EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The main objectives of this report were to:
1. Evaluate and compare the e-service quality of five websites in the utilities sector on the dimensions of control, two-way communication and responsiveness on the basis of a given questionnaire. The companies examined were British Gas, Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro Electric, EDF Energy and E.ON Energy.
2. Critique the content of the questionnaire, developing an argument for why the questionnaire is comprehensive, or how it can be improved by deleting and/or adding dimensions to assess e-service quality.
To begin addressing these objectives, secondary research was carried out in order to gain a sound understanding of e-service quality concept and its
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References...................................................................................................................10
7. Appendices..................................................................................................................12
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Definition of e-Service Quality
E-service quality (e-SQ) is a study of the quality of service received over the internet. This can be defined as the extent to which a website facilitates efficient and effective shopping, purchasing and delivery (Zeithaml et al., 2000).
Over the next four years, it is estimated that the number of online buyers in the UK will rise by over half of the UK’s current population, from 26.9 million to 31.8 million (marketresearch.com). Clearly, this is a very large and profitable market, with businesses securing increasing numbers of sales online each year (British Retail Consortium). Higher website quality leads to higher profitability levels (Vanitha et al, 1999), therefore having an efficient and effective website is crucial for obtaining sales, and e-SQ is a major factor in securing customer loyalty (Cristobal et al, 2007).
Some academic researchers have created comprehensive scales to measure e-SQ. Since SERVQUAL is the definitive measurement of service quality (Wilson et al, 2008), it stands to reason that many scales measuring e-SQ would be based
The Enterprise service quality index (ESQI) that Enterprise utilized is focused on top box feedback. Their biggest issue is with customers who receive a negative experience. These customers usually do not provide feedback and Enterprise is unable to analyze their situation. If
* The difference between expectations of service for a given organization and perceived quality of delivery by the service provider
Kats, Y. (2013). E-Learning Service Delivery Quality: A Determinant of User Satisfaction. In Learning Management Systems and Instructional Design (p. 89 & 265). PA: IGI Global.
Customer satisfaction and service quality are the two important components that direct anyone’s attention in every concept related to marketing, services, etc. (Spreng and Mackoy, 2006). In today’s competitive era, the success lies in
Source : Adapted from A. Parasuraman, Valerie Zeithaml, and Leonard Berry, “A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (Fall 1985)
The theoretical methodology adopted in this research study has been developed according to an existing methodology which was designed in measuring the quality of online services offered by the HSBC bank. Mathematical analysis has been conducted on the basis of experiential data which has been collected via quantitative research techniques along with
Hung, Y. H., Huang, M. L., & Chen, K. S. (2003). Service quality evaluation by service quality performance matrix. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence.
Question One: Detail the methods and procedures that might be used by an organisation to communicate with customers to identify and agree on product/ service specifications.
1. Analyze Enterprise’s Service Quality Survey. What information is it trying to gather? What are its research objectives?
By method for service quality is to individual fulfilment and at the same time change of nature of service quality.
Introduction There appear to be five major debates taking place in the service quality area. One debate concerns the similarities and differences between the constructs of service quality and satisfaction (see e.g. Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Bolton and Drew, 1991; Cronin and Taylor, 1992, 1994; Oliver, 1993; Parasuraman et al., 1988; Taylor, 1993; Zeithaml et al., 1993). There appears to be a consensus emerging that satisfaction refers to the outcome of individual service transactions and the overall service encounter, whereas service quality is the customer’s overall impression of the relative inferiority/superiority
There is a misconception that e-Business simply means buying and selling products and services over the Internet. The broader view of e-Business focuses on the key processes that directly enhance revenue namely, customer acquisition and retention through sales, marketing and service (Siebel, 2004). This customer-centric view of e-Business is not limited to the Internet but rather applies to all aspects of the customer relationship whether it is online or offline.
Service quality represents a fundamental aspect of delivery, which strongly influences consumer satisfaction and, as a result, loyalty. In today’s global market a customer’s service expectation has to be met and exceeded eventually in order to retain customers as well as achieve success. Perceived quality of a product or a service is becoming one of the major competitive factors in the business world and has led to the innovation of the ‘Quality Era’ (Peeler, 1996). In simple words, the comparison of customer expectations with service performance is service quality. On the other hand, customer satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable fulfilment response toward a good, service, benefit, or reward (Oliver, 1997). Both of these
Service Quality as described by (William G. Zikmund, 1993) “is the degree to which the performance of service provider’s matches customer expectations. It can also be defined as those essential characteristics of a service that measures its excellence”.
In an online environment, customers can find alternatives easily; therefore building long-term relationships presents a more difficult challenge for E-commerce companies (Chang & Wang, 2011). Gummerus (2010) investigated the impact of three resource inputs (i.e., service content, service process, and service configurations) on the perceptions of value of a Finnish health care website. The results reveal that the service content of the “discussion groups” had the strongest relationship with customer value, followed by “article” content and “database” content. As to service process–security, usability, and responsiveness were all