The telephonist and the service quality gap

• Main Authors: Jay Owens, Terese Loggenberg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AOSIS 1992-12-01
• Series: South African Journal of Business Management
• Online Access: https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/890
• ISSN: 2078-5585; 2078-5976

With this research customer perceptions and expectations of the in-house telephone service were investigated in four service organizations. Service quality was measured by means of a multiple item scale for measuring customer perceptions. The findings were supported by inputs from the managers and telephonists of these firms. The results showed that overall the quality of the service, provided by the in-house telephone service in the companies investigated, lagged behind customer expectations. The indicators for the gaps on the conceptual service quality model correlated well with the overall quality scores. Recommendations are made that the managements of service firms should include the telephonists in their overall service quality management, and provide more training on communications skills on service and customer orientation for the telephonists. Telephonists should also receive more support from management and staff since they feel left out of the organization. The regular measurement and monitoring of service quality should also include this very important function as first contact with any service company. Met hierdie navorsing word kliente se persepsies en hul verwagtinge van die binneshuise telefoondiens in vier diensorganisasies ondersoek. Diensgehalte is deur middel van 'n veelvoudige item-vraeboog bepaal wat klientepersepsies meet. Die bevindinge is ondersteun deur insette vanaf die bestuurders en die telefoniste van die bogenoemde firmas. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat die algehele gehalte van die diens wat deur die binneshuise telefoondiens aangebied word, nie aan klienteverwagtinge voldoen nie. Die gapings van die diensgehalte-model, korreleer goed met die algehele dienstellings. Aanbevelings word gemaak dat die bestuur van die firmas die telefoniste behoort in te sluit in hul algehele diensgehaltebestuur, en dat meer opleiding in kommunikasiekundigheid, in diens, en opleiding in klientegerigtheid vir telefoniste aangebied behoort te word. Telefoniste behoort meer ondersteuning van beide bestuur en personeel te ontvang, aangesien hulle voel dat hulle nie altyd deel van die organisasie is nie. Die gereelde bepaling en waarneming van diensgehalte behoort ook hierdie baie belangrike funksie, as eerste kontak met enige diensmaatskappy, in te sluit.