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The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a modified service quality (SERVQUAL) model scale for measuring healthcare service quality in Kosovo.

An initial dimensions area methodology in construct development, followed by combined exploratory-analytical deductive research with the goal to test theory concepts and validate the measurement tool known from the theory of service quality using new empirical data in a specific context. A cross-sectional survey on a sample of 200 post-encountered patients and using structural equation modelling (SEM) and SEM path analysis to determine satisfaction.

The findings confirmed that a six-dimensional scale of SERVQUAL is not appropriate for the Kosovo health-care context. The scale development analysis with a new reduced four-dimensional model can be used to measure health service quality in the Kosovan context.

The initial study concept was not piloted. It was developed by the researcher based on secondary data. Systematic random sampling was used, which may have resulted in conclusions that are not applicable to the general population. Finally, this study is applicable to the Kosovo context and cannot be generalized nor represent all patients treated in Kosovo hospitals and clinics. However, the above limitations are less significant compared to the importance of carrying out this type of study for the first time in Kosovo.

This study can help Kosovo health authorities to guide health system-wide improvements and health-care providers to remove quality shortfalls based on a culturally sensitive and validated multiple-item scale for the quality of their service.

This is the first research conducted to identify which of the service quality dimensions require attention by the health-care service providers in Kosovo and develop a validated tool for patient satisfaction measurement that can be used for commercial application.

Concerns customer service/quality in service sector organizations. Presents definitions and determinants of service quality together with a review of a number of research projects, completed in the Manchester School of Management, which focus on the measurement of service quality. Describes assessments which have been carried out in several industries, considering the opinions of managers, employees and external customers, and provides evidence of various service quality gaps. The final section comprises a discussion of some of the problems relating to the rating scales/measurement techniques used, and emphasizes the caution which is necessary in interpretation of research data. Concluding comments address the continuing research agenda.

The purpose of this research is to examine customer satisfaction and service quality measurement practices followed in call centres.

The study uses qualitative methodology involving in‐depth interviews. The respondents were senior managers belonging to quality or operation divisions in four large call centres in India.

It is found that service quality management in call centres disregards customers. The study suggests that call centre managers overly depend on operational measures. Customer orientation in assessing service performance is either low or absent in most call centres.

Since the study has used qualitative methodology, observations and findings need to be validated with empirical data.

The paper suggests that call centres need to develop systematic and comprehensive measurement of perceived service quality in order to provide superior call centre experience to their customers.

The paper is the first systematic study that examines customer satisfaction and service quality measurement practices in call centres in India, a country which has emerged as a leading player in the global business process outsourcing industry.

Focuses on one of the most widely used service quality measurement scales, SERVQUAL, and looks at some of the areas of concern which have recently been raised regarding its viability as a comprehensive measurement tool for the service industry as a whole. While acknowledging the significant contribution that this model has made, it is suggested that it does not go far enough ‐ the dimensions of SERVQUAL do not adequately address some of the more critical issues associated with the assessment of individual services. Having carried out citation analyses of both the 1985 and 1988 versions of SERVQUAL, it can be shown that although there is a plethora of published work in the marketing and retail sectors about its applicability, relatively little empirical work has been carried out in other service sectors. Indeed, more than one‐quarter of all published papers where SERVQUAL was a major theme, appear to have severe reservations about this scale. In place of the SERVQUAL scale, a model which takes the form of a hierarchical structure ‐ based on three main levels of attributes ‐ pivotal, core, and peripheral (P‐C‐P) is proposed. This P‐C‐P model has the ability to span any service sector since what is proposed is a skeletal framework within which to consider respective services. The authors are currently in the process of using this model for the empirical analysis of the quality of information which is provided by government bodies to the business community. The results of their empirical study will form the subject matter of the next paper in this series. This is, therefore, largely theoretical in nature with the emphasis on a critical appraisal of the existing models in the service quality arena and it also describes the authors’ own model to encourage discussion and debate among researchers, perhaps allowing them to make further refinements to their proposed model.

Examines the issue of productivity measurement in service operations. Proposes a dynamic model for productivity measurement in service operations. This model is based on the idea that the intangible output for service operations is the quality of their services and the input is the level of skill of their employees. Both the skill level and the quality are measured on the same scale. Bases the measurement of service quality on the five dimensions suggested by Zeithaml and also bases the measurement of the skill level of employees on a six‐dimensional instrument which is developed here.

Asserts that there is good evidence that service quality may be achieved and sustained in the same way as is currently achieved and sustained in manufacturing industry by using simple measurement techniques. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that the opportunity for continuous improvement that exists in manufacturing is also available in service applications. A simple experiment, using a small sample, indicated positive signs of predictive validity. The methodology chosen measured the service performance through a self‐assessment technique. A fortuitous error in sampling enabled a de facto control group to be inferred that substantiated the existence of a continuous improvement component that was driven by the “measurement effect”.

Looks at the generality and reliability of multi‐item measures that are based upon the perception of one or more individuals. Proposes that at least an overall time aspect is missing, which would contribute to the measurement of the perceived direction of change in a specific empirical context. The issues raised in current marketing research literature on the use of multi‐item measures relate to the generality and reliability of the findings regarding time and space. Emphasises the limits of the issues of time. The characteristics of data collected using a particular multi‐item measurement scale determine the reliability of the findings. Determines, by a methodological procedure, the generality of the empirical outcome. The results may lack reliability and generality over time even if the same items of measurement are used in the same context. Therefore, introduces an overall trend dimension in multi‐item measures in order to incorporate the time aspect for each dimension in a construct. The trend dimension makes it possible to measure the perceived direction of change, and complements the facets, as well as the perceptual degree, of a phenomenon or object in a specific empirical context.

Provides an overview of UK public and private sector organisations’ use of performance information relating to service quality. While they have made some headway in improving the range of performance information they have available, and in their use of such information, significant problems remain. These problems include those of: conceptual mis‐development; limitations in recognising the needs of different stakeholders for such information; data shortage difficulties; and both technical and analytical under‐development of practice. Assesses the outlook for development of greater understanding of service quality measurement and makes a number of suggestions for dealing with these problems.

To evaluate the application of one particular quality measurement tool, the SERVQUAL instrument, as a potential mechanism to measure quality in services for children with disabilities

Staff and family of children with an intellectual disability in two organisations providing specialist therapy and day completed an adapted SERVQUAL questionnaire. A total of 81 SERVQUAL questionnaires were distributed and 59 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 73 per cent).

The SERVQUAL instrument can be considered as a useful diagnostic tool to identify particular strengths and areas for improvement in services for people with disabilities as the instrument lends itself for the monitoring of the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives over time. The findings also showed relatively high customer expectations and the organisations involved in this research are currently not meeting all of these high expectations as significant quality gaps were found in the areas of reliability and responsiveness.

The sample size was relatively small and the measurement of quality using the SERVQUAL instrument remains a challenge, due to the conceptual and empirical difficulties.

The SERVQUAL instrument is probably most be attractive to service managers and funding organisations because of its ability to identify gaps in the quality of the service.

The tool had been used to measure quality in services for people with disabilities and the research has shown that this tool might be an important additional quality measurement tool for services.

A number of writers in the service management literature have observed that because service quality is difficult to measure there is a danger that service organisations will neglect to measure it, despite the fact that service quality is often critical to their competitive business success. The results of an empirical research project investigating the quality measurement systems of six multi‐site UK service organisations, all of which consider themselves to differentiate on the basis of service quality, are described. Two of the organisations were found to have very few quality measures and recognised that this was a major gap in their performance measurement systems. Two had developed a range of customer‐based measures of service quality which were reported regularly and widely in the organisations. The other two companies had developed a wide range of internal and external, hard and soft quality measures. These companies used managers as well as customers to measure both tangible and intangible aspects of service. Internal measures were used to corroborate the perceptual measures drawn from customers and, conversely, the external measures were used to support service design and the setting of internal quality targets.