Management Perception of Customer Expectations - Case Study Example

Introduction

The success of any organization is dependent on its ability to satisfy the needs of the customers. Expectation of the customers has to be met in order to achieve the goal of customer satisfaction. The service gap model plays an important role in terms of identifying the reasons for an organization being unable to satisfy the needs of the customers. Four provider gaps are usually utilized in the model which includes knowledge gap, standard gap, positioning gap and delivery gap (Adat, Noel & Penceliah, 2014). All organizations usually put in place measures to ensure that the customers are satisfied. However, the measures in place may create a gap as it may be different from the expectations of the customers. Qantas Airways is a flag artier airline of Australia. It is the largest airline in terms of fleet and international flights. The company has put in place measures to ensure that the customers are satisfied. The paper discusses the aspects of service gap model in relation to the Qantas Airways.

Discussion

Management perception of customer expectations

The perception of the management is that the customers require high quality services. The pricing of the tickets is one of the major considerations by the management. The management is of the opinion that the customers require high quality services offered at affordable prices. The comfort of the customers is also forms a major perception of the customers. This has seen the management putting in place modern techniques to improve on the comfort of the customers. The management also utilizes technology to ensure that the customers are not inconvenienced. According to the service gap model, a gap usually arise when the management does not correctly perceive what the customers want (Agabu Phiri & Mcwabe, 2013). This problem can arise when the management does not carry out intensive research with regards to the needs of the customers. Qantas has adequate capacity to carry out research on the needs of the customers. However, implementation of some of the aspects presents a challenge to the customers leading to a gap in the customer expectations.

Service quality as specified by the management

Management is specific with regards to the quality of services provided to the customers. The company has been able to build a reputation of excellence in terms of safety, operational reliability and customer service. The company intends to offer high quality services to the customers. This is through offering bonuses, rewards and convenience to the customers. The management is also keen on ensuring that the customers are comfortable while on board. This has seen the company improving on its catering services and offering new services such as the internet and Wi-Fi to the customers onboard. The management in most cases believes that the easy access to the services leads to customer satisfaction. According to the service gap model, the management perception and service quality specification takes place when the management correctly perceive what the customer wants (Almsalam, 2014). Some of the perception is correct which has played an important role in reducing the gap in terms of service delivery.

Services delivered to the customers

The services that are delivered to the customers are of high quality. This has seen the company wining different awards due to the high quality of services. The levels of customer satisfaction are high at the organization. However, the company has not been able to fully achieve the aims and objectives of providing high quality services. Some of the customers have registered complaints with regards to the quality of service that they have received from the company. This can be attributed to the service gaps as a result of the perceptions and of the management regarding the services. The expectation of the consumers is usually influenced by the statements made by the company. A gap in most cases arises when the assumed expectations are not fulfilled during the process of delivering services (Calabrese, Costa & Rosati, 2016). In some cases the advertisements of the company usually provide information about various services which are not fulfilled. This includes aspects such as pricing and basic services which are advertised but not fulfilled by the company. The company has put in place measures to ensure that ensure the customers are comfortable during the flight. They can access their favourite food and drinks during the flight through the catering services. The employees of the company are usually ready to provide the customers with any required assistance.

Services as perceived by customers and customer expectations of the services

Qantas airline has is one of the oldest and leading airline companies in Australia and the world. As such, the expectation of the customers regarding the company is quite high. In terms of the pricing the customers expect the company will charge fare prices. However, this is not the case at the company still charges high air fares. This therefore creates a gap in terms of the expectations of the customers with regards to the services offered. In terms of the access to the tickets the customers expect the process to be easy due to the capacity of the company. However, this has not been the case as some customers have experienced delays. In other instances, the system does function properly leading to delays in obtaining the tickets. This has created a major gap in the in terms of the service. The company in many cases has also failed to meet the expectations of the customers leading to the gap. According to the service gap model, the perception of the customers is guided by the size of the company as well as its resources and capability (Pranav, Syed Roshane Farvin & Dharmalingam, 2014). The expectations of the customers are usually high when the company is popular and successful in the market.

Gap between customer perception and their expectations and the reason for the gap

Gap between expected service and experienced service in most cases arises when the consumers misinterprets the service quality (Qadri, 2015). At the company, the employees usually visit the customers from time to time asking them if they are doing fine. In other instances, the customers usually receive telephone calls and emails with regards to various issues. This is in most cases is usually misinterpreted by the customers leading to the gap. When customers receive such phone calls or close attention from the staff members it is usually misinterpreted. The customers may tend to think that there is a problem with their credit cards or tickets. The misinterpretation by the customers is a major problem that is related how the organization offers its services to the customers (Qadri, 2015). The presence of this gap however does not mean that the company is unable to meet its goals and objectives. The provision of services can be affected with the presence of this gap and hence impacting negatively on the relationship between the customers and the company. The high profit that the company has been making over the years also influences the perceptions and expectation of the customers.

Recommendations for reducing the gap

In order to reduce the service gap, it is recommended that the company should invest more on research. Information about the needs of the customers can be obtained through an intensive research. More resources have to be allocated in the research in order to obtain detailed information that can be used in the development of strategies. It is recommended that the company should act on all the customer feedback as it may also provide information about the perceptions and expectation of the customers. Interactions with the customers should be intensified. This can be carried put through the use of social media. Interactions with the customers are important in ensuring that the needs of the customers are understood and hence reducing the gap (Qadri, 2015). It is recommended that the company should train the staff members on how to interact and handle the employees in order to reduce the gap. The company should implement all the strategies, policies, offers and promises that are communicated to the customers in the advertisements. It is recommended that the company should also consider the expectations and perceptions of the customers before developing any policies. It is recommended that the management should clearly understand the model in order to meet the expectation of the customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that the gap exists between the customers and the company. Most of the actions of the by the company contributes to the gap. It is evident that the gap affects the ability of the company to effectively provide services to the customers. It is evident that the management plays an important role in terms of influencing the perceptions of the customers. The needs of the customers can be met through the use of the service gap model. The service gap model also provides useful information that can be used by the company to satisfy the needs of the customers. It is evident that the misinterpretations by the customers also lead to the creation of a gap. It is evident that research as well as analyzing the feedback of the customers can reduce the gap.