what is servqual model

The SERVQUAL model is a multi-dimensional research instrument designed to capture consumer expectations and perceptions of a service along five dimensions that are believed to represent service quality. These dimensions are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy. The model was developed by researchers A. Parasuraman, Valarie Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry in 1985 to measure and drive quality in the service and retail sector. It is based on the expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm, which means that service quality is understood as the extent to which consumers pre-consumption expectations of quality are confirmed or disconfirmed by their actual perceptions of the service experience. The SERVQUAL model helps bridge the gap in perception between what the company believes it delivers to customers and what those customers expect, want, or need during customer service. By using the SERVQUAL model, companies can measure and improve customer satisfaction, understand and meet customer expectations, and figure out where they need to focus their efforts to improve the quality of their services.