Courtesy Service

The measure of a service is how the customers expectations match the service provided.Basically a comparison of expectations with performance.A customer requests a service at the service interface and this is provided or delivered/consumed by the customer.
Satisfying customer needs is very important for a business to survive.So there is a focus on quality to meet customer needs while being economically competitive.Word of mouth,personal needs and past experience create an expected service(expectation of the service).
The perceived service will be compared with the expected service by the customer.Between the expected and the perceived there can be a gap if perceived service does not match with the expected service.
Factors which influence the gap-what determines service quality are:
Competence-possess the skills and knowledge to perform the service.
Courtesy-respect,politeness,consideration and friendliness of contact personnel,consideration for the customers property,clean and neat appearance of public contact personnel.
Credibility-Having the customers best interests at heart,trustworthiness,believability and honesty.
Security-freedom from danger risk or doubt,confidentially,financial security,physical safety.
Access-Ease of contact and approachability,the service is easily accessible,waiting time to receive service is not excessive,convenient hours of operation and location.
Communication-inform the customers in a language they can understand and listen to them.Adjust your language for different customers,explaining the service,how much it will cost,trade offs between service and cost,assuring the customer the problem will be handled and telling the truth on the phone as calls are recorded.
Understanding-recognize the customer and make an effort to know their needs.
Tangibles-appearance of personnel,physical evidence of the service-facilities,tools and equipment.
Reliability-the service is performed accurately and dependably,right first time,keep promises in accuracy in billing.
Responsiveness-readiness and willingness of employees to help customers and to provide prompt service,timeliness of the service,appointments set up quickly.
Empathy-give customers caring individual attention,speak and inform in a language they can understand.
Assurance-employees convey trust and confidence through their courtesy and knowledge.
The customer needs to stay happy as they may have experienced other bad services.Some customers need several good service encounters to make up for one bad one.