Gaps Model of Service Quality
Gaps Model of Service Quality
The 4 gaps in the Gaps Model are knowledge gap, standards gap, delivery gap and communication gap.
Knowledge gap is the difference between customers’ expectations and the retailer’s perception of these customer’s expectations. This occurs when a person do not know what the customers expect or want. By applying knowledge gap to H&M retail store, it refers to the salesperson not knowing what their customers expect/want. For example, a customer visiting the H&M store may expect fast checkout at the cashier and shorter queuing time at the fitting rooms. However, the salesperson may think that the customers do not mind queuing for a longer time but would prefer friendly assistance from them and better quality clothes. Hence, such difference between customers’ expectations and retailer’s perception of their customers’ expectations will lead to knowledge gap.
In order to reduce the knowledge gap, surveys, interactions and customer complaints can be done. Firstly, H&M can carry out survey after each individual transaction. H&M can conduct their surveys or feedback forms by distributing to every customer after they have made their payment. After they are done filling up the survey on their overall visit at H&M, they can hand up their forms to the salesperson at the counter. Otherwise, H&M can place a feedback box at the side to make things easier for everyone. Secondly, is through interacting with their customers and staffs. H&M can get valuable feedbacks from their store employees on ways to improve on certain areas based on theirs or customer’s suggestions and comments. Apart from that, H&M can actually interact with their customers through social media such as Facebook, Twitter etc. Since social media are widely used nowadays, customers would post constructive comments or feedbacks on social media such as on their Facebook walls. H&M can effectively interact with their customers through such
The 4 gaps in the Gaps Model are knowledge gap, standards gap, delivery gap and communication gap.
Knowledge gap is the difference between customers’ expectations and the retailer’s perception of these customer’s expectations. This occurs when a person do not know what the customers expect or want. By applying knowledge gap to H&M retail store, it refers to the salesperson not knowing what their customers expect/want. For example, a customer visiting the H&M store may expect fast checkout at the cashier and shorter queuing time at the fitting rooms. However, the salesperson may think that the customers do not mind queuing for a longer time but would prefer friendly assistance from them and better quality clothes. Hence, such difference between customers’ expectations and retailer’s perception of their customers’ expectations will lead to knowledge gap.
In order to reduce the knowledge gap, surveys, interactions and customer complaints can be done. Firstly, H&M can carry out survey after each individual transaction. H&M can conduct their surveys or feedback forms by distributing to every customer after they have made their payment. After they are done filling up the survey on their overall visit at H&M, they can hand up their forms to the salesperson at the counter. Otherwise, H&M can place a feedback box at the side to make things easier for everyone. Secondly, is through interacting with their customers and staffs. H&M can get valuable feedbacks from their store employees on ways to improve on certain areas based on theirs or customer’s suggestions and comments. Apart from that, H&M can actually interact with their customers through social media such as Facebook, Twitter etc. Since social media are widely used nowadays, customers would post constructive comments or feedbacks on social media such as on their Facebook walls. H&M can effectively interact with their customers through such