The customer gap is the most important gap and in an ideal world the customer’s expectation would be almost identical to the customer’s perception. Perception is derived from the customer’s satisfaction of the specific product or service and the quality of service delivery. Customer expectation is what the customer expects according to available resources and is influenced by cultural background, family lifestyle, personality, demographics, advertising, experience with similar products and information available online.Ĭustomer perception is totally subjective and is based on the customer’s interaction with the product or service. This may happen due to customer’s own bias or prejudice. This gap arises when the consumer misinterprets the service quality. This is the gap between what customers expect from the service and what they think they have received. Gap between Expected Service and Perceived Service: A insurance company may promise large returns to the policy holder but in reality, the fine print in the policy may be different than what was promised to the customer.Īn individual may go to a shopping mall on his friend’s recommendation, thinking that the 50 % off sale is still on in his favourite store, only to find that the sale concluded the previous day.

Service quality measures models