An investigation into the service operations strategy of an SME : a case study

Abstract

Purpose: The motivation of this dissertation was to discuss in detail the concept of service quality through customer perception and satisfaction. The aim was to discover the process of attaining service quality from an operational perspective and to analyse and arrive to the answer as to why do the firm’s customers believe in advertising. Design and Methodological Approach: A qualitative and quantitative analysis approach was taken. Interviews were conducted with the firm’s management to discover their techniques on how they manage service delivery and service delivery process and a questionnaire was circulated to the firm’s customers. This was done to obtain an understanding on customer’s satisfaction and perception of the quality service being delivered by sales executives. Findings: Following the analysis of the data collected through the questionnaire, it was confirmed that the respondent’s perceived service quality has been met. Thus, respondents view the service being delivered as a satisfactory service. Moreover, through the interview process it was discovered that the firm follows ―7 Steps to the Sale‖ to achieve a good quality service and a certain degree of consistency. A substantial amount of training and guidance is given to sales executives and other service providers, so that employees have the set of skills needed to be successful. Research Limitation: For the purpose of this research, the time constraint was the most challenging since the sample for the questionnaires could have been larger so that results would have been more accurate. Many emails were sent to customers and yet the response rate was quite low. Recommendations and Conclusion: To assess the rate of the delivered service quality, customer perception knowledge is embraced by companies. Therefore, the firm should ask for feedback through questionnaires often, since knowing the customer, will help meet their expectations and therefore satisfy them. In addition the company should try to go beyond the customer’s expectations, rather than simply satisfying them. Originality/Value: This study has been explored by many researchers since this concept is quite important and a major determinant for the success of a business. With regards to the company investigated in this case study, it was the first research conducted.