Which of the five gaps in the service-quality model occurs when employees are poorly trained or are held to conflicting standards, leading to a failure to deliver the service as specified?

Correct answer: Gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery

Explanation

Gap 3 in the service-quality model focuses on the execution phase. It highlights that even with a perfect understanding of customer needs and well-defined standards, service can fail if employees are unable or unwilling to perform as required.

Other questions

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a hybrid offering in the context of the service mix?

Question 2

In the continuum of evaluation for different types of products, characteristics that a buyer can evaluate after purchase but not before are known as what kind of qualities?

Question 3

Which set of four distinctive characteristics greatly affects the design of marketing programs for services?

Question 4

Following a series of negative events, how much did the Carnival cruise line invest to upgrade its fleet and hire a new VP of Technical Operations?

Question 5

When a service provider's task is to 'manage the evidence' and 'tangibilize the intangible,' what does this primarily involve?

Question 6

What is a key marketing feature arising from the service characteristic of inseparability?

Question 7

What was the purpose of the H360 project initiated by Hilton Hotels?

Question 8

Which of the following is a demand-side strategy for matching service demand and supply to address perishability?

Question 9

What is the 40-30-30 rule that Singapore Airlines (SIA) applies to its resource allocation for service excellence?

Question 10

What is the primary purpose of a service blueprint in managing service quality?

Question 11

According to the chapter, what has been a primary consequence of the Internet and the digital era for service customers?

Question 12

The concept that customers play an active role in the delivery of a service, affecting both their own experience and the productivity of frontline employees, is known as:

Question 13

In the context of marketing excellence in services, which type of marketing describes the employees' skill in serving the client?

Question 14

When USAirways deployed handheld scanners to better track baggage, what was the approximate decrease in mishandled baggage?

Question 15

Top-management commitment to service quality is a key practice of top service companies. What did Ray Kroc of McDonald's famously insist on continually measuring for each outlet?

Question 16

In the table showing customer importance and performance ratings for an auto dealership, what was the mean importance rating for the attribute 'Job done right the first time'?

Question 17

Based on the customer importance and performance ratings for an auto dealership shown in Table 14.2, what was the mean performance rating for 'Low prices on service'?

Question 18

In an Importance-Performance Analysis grid, which quadrant contains important service elements that are not being performed at the desired levels and require concentration?

Question 19

What percentage of customers, on average, who experience bad service stop doing business with the company?

Question 20

In service differentiation, what the customer expects is called the primary service package. What can a provider add to this package to further differentiate its offering?

Question 21

The service-quality model identifies five gaps that can prevent successful service delivery. Which gap exists when management does not always correctly perceive what customers want?

Question 22

According to the service-quality model, what is the gap between management perception and service-quality specification?

Question 24

What does the 'Gap between service delivery and external communications' in the service-quality model represent?

Question 25

A physician may keep visiting a patient to show care, but the patient interprets this as an indication that something is really wrong. This scenario is an example of which gap in the service-quality model?

Question 26

According to research based on the service-quality model, which of the five determinants of service quality is considered the most important?

Question 27

In the context of service quality, what is the 'zone of tolerance'?

Question 28

Self-Service Technologies (SSTs) are intended to provide convenience to customers. Which of the following is NOT given as an example of an SST in the chapter?

Question 29

What are the three specific worries that customers traditionally have about product-support services?

Question 30

What is the typical evolutionary path for a manufacturer's postsale service strategy?

Question 31

What is the formal definition of a service provided in the chapter?

Question 32

Which of the following service offerings is described as people-based and provided by professional workers?

Question 33

A medical diagnosis is an example of a service high in which type of qualities, making it difficult for the buyer to evaluate even after consumption?

Question 34

What does the 'affective' dimension of brand experience, as shown in Table 14.1, relate to?

Question 35

The chapter gives an example of a psychotherapist moving from 50-minute sessions to 30-minute sessions to see more patients. This is presented as a strategy for overcoming the limitations of which service characteristic?

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT one of the three steps service firms can take to increase quality control?

Question 37

According to QSR magazine, what percentage of revenue for the fast-food industry comes from drive-through windows?

Question 38

According to a 2013 Forrester study, what was the general rating for almost two-thirds of the 154 companies evaluated on how well they met customer needs?

Question 39

What is the concept of encouraging customers to help each other, such as by following rules and behaving appropriately at a golf course?

Question 40

According to the chapter, a survey of 10,000 employees from large companies found that what percentage of workers cited 'lack of recognition' as a key reason for leaving their job?

Question 41

In the context of interactive marketing, what is meant by the 'functional quality' of a service?

Question 42

What service standard does Citibank aim for when answering customer phone calls?

Question 43

How did Zappos modify its shipping policy for its most loyal customers during the recession?

Question 44

In the 'Improving Company Call Centers' section, what personality type did a Xerox study find was most likely to be a good call-center worker and stay with the company?

Question 45

What innovative service category did Cirque du Soleil reinvent?

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT listed in Table 14.3 as a category of factors leading to customer switching behavior?

Question 47

How much does the spending of American Express cardmembers designated as 'promoters' based on their NPS score typically increase?

Question 48

The 'Recommendations for Improving Service Quality' memo lists 10 lessons. Which lesson is identified as the single most important dimension of service quality?

Question 49

According to the chapter, why was Chili's installation of tabletop computer screens in its restaurants beneficial?

Question 50

What is the term for the product's purchase cost plus the discounted cost of maintenance and repair, less the discounted salvage value, which a buyer considers for product-support services?