long. Bed linen and pajamas are provided. The bed is surrounded by a border, which can be lowered or raised at will. You can order an individual video program. The bar is open. If the client has to wait until the morning for the next flight, he will be provided with a five-star hotel room and a limousine.

There are three main approaches to assessing the quality of services:

1. service provider self-assessment;
2. evaluation of the quality of services by a third party;
3. consumer assessment of the services received.

When assessing quality, the methodology for calculating the consumer satisfaction index (CSI) has also become widespread. This index, calculated on the basis of the method of personal interviews, is used as one of the parameters of the long-term forecast of the profitability and market value of firms, and also allows you to identify the causes and factors of customer satisfaction and their loyalty 3 .

Russian researchers have proposed a method for assessing the quality of services based on a survey of quality service specialists after their regular raids on points of sale 4 . The proposed methodology is based on four groups of qualitative indicators based on certain characteristics of a service company that affect the consumer's reaction:

1. spatial indicators characterizing the quality environment services or conditions for its provision;
2. information indicators that characterize the information security of customers - the quality of information support;
3. professional indicators that characterize the level of service offered to customers (the level vocational training and staff qualifications), - quality of staff;
4. claim indicators that can be used, on the one hand, to evaluate the characteristics of items 1-3, on the other hand, as an independent group of indicators in the form of a system for collecting and processing information on customer reviews and claims.

Depending on the goals and objectives, various groups of indicators, when calculating the overall score, can be assigned a weighting factor that reflects the priority of these groups of indicators for the company (Table 31.4).

Source. Ponomareva T.A., Supryagina M.S. Quality of services: qualitative parameters of assessment // Marketing in Russia and abroad. 2005. No. 1.

The system for collecting and processing information on customer reviews and claims should include:

• various forms of collecting information about customer reactions;
• procedures for assessing this reaction in different cases;
• a system of measures taken, both encouraging and reprehensible;
• evaluation of points of sale;
• checking the availability of available information;
• assessment of professional training and continuous improvement of personnel on issues related to work with clients.

The aspects of providing quality customer service are as follows:

1. analysis of all claims, comments and suggestions of customers to the service company;
2. the availability of effective and competitive business technologies that describe the entire process of interaction between a client and a company;
3. regular customer surveys.

A widely used quality of service model is known as the five-step model (Figure 12.3). It defines service quality in terms of meeting customer expectations. According to the developers of the model, "the first step in service is to know what the customer expects and what a critical situation can arise in the quality of service. Simply put, the firm must know what the customer expects and fulfill his expectations with excellent quality." This model is closely related to marketing, as it is based on a focus on consumer needs. The model has five steps, discussed below.

Stage 1: Customer expectations and management response
The management of HOTELS, restaurants, etc. is not always able to understand what the client expects from the service and what are the features of his requirements in providing a high level of service.

When management doesn't understand what their customers want, this is a stepping stone. For example, a hotel manager has developed a system that guarantees all guests that they will have to wait no more than 15 minutes to check in. However, if guests begin to show dissatisfaction after 10 minutes, then such a system will not satisfy customers. By talking to guests before implementing the new check-in system, the manager would have known that the critical wait time for them was 10 minutes, not 15. bathrooms, but led to the rooms cable TV which turned out to be more necessary for most of the guests. Initially, management envisioned bath crystals to be of benefit to customers. However, after observing the behavior of the guests, we decided that the guests would like it more if they were offered a different type of service.

Many firms do research first to find out what the market needs, but then they focus on in-house issues and forget that customer needs change. If the client needs to change the properties of the product or service, and those do not change, the marketing mix becomes less attractive to the target market and step 1 increases. Managers need to think about their actions from all angles, talk to customers and encourage feedback. Management may also receive customer information from information systems marketing.

Rice. 12.3. Conceptual model of service quality - stepwise model of service quality analysis

Stage 2: Perception of management and service quality specifications
Stage 2 occurs when managers know what their customers want but are unable or unwilling to develop systems to satisfy them. There are several reasons for having this stage: 1) inadequate attitude towards quality of service, 2) lack of understanding of feasibility, 3) inadequate task standardization, and 4) lack of purpose.

Some companies are looking for quick profits and are unwilling to invest in people or equipment. This almost inevitably causes problems with the quality of service. Hoteliers who refuse to provide sufficient working capital may make a mistake at step 2. For example, a hotelier who spends enough money to have right amount towels, may find that towels quickly lose appearance, they are stolen and spoiled. One of the hotel guests experienced this at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He returned from the beach to his freshly cleaned room and got ready to take a shower, but noticed that there were no towels in the room. The guest turned to the staff and explained that he wanted to take a shower to prepare for a business meeting, but there were no towels in the room. The employees apologized, saying they didn't have enough towels. After 15 minutes, the maid came with towels, although it was already late. Incidents of this type detract from a positive service experience, create unnecessary problems, and reduce employee morale. In this case, the hotel management knew that there weren't enough towels, but they either didn't want to invest money to properly provide the hotel, or they simply didn't have them.

Sometimes managers feel that solving an existing problem in the given conditions is simply impossible. For example, most visiting business people want to check out of the hotel after breakfast. They are usually in a hurry to start their business day in the morning. The hotel managers see this leading to 10-20 minute waits, but do nothing as they are unwilling to hire additional employees to help during this busy period. Bill Marriott Jr. understood that the problem was important enough, and developed a system that solves it - he introduced an express statement. Guests receive their bills the night before. If the bills are correct, guests simply leave, leaving paid bills and keys at the front desk. Today, most hotel chains use a special type of checkout control system. Some hotels have adopted technology that allows the guest to check the correctness of their bills on their TV screens in the room and check out of the hotel, also using the TV equipment in their room. The express checkout system was conceived by a man who viewed shortening the checkout queue as a necessity, not as a problem that cannot be solved and which is inherent in the system. Bill Marriott addressed this deficiency in Stage 2. He demonstrated that money is not the only way to solve problems in Stage 2. Creative thinking can also solve problems in Stage 2. Sometimes you need to look for non-traditional ways to solve a problem. What the client needs must be entered into the content of the service in order to serve him qualitatively.

Finally, the goals must be accepted by the employees. Management should show their support through due appreciation of their performance, communication and rewards for particularly well-performing employees.

Step 3: Quality of Service Specifications and Service Delivery
Stage 3 constitutes the service execution component. It occurs when management understands what customer needs are and knows what relevant service quality specifications have been developed for this, but employees are unable or unwilling to provide that level of service.

Errors in this stage occur at the "moment of truth" when the employee and the customer interact. At stage 3, the actions of service personnel who use machinery (machines) to provide service are less prone to error. Machines do not make human mistakes, and guests expect less attention from machines. For example, a person using a computerized check-in at a hotel does not expect the machine to greet him cheerfully and be able to show him where the coffee shop is located. Employees, however, are expected to act readily and resolve all guest concerns. If they do not do this, visitors may feel dissatisfied with the quality of service.

Step 3 error can be minimized through an internal marketing program. The efforts of the human resources department - hiring, training, monitoring working conditions and developing a reward system - are important to eliminate errors at this stage.

Bernard Booms loves to tell the story of a flight attendant who received a complaint from a passenger. When a flight attendant responded to a passenger's call, he complained that his fried potatoes were undercooked. The flight attendant came over, took the passenger's potato dish and said, "Yes, bad potatoes, bad potatoes." She then returned the potatoes to the passenger and left. This is an anecdotal case, but the passenger was probably uncomfortable, although he appreciated the humor of the stewardess. This step 3 error occurs when employees are stressed out by being overwhelmed by dealing with too many customers.

Step 4: Service Delivery and External Relations
Stage 4 occurs when a firm promises more in external relations than it can deliver. We have already mentioned above advertising campaign launched by Bermuda management, inviting travelers to enjoy the island's off-season attractions. Visitors were disappointed to find that many attractive things were not available to them during this period. Marketers need to make sure they can actually deliver what they promise.

During the last week of the ski season, skiers were surprised to find that only half of the routes were cleared on one side of the mountain. This was annoying and even dangerous, since the intermediate link of the route was half cleared, where inexperienced skiers could suddenly run into difficulties. All routes were perfectly normal cleared all season until that last week. Arriving at the end of the season no doubt felt dissatisfied.

The Regent Resort, Fiji, faced a major challenge when a military coup took place, affecting tourism. Consultant Chuck Gee, Dean of the School of Management tourism business at the University of Hawaii, was invited by the resort to consult during this crisis. Chuck's advice was: "Don't do anything new. Don't downsize your staff, lighting, food quality, or your service." Asked why he thinks so, Chuck replied that the Regent has proven itself to be a luxury resort and should continue to offer a high level of service even if only one guest showed up. He explained that the Regent was aware of the risks involved in entering this market and should be prepared to pay the price of the risk and continue to be an upscale resort.

A break in the sequence can also lead to problems in step 4. Maintenance policy in hotel business was discussed at the marketing seminar. After the seminar, the manager of La Quinta spoke about the case with a guest when the cashier refused to accept a check issued not by a company, but by an individual. The check exceeded the maximum amount that La Quinta set for such checks. However, during a previous stay at this hotel, the guest paid with a check for the same amount. At that time, the clerk on duty at the registration hesitantly agreed that, it seemed, it was allowed to pay with such checks for this amount. The clerk may have known that the guest had enough cash to pay the check later, and thought he was doing him a favor. However, this clerk did not realize that problems would arise the next time a guest visited one of the La Quinta hotels. Clients hope that in the hotel chain the services provided to clients and the service policy are the same. Failure to comply with this rule results in errors at step 4.

Step 5: Service Expectations and Perceptions of Service Delivered
Stage 5 is a derivative of others. Since any of the preceding stages can grow in size, stage 5 also has growth opportunities that come from the difference between the expected quality of service and the one actually provided.

Expected quality is what the guest expects to receive from the company. The service provided is what the guest feels they have received from the company. If the guest receives less than expected, then he remains dissatisfied.

The five-step service quality analysis model provides a proper understanding of service quality delivery. By studying this model, we can develop an understanding of the potential problems associated with providing quality service. And this will help solve any problems at each of the stages that may exist in our actions.

Benefits of quality service
Firms that have a higher market share and better service than competitors earn more high profit than similar firms, but with a smaller market share and a worse quality of service. In the book The PIMS Principles the authors show the relationship between quality and profitability, which is illustrated in Fig. 12.4. As can be seen from the numbers, firms with high market share and high service quality have the highest return on investment.

Rice. 12.4. The ratio of service quality levels and business profitability

Consumer retention
High quality attracts regular, loyal customers and brings good reputation to the company. This is an important factor in the client's decision to use the firm's services. Quality determines the degree of customer satisfaction that influences the decision to re-apply for services and maintains a good public opinion. Research has shown that acquiring a new customer is four to six times harder than retaining an existing one. If a potential client likes this hotel, it is difficult to convince him to stay in another one. Often, even a significant price reduction by a competitor will not force the client to change the hotel. Hospitality marketers and salespeople may have to wait until a competitor hotel makes a mistake before they can convince a customer to try to stay at their hotel. This process can take months or even years. At this time, hotel marketing and sales specialists make phone inquiries, send out promotional materials and invite potential customers to breakfast or lunch at the hotel. The hotel spends money on advertising campaigns, public relations, and mailing promotional materials to customers. A hotel can spend several thousand dollars persuading a client to use their services. If the client decides to stay in a hotel, the money spent on marketing is a good investment. However, if a potential client tries to stay at a hotel and feels that the quality of service is worse, then he (or she) will leave, never to return. If this happened, then all the marketing efforts to attract this client were wasted.

A satisfied customer also creates a good opinion among others about the quality of service in this hotel. On average, one satisfied guest reports five others, while a disgruntled guest reports deficiencies to a dozen or more people. To balance the positive and the negative public opinion, it is necessary that at least two customers are satisfied with the level of service for every one who was dissatisfied with them. The market evaluates hotels or restaurants that receive mixed reviews from guests as mediocre. A hotel that wants to achieve an excellent reputation must do much better.

Guest service firms that strive to achieve superior quality set themselves the goal of operating without error. A hotel with 200 rooms can have more than 50,000 guests during the year. Most hotel owners believe that 90% of the standards are sufficient. However, if the maids clean the rooms according to this principle, then in a hotel with 200 rooms, 5,000 guests a year may receive rooms that have not been properly cleaned. Perhaps half of the guests will not notice this. But if 2500 noticed such an oversight by the staff and half of them decide not to stay here anymore, then this means that the hotel has lost 1250 customers. If each of these customers can give the hotel $1,000 in potential revenue, then the hotel has thus lost $125,000 of its future revenues, generally due to minor errors. If the calculations also take into account meals, registration and room reservations, it is easy to calculate that the income lost as a result of poor quality of service can be very significant.

How to avoid price competition
Frank Perd, famous for his chicken dishes, once said: "Customers are getting out of the way of buying the most the best goods and you can incentivize them to continue this difficult journey." PIMS data showed that if all firms were divided into three groups by quality of service, then the top third, which provides the best level of it, could encourage their customers 5-6% higher, than those firms in the bottom third in terms of quality High quality avoids price competition and maximizes potential revenue.

A restaurant with a reputation for quality food and service is more competitive than one with a controversial reputation or poor service quality. A restaurant with a high image can count on a positive public opinion and a large number of regular customers to start new business. Restaurant with bad reputation will not have a large number of regular customers and will receive more unfavorable publicity. Restaurants often resort to price discounts in this situation, using two-for-one coupons and other incentives.

Hospitality companies sometimes fail to focus their efforts on what the client really wants. The presence of newspapers at the entrance to the hotel, for example, appeals to more guests than the health club, which cost thousands of dollars to build and maintain.

Executive Manager economic department of the 1400-room hotel, when asked why the hotel did not install retractable clotheslines, as requested by many guests, he replied: "This is too much trouble."

Differentiation in the service industry is sometimes easy to spot simply by asking guests what they really want.

How to keep good employees
Employees value work that is well organized and creates high quality goods and services. Front desk clerks don't like to receive complaints from hotel guests. Absenteeism, staff turnover and a decline in employee morale are all costs of the poor quality of goods and services provided. Two researchers compiled a list of reasons why employees quit their jobs by interviewing recent graduates from a hotel and restaurant management school. One of these reasons given graduates, - lack of quality of customer service in the organization. If a company provides quality customer service, it can retain good employees. Hiring becomes easier and training costs are reduced.

Reducing the cost of quality
Costs associated with quality assurance include internal, external and quality system costs. Internal costs are associated with the elimination of various problems detected by the firm before the product (service) reaches the consumer. For example, the air conditioner breaks down due to improper maintenance, or the guest room cannot be used until it is repaired. The chef prepares grilled perch instead of the grilled perch ordered by the guest. The waiter discovers this mistake when he takes the dish from the kitchen and asks the chef to prepare the fish again.

External costs are associated with quality errors experienced by the client. These mistakes can cost the firm dearly if the customer decides not to visit again due to service issues. Here are some examples of external costs: A restaurant manager gives guests a free bottle of wine because they complained about slow service. The guest receives a special "welcome" breakfast because it took the room service an hour to bring the food. The guest receives a fruit basket as an apology because the check-in clerk put him in an uncleaned room. A group of guests has a problem with the hotel's audiovisual service and is canceling future bookings. Unfortunately, such errors are difficult to detect before they reach the customer, since service provision and consumption in the guest service business occur at the same time.

A quality service system does not come without costs. However, they are usually less than those associated with internal and external costs due to low levels of service. Some examples of quality system costs are: quality control of customer service, training, management meetings with employees and customers, and implementation new technology. These costs can be seen as an investment in the company's future. They help ensure the return of customers. On the other hand, internal costs do not affect customer satisfaction. In that sense, it's just money thrown away. The external costs associated with maintenance errors are often very high. The firm may go to great expense to provide additional service to a client who has been poorly served. But sometimes these efforts do not bring any effect, and the company still loses the client forever.

Development of a quality service program

The service quality program includes a joint effort of marketing and work organization. To improve the quality of service, the company must follow certain principles. It is not the purpose of this book to describe a detailed procedure for the development of total quality management. However, we present below 10 key principles for quality service delivery as a framework for a quality service program.

1 Leadership
The management of the organization must have a clear idea of ​​the purpose and future development of the company, but this is not enough. The leadership team must also communicate this vision to their employees and convince them to believe in it and follow it. Domino's pizzerias were on the verge of collapse because Monaghan and his partner had different ideas about the purpose of the company. Monaghan wanted to develop a concept based on the quality of supplies, while his partner insisted on the concept of quality of service. Finally, Monaghan led the company and changed it according to his ideas.

Good leaders see their goal as delivering quality service through actions that are visible to both employees and customers. When you think of good quality, several names come to mind: Bill Marriott, Isadore Sharp of the Four Seasons, Horst Schultz of the Ritz-Carlton, Doug Roth of Bistro 110 in Chicago, Robert Del Grande of Annie Cafe in Houston, Joseph Baum of the Rainbow Room in New York and Norm Brinker of Brinker International. These leaders pay attention to every detail, spend a lot of time in their hotels and restaurants, talk to employees and customers, and don't compromise on service quality. They are completely committed to the idea of ​​quality in service and prove it in practice.

2. Implementation of the marketing approach in all departments of the organization
The concept of marketing stipulates that marketing should permeate the entire organization. Tom Fitzgerald, vice president of marketing at ARAMARK Services, believes that performing the marketing function within a guest service organization is the responsibility of people outside of the marketing department. He challenges the opinion of marketing experts, suggesting that the creation of a large separate marketing department should be abandoned. Marketing must be present in practice in the work of each division of the company.

3. Understanding the needs of consumers
Customers feel the quality. Companies with a high quality of service know what the market requires of them. The product or service must be intended for the target market. Firms must understand the needs of target markets.

Restaurant Steak spent marketing research to determine the needs of a "disaffected niche" in their target market. The results showed that this important part of the customers was unhappy with the long queues to pay the bill. For many years, according to standard procedure, Mr. Steak gave visitors checks, and they themselves paid them then at the checkout. After some research, the restaurant changed the process, giving guests the choice of paying the check themselves or having the waiter do it for them.

4. Understanding the business
Providing quality service requires the coordinated work of the entire team of employees. Employees must understand how their work affects the results of the work of the rest of the team. There are many firms that train staff in the so-called "cross service", where an employee can perform different kinds works. Such training gives employees the opportunity to master various professions and encourages them to understand the essence of the work in other specialties. They see how their work affects the results of other employees and how they collectively affect the perception of customer service. Thus, they begin to understand the essence of the business.

5. Application in the work of the basic organizational principles
The work of the organization must be well planned and well managed. This starts with the development of a draft management concept. Above, we discussed Marriott's planning process at Courtyard Inns hotels. There, the planning process was designed so that the distinctive features of the hotel service provide benefits to consumers in the selected market segment. This requires a special system to supply management information to the firm's employees and organize them Good work. Such systems include staff recruitment and training procedures, service purchase procedures, management information systems, property information systems, room booking and registration systems, Maintenance equipment, quality control systems and production systems for the kitchen. Companies that provide quality service have well-established operational process systems.

6. Freedom Factor
In first-class restaurants and four- and five-star hotels, guests expect more customer-oriented service. The service delivery system must be flexible. Employees must have a certain freedom in their actions in order to serve the client according to his needs. They should not be tied to strict regulations and rigid rules. Managers should support the work of employees and indicate its direction, and not set up various obstacles in the form of rules and regulations that prevent employees from serving the client in the best way.

7. Use of appropriate technologies
Technology should be used to control changes in the marketing environment, to help operating systems, develop customer databases and improve methods for maintaining relationships with them. The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, winner of the Malcom Baldrige Award for Service Excellence, has introduced a computerized "guest history" system that provides information on 240,000 repeat customers. The Ritz-Carlton also collects daily production information in 720 areas of its work. These messages also serve as an alert system to identify problems that might hinder customer service. Other information used by the Ritz-Carlton includes annual reports on preventive maintenance cycles and the percentage of check-ins without a queue. This company makes good use of advanced technology: from automated building maintenance technology and security systems before computer system booking rooms, in order to ensure a consistently high level of satisfaction for guests staying in it.

8. good management personnel
In the internal marketing section, we discussed the needs of hiring the right people. Employees must be capable of delivering the services promised to the client.

9. Setting standards, evaluating performance and introducing an incentive system
The most important way to improve the quality of service is to set service standards and goals, and then educate employees and managers about this. These standards must be continuously raised. Employees who provide good service should be rewarded for it.

10. Feedback from employees on the results of work
The results of your research must be communicated to all employees. This should come from senior management when communicating with employees and partly during departmental meetings. Employees need to know what guests like and what they don't like. They must also know which areas of service are improving and which are not.

Failures of quality assurance programs
A study of quality assurance programs in hotels found that "the results of the introduction of quality assurance systems have justified the initial investment." However, some hotels reported that such programs did not work.

The three main reasons for these failures are: 1) lack of accountability in the upper and middle management, 2) departure of the person responsible for the operation of the quality assurance system, and 3) change of hotel owner.

Chapter Summary

I. To win a place in the market today, companies must be consumer-oriented: they must prioritize target consumer.

II. Consumers buy from the firm what they consider to be the highest the value given to him, that there is a difference between the total value for the consumer and his total cost.

1) The consumer receives value, consisting of core products, service system and company image.

2) Consumer costs include money, time, physical effort and psychological costs.

III. Consumer retention

1) Cost of lost customers. Companies need to know what the loss of a customer is worth - it is the loss of the value of their entire "lifetime" in the market.
2) Satisfaction of consumer complaints. Settlement of consumer complaints is a major component of acquiring a loyal customer.
3) Relationship marketing. Relationship marketing involves creating, maintaining and developing close relationships with consumers.

IV. Beneficial consumers. Ultimately, companies must judge which activities and which consumers will benefit them. Marketing is the art of attracting and retaining profitable customers.

V. What is quality? There are several ideas about the quality of the goods. One is based on the properties of the product, the other is based on the absence of flaws in it, and the third is based on three categories of quality: technical, functional and social.

1) Product properties. Some ideas about the features and properties of a product that increase the degree of customer satisfaction are a way to measure the level of quality. According to this, a luxury hotel has a higher level of quality than a limited service hotel.

2) Absence of shortcomings. The absence of flaws is another way to achieve quality. According to this view, a limited service hotel and a luxury hotel could both be high quality companies if the services they offer are free from disadvantages and satisfy the needs of their customer segments.

a) Technical quality refers to what the customer has received after the employee-customer interactions have been completed.
b) Functional quality - the process of providing a service or product.
c) Social (ethical) quality - the quality of trust; it cannot be evaluated by the consumer before purchase and often cannot be evaluated after purchase.

VI. Five-stage model of service quality analysis

1) Stage 1: Customer expectations and management response. The stage occurs when the employees serving the guests are not able to understand what the consumer expects from the service and what he especially needs in order to experience high-quality service.

2) Stage 2: Acceptance of management and service quality specifications. Stage 2 occurs when managers know what their clients want but are unable or unwilling to develop systems that will provide it.

3) Stage 3: Quality of Service Specifications and Service Delivery. This stage is associated with the implementation of the service itself. Stage 3 occurs when management understands what the needs of the customers are and develops the appropriate specifications to fulfill them, but the employees are unable or unwilling to provide that level of service.

4) Stage 4: Service delivery and external relations. Stage 4 occurs when the firm promises people more than it can realistically deliver.

5) Stage 5: Expected service and perceived service delivery. Stage 5 is a derivative of other components. It increases as a consequence of the increase in other components. It is the difference between the expected quality level and the delivered quality level.

VII. Benefits of quality service

1) Customer retention. High quality attracts loyal customers and creates a positive public opinion

2) Avoiding price competition. The PIMS data show that if we divide all firms into three groups according to the level of service quality, then the firms of the first, highest, group can encourage their customers by 5-6% higher due to quality than the firms of the last third. High quality can help avoid price competition and maximize revenue potential.

3) Retaining good employees. Employees value work that is well managed and that produces a high quality product. When service is of good quality, it can retain good employees. Recruitment then becomes easy and training costs are reduced.

4) Reduction of quality costs.

a) Internal costs are associated with correcting errors discovered by the firm before the product reaches consumers.
b) External costs are associated with errors that customers already experience.
c) Quality system costs - costs considered as an investment in the future of the company in order to guarantee an influx of regular customers.

VIII. Development of a quality service program

1) Leadership. The management of the organization must have a clear idea of ​​the purpose and future development of the company, but this is not enough. Management must also communicate this vision to their employees so that they believe in it and follow it.
2) Introduction of the marketing approach to all departments of the organization. The concept of marketing stipulates that marketing should permeate the entire organization.
3) Understanding the needs of the client. Companies with a high quality of service know what the market demands.
4) Understanding the business. Providing a high quality of service requires employees to have a collectivist approach to work. They must understand that their work affects the interests of other members of the team.
5) Application in the work of the basic organizational principles. The work in the organization must be well planned and well managed.
6) Factor of freedom. Employees should have freedom in their customer service activities to better meet their needs.
7) Use of appropriate technologies. Technology must be used to control the marketing environment, assist operating systems, develop customer databases, and provide efficient methods for contacting them.
8) Good personnel management. Employees must be capable of delivering the services promised to the client.
9) Setting standards, evaluating performance and introducing a system of incentives. The most important way to improve service quality is to set service standards and goals, and then train employees and managers to do so. Employees who serve customers well should be rewarded for doing so.

IX. Failures of quality assurance programs. There are three reasons for such failures:

1) Lack of responsibility at the top and middle levels of management.
2) Departure of the person responsible for the operation of the quality assurance system
3) Change of the owner of the hotel.

Issues for discussion
1. Think of a time when you were served in a hotel or on a plane and you had a problem with a hotel room or food or something. How did the company solve your problem (if it did)? Was this issue eventually resolved, if not, why not?
2. "When it comes to relationship marketing and you don't want to have an ongoing relationship with every client." Explain what this statement means.
3. McDonald's provides high quality service? Explain your answer and indicate the criteria by which you tend to judge quality.
4. Choose a service in the hospitality or restaurant business or in a field of tourism with which you are familiar and explain which components include technical quality, functional quality and social quality.
5. The five-step quality of service model explains what causes stage 1 and how this stage can be reduced.
6. Describe a time you had problems with Stage 4. For example, what the organization promised you and how those promises differed from what you actually received. Use the hospitality industry as your example. restaurant services and tourism.
7. How does good quality increase an employee's job satisfaction?

Key terms
Relationship marketing. Relationship marketing involves creating, maintaining and strengthening strong relationships with customers and with other partners.
Expected service. This is the service that the client expects to receive from the firm that provides it.
Features and properties of the product (product feature). Features and properties of the goods that increase the degree of customer satisfaction - one of the types of quality of service.
Absence of deficiencies (freedom from deficiencies). A type of quality of service that focuses on compliance with instructions and regulations.
Perceived service. The service that the client experienced when he was served by the appropriate employee.
The total value of the product for the consumer (total customer value). The customer derives value from the core products of the service delivery system and the company's image. These components make up the full value of the product for the consumer.
The total cost of purchasing a product for the consumer (total customer cost). Such consumer costs include money, time, physical effort and psychological costs.
Five-gap model of service quality. The five-stage quality of service model suggests that the fewer steps between expected service and actually delivered service, the higher the quality of service. In this model, the stage between received service and expected service is shown as a function of the derivative of four other stages.
Social (ethical) quality (societal (ethical) quality). Ethical quality refers to the supply of goods or services that will not cause harm to consumers or society at large. This is the type of quality that is often overlooked by the client.
Technical quality (technical quality). The quality of the main product that the consumer receives as a result of a sale and purchase transaction. In a hotel, this is a hotel room. The restaurant is food.
Customer satisfaction (customer satisfaction). Consumer satisfaction depends on the acquired properties of the product or service in relation to the buyer's expectations. If the purchased product meets the consumer's expectations, then he is satisfied.
Freedom factor. The freedom factor refers to the amount of authority employees need to make their own decisions.
Functional quality. The quality of the service delivery process.
Values ​​delivered to the consumer (customer delivered value). The difference between the total value of a good or service to a consumer and the total cost of purchasing that good or service.

A widely used quality of service model is known as the five-step model. It defines service quality in terms of meeting customer expectations. According to the developers of the model, the first step in service is knowing what the customer expects and what a critical situation may arise in the quality of service. Simply put, the firm must know what the client expects and deliver on their expectations with excellent quality.” This model is closely related to marketing, as it is based on a focus on consumer needs. The model has five steps, discussed below.

Stage 1: Customer expectations and management response.

The management of hotels, restaurants, etc. is not always able to understand what the client expects from the service and what are the features of his requirements in providing high-level service.

When management doesn't understand what their customers want, that's Stage 1. For example, a hotel manager has developed a system that guarantees all guests that they will have to wait no more than 15 minutes to check in. However, if guests begin to show dissatisfaction after 10 minutes, then such a system will not satisfy customers. By talking to guests before the new check-in system was implemented, the manager would have known that the critical wait time for them was 10 minutes, not 15. At Marriott hotels, noticing that guests were not using gift crystals for the bath, they stopped leaving more them in the bathrooms, and installed cable TV in the rooms, which turned out to be more necessary for most guests. Initially, the management assumed that the bath crystals would bring benefits by getting customers interested. However, after observing the behavior of the guests, they decided that the guests would like it more if they were offered a different type of service.

Many firms do research first to find out what the market needs, but then they focus on in-house questions and forget that customer needs change. If the client needs to change the properties of a product or service, and those do not change, the marketing mix becomes less attractive to the target market and stage 1 increases. Managers need to think about their actions from all angles, talk to customers and encourage feedback. Management may also receive customer information from marketing information systems.

Stage 2: Perception of management and service quality specifications.

Stage 2 occurs when managers know what their customers want but are unable or unwilling to develop systems to provide them. satisfaction. There are several reasons for having this stage: 1) inadequate attitude towards quality of service, 2) lack of understanding of feasibility, 3) inadequate task standardization, and 4) lack of purpose.

Some companies are looking for quick profits and are unwilling to invest in people or equipment. At the same time, problems with the quality of service almost inevitably arise. Hoteliers who refuse to provide sufficient working capital may err on the side of steps 2. For example, a hotel owner who spends enough money to have the right amount of towels may find that the towels quickly lose their appearance, are stolen and ruined. One of the hotel guests experienced this at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He returned from the beach to his freshly cleaned room and got ready to take a shower, but noticed that there were no towels in the room. The guest turned to the staff and explained that he wanted to take a shower to prepare for a business meeting, but there was no towel in the room. The employees apologized, saying they didn't have enough towels. After 15 minutes, the maid came with towels, although it was already late. Incidents of this type detract from a positive service experience, create unnecessary problems, and reduce employee morale. In this case, the hotel management knew that there weren't enough towels, but they either didn't want to invest money to properly provide the hotel, or they simply didn't have them.

Sometimes managers feel that solving an existing problem in the given conditions is simply impossible. For example, most visiting business people want to check out of the hotel after breakfast. They are usually in a hurry to start their business day in the morning. The hotel managers see this leading to 10-20 minute waits, but do nothing as they are unwilling to hire additional employees to help during this busy period. Bill Marriott Jr. understood that the problem was important enough, and developed a system that solves it - he introduced an express statement. Guests receive their bills the night before. If the bills are correct, guests simply leave, leaving paid bills and keys at the front desk. Today, most hotel chains use a special type of checkout control system. Some hotels use technology that allows the guest to check the correctness of the bills on their TV screens in the room and check out of the hotel, also using the TV equipment in their room. The express checkout system was conceived by a man who saw shortening the check-out queue as a necessity, not as a problem that cannot be solved and which is inherent in the system. Bill Marriott eliminated this shortcoming by steps 2. He demonstrated that money is not the only way to solve problems at stage 2. Creative thinking can also solve problems at this stage. Sometimes you need to look for non-traditional ways to solve a problem. What the client needs must be entered into the content of the service in order to serve him qualitatively.

Finally, the goals must be accepted by the employees. Management should show their support through due appreciation of their performance, communication and rewards for particularly well-performing employees.

Step 3: Quality of Service Specifications and Service Delivery

Stage 3 constitutes the service execution component. It occurs when management understands what the needs of the customers are, and knows that some relevant service quality specifications have been developed in connection with this, but employees are unable or unwilling to provide this level of service.

Mistakes in this stage occur at the "moment of truth" when the employee and the customer interact. At step 3, the actions of the service personnel, who use the machinery (machines) to provide service, are less prone to error. Machines do not make human mistakes, and guests expect less attention from machines. For example, a person using a computerized check-in at a hotel does not expect the machine to greet him cheerfully and be able to show him where the coffee shop is located. Employees, however, are expected to act readily and resolve all guest concerns. If they do not do this, visitors may feel dissatisfied with the quality of service.

Error on steps 3 can be minimized through an internal marketing program. The efforts of the human resources department - hiring, training, monitoring working conditions and developing a reward system - are important to eliminate errors at this stage.

Bernard Boomé loves to tell the story of a flight attendant who received a complaint from a passenger. When a flight attendant responded to a passenger's call, he complained that his fried potatoes were undercooked. The stewardess came over, took the passenger's potato dish and said, "Yes, bad potatoes, bad potatoes." She then returned the potatoes to the passenger and left. This is an anecdotal case, but the passenger was probably uncomfortable, although he appreciated the humor of the stewardess. This error on steps 3 occurs when employees are stressed out by being overwhelmed by dealing with too many customers.

Step 4: Service delivery and external relations.

Stage 4 occurs when a firm promises more in external relations than it can deliver. We have already mentioned the advertising campaign launched by the management of Bermuda, inviting travelers to enjoy the attractiveness of the island during the off-season. Visitors were disappointed to find that many attractive things were not available to them during this period. Marketers need to make sure they can actually deliver what they promise.

During the last week of the ski season, skiers were surprised to find that only half of the routes were cleared on one side of the mountain. This was annoying and even dangerous, since the intermediate link of the route was half-cleared, where inexperienced skiers could suddenly run into difficulties. All routes were perfectly normal cleared all season until that last week. Arriving at the end of the season no doubt felt dissatisfied.

The Regent Resort, Fiji, faced a major challenge when a military coup took place, affecting tourism. Consultant Chuck Gee, dean of the School of Tourism Management at the University of Hawaii, was brought in by the resort to advise during this crisis. Chuck's advice was: "Don't do anything new. Do not reduce your staff, your lighting, the quality of your food, or your service." Asked why he thinks so, Chuck replied that the Regent has proven itself to be a luxury resort and should continue to offer a high level of service even if only one guest showed up. He explained that the Regent was aware of the risks involved in entering this market and should be prepared to pay the price of the risk and continue to be an upscale resort.

A violation in the sequence can also lead to problems on steps 4. Service policy in the hotel business was discussed at a marketing seminar. After the seminar, the manager of La Quinta spoke about the case with a guest when the cashier refused to accept a check issued not by a company, but by an individual. The check exceeded the maximum amount that La Quinta set for such checks. However, during a previous stay at this hotel, the guest paid with a check for the same amount. At that time, the clerk on duty at the registration hesitantly agreed that, it seemed, it was allowed to pay with such checks for this amount. The clerk may have known that the guest had enough cash to pay the check later, and thought he was doing him a favor. However, this clerk did not realize that problems would arise the next time the guest arrived at one of the La Quinta hotels. Clients hope that in the hotel chain the services provided to clients and the service policy are the same. Failure to comply with this rule results in errors on steps 4.

Stage 5: Expected service and perception of the service provided.

Stage 5 is a derivative of others. Since any of the preceding steps can increase in size, stage 5 also has growth opportunities that come from the difference between the expected quality of service and the one actually provided.

Expected quality is what the guest expects to receive from the company. The pre-delivered service is what the guest feels they have received from the company. If the guest receives less than expected, then he remains dissatisfied.

The five-step service quality analysis model provides a proper understanding of service delivery. By studying this model, we can develop an understanding of the potential problems associated with providing quality service. And this will help solve any problems at each of the stages that may exist in our actions.

A widely used quality of service model is known as the five-step model (Figure 5). It defines service quality in terms of meeting customer expectations. According to the developers of the model, “The first step in service is knowing what the customer expects and what a critical situation may arise in the quality of service.

Simply put, the firm must know what the client expects and deliver on their expectations with excellent quality.” This model is closely related to marketing, as it is based on a focus on consumer needs. The model has five steps, discussed below.

Rice. 5. Five-step model of service quality

Stage 1: Customer expectations and management response

Management of hotels, restaurants, etc. not always able to understand what the client expects from the service and what are the features of his requirements in providing high-level service.

When management doesn't understand what their customers want, that's step 1. For example, a hotel manager has developed a system that guarantees all guests that they will have to wait no more than 15 minutes to check in. However, if guests begin to show dissatisfaction after 10 minutes, then such a system will not satisfy customers. By talking to guests before implementing the new check-in system, the manager would have known that the critical wait time for them was 10 minutes, not 15. bathrooms, and installed cable TV in the rooms, which turned out to be more necessary for most guests. Initially, management envisioned bath crystals to be of benefit to customers. However, after observing the behavior of the guests, we decided that the guests would like it more if they were offered a different type of service.

Many firms do research first to find out what the market needs, but then they focus on in-house issues and forget that customer needs change. If the client needs to change the properties of the product or service, and those do not change, the marketing mix becomes less attractive to the target market and step 1 increases. Managers need to think about their actions from all angles, talk to customers and encourage feedback. Management may also receive customer information from marketing information systems.

Stage 2 : Perceptions of management and service quality specifications

Stage 2 occurs when managers know what their customers want but are unable or unwilling to develop systems to satisfy them. There are several reasons for having this stage:

• 1) inadequate attitude to the quality of service,
• 2) lack of understanding of the degree of feasibility,
• 3) inadequate task standardization
• 4) lack of purpose.

Some companies are looking for quick profits and are unwilling to invest in people or equipment. This almost inevitably causes problems with the quality of service. Hoteliers who refuse to provide a sufficient level of working capital may make a mistake at step 2. For example, a hotelier who spends enough money to have the right amount of towels may find that towels quickly lose their appearance, are stolen and ruined. One of the hotel guests experienced this at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He returned from the beach to his freshly cleaned room and got ready to take a shower, but noticed that there were no towels in the room. The guest turned to the staff and explained that he wanted to take a shower to prepare for a business meeting, but there were no towels in the room. The employees apologized, saying they didn't have enough towels. After 15 minutes, the maid came with towels, although it was already late. Incidents of this type detract from a positive service experience, create unnecessary problems, and reduce employee morale. In this case, the hotel management knew that there weren't enough towels, but they either didn't want to invest money to properly provide the hotel, or they simply didn't have them.

Sometimes managers feel that solving an existing problem in the given conditions is simply impossible. For example, most visiting business people want to check in from the hotel after breakfast. They are usually in a hurry to start their business day in the morning. The hotel managers see that this results in 10 to 20 minute waits, but do nothing as they are unwilling to hire additional employees to help during this busy period. Bill Marriott - Jr. understood, approached this problem with understanding, and developed a system that solves it - he introduced an express statement. Guests receive their bills the night before. If the bills are correct, guests simply leave, leaving paid bills and keys at the front desk.

Today, most hotel chains use a special type of checkout control system. Some hotels have adopted technology that allows the guest to check the correctness of their bills on their TV screens in the room and check out of the hotel, also using the TV equipment in their room. The express checkout system was conceived by a man who viewed shortening the checkout queue as a necessity, not as a problem that cannot be solved and which is inherent in the system. Bill Marriott addressed this deficiency in Stage 2. He demonstrated that money is not the only way to solve problems in Stage 2. Creative thinking can also solve problems in Stage 2. Sometimes you need to look for non-traditional ways to solve a problem. What the client needs must be entered into the content of the service in order to serve him qualitatively.

Finally, the goals must be accepted by the employees. Management should show their support through due evaluation of their results, general promotions especially well-performing employees.

Step 3: Quality of Service Specifications and Service Delivery

Stage 3 constitutes the service execution component. It occurs when management understands what customer needs are and knows what relevant service quality specifications have been developed for this, but employees are unable or unwilling to provide that level of service.

Mistakes in this stage occur at the "moment of truth" when the employee and the customer interact. At stage 3, the actions of service personnel who use machinery (machines) to provide service are less prone to error. Machines do not make human mistakes, and guests expect less attention from machines. For example, a person using a computerized check-in at a hotel does not expect the machine to greet him cheerfully and be able to show him where the coffee shop is located. Employees, however, are expected to act readily and resolve all guest concerns. If they do not do this, visitors may feel dissatisfied with the quality of service.

Step 3 error can be minimized through an internal marketing program. The efforts of the human resources department - hiring, training, monitoring working conditions and developing a reward system - are important to eliminate errors at this stage.

Step 4: Service delivery and external relations

Stage 4 occurs when a firm promises more in external relations than it can deliver. For example, the management of Bermuda launched an advertising campaign in which they invited travelers to enjoy the attractiveness of the island during the off-season. Visitors were disappointed to find that many attractive things were not available to them during this period. Marketers need to make sure they can actually deliver what they promise.

A break in the sequence can also lead to problems at step 4. Service policy in the hospitality industry was discussed in a marketing seminar. After the seminar, the manager of La Qunita spoke about the case with a guest when the cashier refused to accept a check issued not by a company, but by an individual. The check exceeded the maximum amount that La Quinta set for such checks. However, during a previous stay at this hotel, the guest paid with a check for the same amount. At that time, the clerk on duty at the registration hesitantly agreed that, it seemed, it was allowed to pay with such checks for this amount. The clerk may have known that the guest had enough cash to pay the check later, and thought he was doing him a favor. However, this clerk did not realize that problems would arise the next time a guest visited one of the La Quinta hotels. Clients hope that in the hotel chain the services provided to clients and the service policy are the same. Failure to comply with this rule results in errors at step 4.

Step 5: Expected Service and Perception of Service Delivered

Stage 5 is a derivative of others. Since any of the preceding stages can grow in size, stage 5 also has growth opportunities that come from the difference between the expected quality of service and the one actually provided.

Expected Quality- this is what the guest expects to receive from the company. The service provided is what the guest feels they have received from the company. If the guest receives less than expected, then he remains dissatisfied.

The five-step service quality analysis model provides a proper understanding of service quality delivery. By studying this model, one can develop an understanding of the potential problems associated with providing quality service. And this will help solve any problems at each of the stages that may exist in our actions.

Module 2 Questions and tests

1. Quality of services: model, components (reliability, responsiveness, etc.).

There are different approaches to the interpretation of the concept of "quality of service". The most commonly used definition is the one given in international standard ISO 8402-94 Quality management and quality assurance Vocabulary:

"The quality of a service is the set of characteristics of a service that give it the ability to satisfy stated or implied needs."

ISO 8402-94 also adopted the term "quality of service", which is considered as a set of process characteristics and service conditions that ensure the satisfaction of stated or implied customer needs.

There are a number of approaches to the definition of quality.

Initially quality measured by the number of defects or errors per unit of a particular product.

Quality can be interpreted as compliance with specifications, this is an action controlled by the firm.

Quality - the ability to meet or exceed customer expectations.

Quality can be understood as the properties and characteristics of the service that cause customer satisfaction, as well as the absence of disadvantages, which enhances the customer's sense of satisfaction.

Quality implies the homogeneity of the services provided in accordance with the expected standards.

The quality of a product or service has a third component - social quality. It means that companies consider the ethical aspect of responsibility when developing services, avoiding those features that can cause harm and increase the danger to the life and health of customers.

The quality of services is directly dependent on:

1. The nature and level of interaction of personnel service company and its clients, as well as various groups of employees among themselves.

2. Other persons actively involved in the service process or passively observing it.

3. The ability of staff at a fixed time, and sometimes immediately respond to customer requests in the process of servicing them, and, if necessary, make adjustments to this process.

Service quality is determined by five factors:

1. Reliability. Ability to perform service accurately and thoroughly. However, in this case within the enterprise, the parameters of quality and thoroughness must be clearly defined. If the hotel management claims that dry-cleaned items will be cleaned within six hours, then this obligation must be fulfilled, and the items must be really clean.

What the client is left with is the process of providing

after interacting with the service

employees

Functional quality can enhance the user experience technical quality services (for example, a favorable hotel check-in experience softens the impression of a room that does not quite live up to the client's expectations).

Rice. 6.1 Components of quality in the provision of a service

2. Responsiveness - desire to help the consumer and fast service. Here the most important role is played by the personnel of the company. Thus, it is believed that the behavior of staff and their ability to communicate with customers is an indicator of the quality of restaurant service.

3. Conviction - competence, responsibility, confidence and courtesy of the service personnel.

4. Sympathy - expression of care, individual approach to consumers.

5. Materiality - the opportunity to see the equipment, personnel, availability of information materials.

Five-step model of service quality.

Widely used in service marketing five-stage model of service quality. It defines service quality in terms of meeting customer expectations. The firm must know what the client expects and realize his expectations with excellent quality. The strategic advantage of the five-stage service quality model is that each of the stages has growth opportunities, and at each of the stages contradictions between the highest and existing levels of quality are overcome.

Stage 1. Consumer expectations and management response.

At this stage, it is important to answer the question “What are the characteristics of the client’s requirements for providing a high level of service?”