The findings of the study revealed that there is a negative service quality gap at DTA College. Continuous training of employees to improve existing skills is also recommended for faculty employees, as it can have a good impact on meeting customer expectations regarding service quality dimensions.
Background To The Study
- Introduction
- Purpose of the Study
- Research Questions
- Research Objectives
- Research Hypotheses
- Chapter Plan
- Conclusion
The purpose of the study is to investigate the customer's perceptions and expectations about service quality at DTA College. The research aims to determine the customer expectations and perceptions of service quality at DTA College.
Service Quality
Introduction
Services Defined
Characteristics of Services
- Intangibility
- Inseparability
- Perishability
- Heterogeneity
The integral nature of services reflects the interconnectedness between the service provider, the customer who participates in receiving the service, and other customers who share the experience (Hoffman and Bateson, 2001; 27). A service is an act or performance rather than a tangible object that the customer therefore retains; it is perishable and cannot be inventoried (Moeller.
Defining Service Quality
- Service Quality Dimensions
- Customer Expectations
- Customer Perceptions
- Reliability
- Responsiveness
- Assurance
- Tangibles
- Empathy
Several authors agree on the definition, but differ on what the service quality dimensions are. Customers' expectations and perceptions are also stated as the other dimensions of service quality by authors including Hernon and Altman (2010; 7) and Palmer.
The GAPS model
- Gap1
- Gap 2
- Gap 3
- Gap 4
- Gap 5
The adequacy of the service quality dimensions in the measurement of service quality is debatable (Antony and Preece, 2002; 24). The majority (80% to 97%) of the respondents indicated that reliability is an important service quality dimension.
The Importance of good Service Quality
- Competitive Advantage
- Low customer recruiting costs
- Reduced Staff Turnover
- Improved Financial Performance
Service Quality Recovery
Critiques of Service Quality
- The nature of Service Quality
- The formation of the Service Quality Conceptualisation
Measurement of Service Quality
- SERVQUAL as a Measuring Instrument of Service Quality
- Limitations of SERVQUAL
Conclusion
Service Quality in Higher Education
- Introduction
- Marketisation and Service Quality in Higher Education
- The Importance of Service Quality in Higher and Further Education
- Customer expectations in Higher Education
- Service Quality in South African Higher Education
- DTA on Service Quality
- Measurement of Service Quality in Education
- SERVQUAL use in Higher Education
- Conclusion
Reduced government subsidies in many countries and increased global competition are among the main reasons that have led to the "marketization" of higher education institutions (Gbadamosi and De Jager, 2008; 2). Some of the benefits of good service quality in higher education are discussed below in section 3.2.1.1 to 3.2.1.3. Service quality has become one of the criteria parents and students use when choosing educational institutions to join (Cheung and Tsui.
Good service quality can lead to higher revenue and profits as illustrated by the authors of the Service Profit Chain model (Schneider and White. Some of the measurement instruments used include: the Classroom Environment Scale (CES), the My Classroom Inventory (MCI) and the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (CSEQ) (Hattie and Watkins cited by Cuthbert, 1996; 2) Stodnick and Rogers also support the use of the SERVQUAL scale as a measurement instrument for service quality in educational institutions.
This chapter gave an explanation of the concept of marketing and service quality in educational institutions.
Research Methodology
- Introduction
- Objectives of the Research
- Research Design
- Sampling Plan
- Sample Size
- Questionnaire Design
- Reliability
- Data Collection
- Pilot Test
- Data Analysis
- Ethical Considerations
- Conclusion
A descriptive research design was chosen because it allows the findings of the study to be generalized as the opinions of the DTA College population. The researcher assigned one number to each item in the sampling frame list, and then a random number table was used to select items for the sample (Maxfield and Babbie. A copy of the random selection table is attached in the appendices section of the research report.
Therefore, the use of the SERVQUAL instrument was appropriate as it provided the researcher with sufficient data to answer the research questions. Cronbach alpha was calculated to test the reliability of the researcher to confirm the reliability of the SERVQUAL questionnaire for the particular study conducted at DTA College in Pietermaritzburg. The test gave a good indication of the importance and differences between perceptions and expectations of the service quality dimensions.
An application for ethical approval with a consent form for respondents was sent to the ethics committee before the start of the research.
Findings
Introduction
Section 1: Demography Findings
The gender profile of the student population at DTA College is proportional to the gender profile of the sample. Gender is one of the variables that was used as a basis for proportional stratified random sampling. The most common age groups of the respondents were the age groups from 18 to 23 years and from 23 to 27 years, as they were 43% each.
Indians and coloreds each constituted 2%, while 1% of respondents belonged to the white race. The study level of the sample is proportional to the population, as it was also a variable used for stratification during sample selection. DTA College was unable to place NQF level 1 and 4 students for the second half of 2010. The student population at the time of the study therefore consisted only of NQF level 2 and 3 students.
Section 2: SERVQUAL Findings
10% of respondents disagreed with statement two saying that visually appealing facilities are important for colleges. A large proportion (84%, 86% and 87%) of respondents agreed with statements two to four about the tangible materials provided by DTA. A large proportion (88% and 87%) of respondents agreed with reliability statements five and seven on the availability of assistance and accuracy of data at DTA College.
The majority (89%) of respondents agreed with statement 10 that DTA College informs students about the offers available at the college. 97% of respondents agreed with statement 15 that safety in interactions with college staff is important. The majority (78% and above) of the respondents agreed that empathy is an important dimension of service quality in secondary schools.
A large proportion (86%) of the respondents agreed with statement 19 that it is important to have competent staff at colleges.
Section 3: SERVQUAL Gap Identification
- Tangibility Gaps
- Reliability Gaps
- Responsiveness Gaps
- Assurance Gaps
- Empathy Gaps
The significance of the gap means that DTA College is not meeting customer expectations for a critical need of its customers. The significance of the gap indicates that DTA College is not meeting customer expectations for an important need. The significance of the gap means that DTA College is not meeting customer expectations for an important customer need.
The significance of the gap means that DTA College is not meeting customer needs. The significance of the gap means that DTA College is not meeting customer expectations for a need that is very important to customers. The significance of the gap means that DTA College is not meeting customer expectations for an important need of the college's customers.
90 lack of significance means that DTA College meets the customers' expectations of the need.
Hypothesis testing
As shown in Table 5.6, the Wilcoxon signed ranks test result for Statement 18 was 0.365 and 0.779 for Statement 19, which are not significant results as they are greater than 0.05. The insignificance of the gaps indicates that DTA College meets the customer's expectations of the needs. The insignificance of the gaps also means that the needs are not critical to DTA College's customers.
91 Hypotheses H0 are accepted based on the results of the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, which provided significance results for each of the 22 SERVQUAL gaps. Thus, hypothesis H1 is rejected as it is inconsistent with the findings and the results of the gap significance test.
The Overall Service Quality Gaps
Conclusion
Discussion
Introduction
The findings show that DTA College customers' expectations of reliability as a dimension of service quality as 85% of respondents agreed with statement 5, it is important for colleges to have assistance that is always available. Expectations for tangibility at DTA College are high as most respondents agreed with the four SERVQUAL statements (1 to 4). Expectations for the dimension were high despite being ranked third out of five dimensions of service quality.
A summary of the expectation scores for the quality dimension insurance service is shown in table 6.9. The high significance levels of the gaps show that reliability is the most crucial part of service quality to DTA College's customers. The high importance of the gap indicates that DTA College's customers consider updated equipment very important.
DTA College's clients (students) must be consulted about the consultation process to ensure good coordination of the process at the college.
Objective 1: To determine DTA College customers’ perceptions
- Perceptions on Tangibility
- Perceptions on Assurance
- Perceptions on Reliability
- Perceptions on Responsiveness
- Perceptions on Empathy
Objective 2: To determine DTA College customers’ expectations
- Expectations on Reliability
- Expectations on Tangibility
- Expectations on Assurance
- Expectations on Empathy
Objective 3: To determine the service quality gaps at DTA
- Reliability gap
- Tangibility gap
- Responsiveness gap
- Empathy gap
- Assurance gap
To determine the most important service quality dimension
Conclusion
The five dimensions of service quality are all important to DTA College customers, as is evident in the findings, particularly the high levels of expectations for all five dimensions. 116 College DTA can be a high priority when formulating strategies to close existing service quality gaps. The next chapter discusses recommendations that College DTA can implement to reduce the gaps that exist in the college.
Recommendations
- Introduction
- Recommendations on Reliability
- Recommendations on Tangibility
- Recommendations on Assurance
- Recommendations on Empathy
- Conclusion
It is recommended that DTA College implement a performance assessment and monitoring tool in order to regularly evaluate the college's service quality performance. The introduction of appropriate staff uniforms by DTA College can improve the perceptions on the issue of tactility at the college. DTA College can improve customer perceptions about tangibles by building a good image from the college's physical evidence.
It is important for the DTA College to ensure that training programs are offered to the college's employees, especially on new systems and technologies that can improve the speed of service delivery processes. The findings from this study indicated that DTA College customers had a low perception of the college's understanding of customer needs and putting students' needs first. Continuous training is also recommended for DTA College employees to improve the quality of the college's services.
DTA College must work to reduce the gaps in service quality that exist at the college.
Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
Introduction
Research Limitation
Recommendations for Future Research
SERVQUAL survey on customer perceptions and expectations of service quality at DTA College, Pietermaritzburg in 2010. Service quality has become one of the main sources of competitive advantage for higher and post-secondary institutions. I am conducting a survey to determine service quality at DTA College as part of my degree requirements.
It is hoped that the research will provide useful information that can be used to improve service quality at the college. Part A has questions that require you to provide answers about your expectations of service quality at further education colleges. Part B consists of questions that require you to rate the service quality at DTA College in Pietermaritzburg.
2008) Quality of Service in Postgraduate Education, Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 2009) Goods and Services, Canada: CABI Publishing, Chapter 1. Service. Designing and Implementing Learning Events, A Dialogue Approach, 2nd Edition, Pretoria: Van Shaik Publishers, pages Managing Service Quality in Higher Education;. A Holistic Approach, South Africa: New Africa Books, pages Student Perceptions of Service Quality in a Multi-campus Higher Education System in Spain, pages 156-170.
Informed Consent Document
Research Questionnaire
Mean Scores and Frequency Tables
DTA College Authorisation Letter
