COMPARATIVE STUDY ON SERVICE QUALITY IN

GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITALS IN ODISHA

A Research proposal (Synopsis) submitted to

Siksha O Anusandhan Deemed to be University for enrollment in to the
Doctoral programme in Hospitality Management for January 2014 session

Under the Guidance of

Prof. Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan

Dean In-Charge, School of Hotel Management cum
Registrar, Siksha O Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Presented By : Ansuman Samal

Registration No - 1481208001 (January 2014 Session)

FLOW OF PRESENTATION
Introduction
Background (The Prologue)
Statement of the Problem
Need for the Study
Objectives of the Study
Scope of the Present study
Research Methodology & Sampling Plan
Hypotheses
Limitations
Scope of further Research
Related Works (Review of Literature)
Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION
Survival of the Fittest !
This is the new mantra for the modern day marketers to begin, survive, thrive and sustain their businesses in
the highly competitive market place

Now a days the consumers have become more and more demanding which has resulted in new type of
challenges for the marketers
Changing customer demands, increased expectations for superior quality of products and services and the
global competition have created a competitive situation among different industrial sectors
The more the options they have in the market place, the less they are brand loyalist
The key for survival in the global market for a firm is to offer a product or service that is some way superior to
its competition and it must also be sustainable over time
A paradigm shift has happened in todays hypercompetitive market place; from transaction based business to
relationship centric business
Obtaining and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage is a more challenging task in case of services
marketing
Therefore the marketer has to constantly keep a vigil in order to explore new avenues to offer new types of
services, best in class quality, better services, processes and innovative ways to reach to the customers in order
to differentiate the Brand from others
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THE PROLOGUE
The Concept of Service
According to the International foundation of Information Technology, a Service is a set of actions or solutions
that are put in place or are performed to provide a repeatable and consistent set of outcomes, deliverables, and
performance for people, organizations, and systems that represent consumers or beneficiaries of such results
A service provision comprises a sequence of activities that does not result in ownership of the outcome, and
this is what fundamentally differentiates it from furnishing someone with physical goods

List of Services:
1. Business Functions like HR, consulting, etc.
2. Child Care
3. Cleaning, repair and maintenance services
4. Construction
5. Death Care
6. Dispute resolution and prevention services
7. Education
8. Entertainment
9. Fabric care
10. Financial services

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

Foodservice industry
Personal grooming
Health care
Hospitality Industry
Information Services
Risk Management like Insurance & security
Social Services
Transport
Public Utility

Contd
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THE PROLOGUE
Contribution of Services Sector
The contribution of service sector to the national economy has grown up to a significant percentage

we can also divide the total labor force employed with various industry sectors where also a major contribution in
employments is provided by the service sector only seconded to the agriculture sector

Contd
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THE PROLOGUE
Unique Characteristics of Services
Services can be paraphrased in terms of their generic key / unique characteristics which differentiate them from
the products.
1.

Intangibility

2.

Perishability

3.

Inseparability

4.

Variability

How Services differs from Goods

Goods
Tangible

Services
Intangible

Resulting Implications
o
Services cannot be inventoried.
o
Services cannot be easily patented.
o
Services cannot be readily displayed or communicated.
o
Pricing is difficult

Non-perishable

Perishable

o
o

It is difficult to synchronize supply and demand with services.

Services cannot be returned and resold.

Production
separate
from
Consumption

Simultaneous
production
and consumption

Standardized

Variable

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Customers participate in and affect the transaction.

Customers affect each other.
Employees affect the service outcome.
Decentralization may be essential.
Mass production is difficult.
Services delivery and customer satisfaction depends on employee and customer actions
Service quality depends on many uncontrollable factors
There is no sure knowledge that the service delivered matches what was planned.

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Contd

THE PROLOGUE
The Concept of Quality:
According to the definition provided in the business dictionary, the term Quality can be states as
The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy the
stated or implied needs.
In simpler terms it is a comparison between the level of expectations of a customer before availing the product or
service and the level of perception after receiving the product or service

The Concept of Quality in Services:

Service quality refers to the collective effort of service performance, which determines the degree of satisfaction
of users of the services
The degree of customer satisfaction bears a direct relation to the quality of service where good quality of service
gives better customer satisfaction and the bad one leads to dissatisfaction of the customers
In another view, Service quality is defined as the customers impression of the relative superiority/inferiority of a
service provider and its services (Bitner and Hubbert 1994) and is often considered similar to the customers
overall attitude towards the company (Parasuraman et al. 1988, Zeithaml 1988, Bitner 1990)
The major difficulty in this aspect is the problem in measuring the service quality because of the unique
characteristics of it
Because of the unique characteristics of the services, marketers of services face some of the very real and
distinctive challenges
Contd
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CHALLENGES FOR SERVICE MARKETEERS

1.
2.
3.

How can service quality be defined and improved when the product is intangible and non-standardized?
How can new services be designed and tested effectively when the service is essentially an intangible process.
How can the firm be certain it is communicating a consistent and relevant image when so many elements of
the marketing mix communicate to customers and some of these elements are the service providers
themselves?
4. How does the firm accommodate fluctuating demand when capacity is fixed and the service itself is
perishable?
5. How can the firm best motivate and select service employees, who because the service is delivered in real
time, become a critical part of the product itself.
6. How should prices be set when it difficult to determine actual costs of production and price may be
inextricably intertwined with perceptions of quality?
7. How should the firm be organized so that good strategic and tactical decisions are made when a decision in
any of the functional areas of marketing, operations, and human resources may have significant impact on the
other two areas?
8. How can the balance between standardization and personalization be determined to maximize both the
efficiency of the organization and the satisfaction of its customers?
9. How can the organization protect new service concepts from competitors when service processes cannot be
readily patented?
10. How does the firm communicate quality and value to consumers when the offering is intangible and cannot
be readily tried or displayed?
11. How can the organization ensure the delivery of consistent quality service when both the organizations
employees and customers themselves can affect the service outcome?
In order to solve these problems, many researchers have worked over the years to find the solution. Over the
years, they have developed certain measures to evaluate the quality of services through various studies which can
be described in the later section
Contd
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THE PROLOGUE
Importance of Service Quality in Hospitals
The role of service quality is recognized as being a critical determinant for the success of an organization in a
competitive environment
Improvements in service quality is linked to increased profit margins, lower costs, and positive attitudes towards
the service by customers, and willingness of customers to pay premiums price
However the measurement of the quality of services is difficult due to its unique features,
As the hospital industry is mainly concerned with the provision of services and not physical goods, the application
of marketing concepts in general and services marketing is proper
In the hospital industry, service quality and patients satisfaction are getting much attention and this issue is
considered in their strategic planning process
Moreover, increased patients expectations about the service quality made the healthcare service providers find
the key determinants that are necessary to improve their services that cause patients satisfaction and it also
helps them to cut the time and money involved in handling patients complaints
The literature suggests that sustainable competitive advantage for service organizations, such as those in the
hospital industry, is best attained through service quality and customer satisfaction as perceived by customers

Contd
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CURRENT SCENARIO - TRENDS

Indian Health Care Sector:
After gaining Independence in 1947, India started a journey towards the transformation in the Health care
Industry which occupies a vital place in the social services sector and is essential for achieving sustainable human
resource development
According to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (www.ibef.org), The Indian healthcare sector, one of the
countrys fastest developing industries, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2 per
cent during 201117 to reach US$ 160 billion
due to certain reasons such as increase in the disposable income, ageing population, health awareness, demand
towards preventive health care is expected to boost the health care sector in India in the coming days
Notable Trends in Indian Health Care Sector
Shift from communicable to lifestyle diseases
Expansion to tier II and tier III cities
Management Contracts
Emergence of Telemedicine
Increasing penetration of Health Insurance
Technological Initiatives

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10

CURRENT SCENARIO - STATUS

The Odisha Story:
The Mission of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Odisha, is to facilitate improvement in
the health status of the people of Odisha with their participation, and to make available health care in a socially
equitable, accessible and affordable manner within a reasonable timeframe, creating partnerships between the
public, voluntary and private health sector and across other developmental sectors
It has adopted Central Government norms, guidelines, policies and programmes for this development
The current strength of health care facilities in the state are as follows
Health care facilities in the state of Odisha
Facilities
Medical College and Hospitals (State Government Owned)
Medical College and Hospitals (Central Government Owned)
Medical College and Hospitals (Privately Owned)
District Hospitals (30 Districts + Capital Hospital BBSR
& I.G.H, RKL)
Sub-Divisional Hospitals
Community Health Centers
Other Hospitals
Infectious Disease Hospitals
Training Centers
Primary Health Centers (N) & others
Sub-Centers
A.N.M. Training Schools
G.N.M. Training School
M.P.H.W.(Male) Training School
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Numbers
4
1
4
32
27
377
79
5
5
1226
6688
16
8
3

Facilities
Ayurvedic Hospitals
Ayurvedic College & Hospitals
Ayurvedic Dispensaries
Homoeopathic College & Hospitals
Homoeopathic Dispensaries
Unani Dispensaries

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Numbers
2
3
619
4
560
9

Contd
11

CURRENT SCENARIO - PROBLEMS

Despite of all the efforts, the general scenario in health care conditions of the state is very poor
It can be attributed to many factors such as Poverty, malnutrition, economic backwardness of people,
scarcity of adequate hospitals, sanitation conditions, absence of modern and updated equipment for
optimum level of service delivery, shortage of trained professionals, regular occurrence of natural
disasters such as floods and cyclones etc. which are making them more vulnerable to diseases of
various kinds making their lives miserable
Due to the inadequacy of Government initiatives in the state, during the last decade, a no. of private
medical college hospitals and general hospitals have been established for promotion of knowledge,
research and care but they are too in the nascent phase which is causing hindrance in the overall
development of the health care industry in the state
According to the annual report of the UNICEF, around 40 percent of all children under three years old
in Odisha are underweight and 61 per cent of adolescent girls are anemic
Odisha has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in India. Overall the healthcare sector
in Odisha is growing but it is not in an adequate stage to serve its customer by providing them with
high quality services

Contd
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12

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years, the health care sector has become highly competitive and its growing in many folds
In the present context, service quality is critical to the success of the hospital industry because the patients
demand more information than ever and do not hesitate to switch to another health care provider if they do
not get satisfaction
Every day, millions of people receive health care services to keep up or restore their health and ability to
work with high levels of expectations
However, quality problems are reflected in a wide variation in the use of health care services, including an
unacceptable level of errors
Besides, India's hospital industry faces significant shortage of qualified staff in all categories of doctors,
nurses and paramedic staff
The quality of the public health care sector is quite low and inadequate and the patients are dissatisfied with
the level of service provided in the public hospitals
Due to the inadequacy of public hospitals, during the last decades, a no. of private medical college hospitals
and general hospitals have been established for promotion of knowledge, research and care but they are too
in the nascent phase which is causing hindrance in the overall development of the health care industry
creating, implementing and monitoring the systems to improve quality and patient safety have become a
major focus in the present scenario
To thrive in future health systems, hospitals will need to transform to patient centered and information rich organizations
Therefore, I think that it is worth to study the perception of the patients towards the service quality of the
Medical college hospitals in the state of Odisha
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13

NEED FOR THE STUDY

Like the other service organizations, the health care sector has also become a highly competitive and rapidly
growing service industry around the world
Today, the biggest challenge faced by health care markets is to define and measure the service quality
In health care, patient perceptions are considered to be the major indicator to assess the service quality of a
health care organization
Also, the health care sector of a country needs special attention from the government as the quality of health
care provides hope and relief to the patients and their dependents and ultimately aims to build a healthy
human capital that contributes to the development of the country.

Keeping this in mind, the current study aims to measure the perception of patients towards the service
quality of the Medical College hospitals to give valuable information to the policy makers and hospital
administrators about the areas that need attention for improvement in quality of health care
In order to give excellent service quality, identifying the underlying dimensions of the service quality
construct is the first step in the definition, and hence, should be a central concern for hospital administrators.
The Government also needs to provide special attention and support to the health care section as it provides
hope and relief to the patients and their dependents and support for maintaining a healthy human capital
that contributes to the development of the country.
Thus, there is a lot of scope for research to present new ideas about customers perception towards service
quality, which may be useful to the hospital industry
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14

RESEARCH PROBLEM
In the present context, service quality is critical to the success of the hospital industry because the patients
demand more information than ever and do not hesitate much to switch to another health care provider if
they do not get satisfaction
Thus, the provision of quality service and improving patient satisfaction are key strategies in the long - run
success and profitability of health care providers
However, quality related problems are reflected in a wide variation in the use of health care services, including
an unacceptable level of errors
Besides, India's hospital industry faces significant shortage of qualified staff in all categories of Doctors,
Nurses and Paramedic staff
The quality of the public health care sector is quite low and inadequate and the patients are dissatisfied with
the level of service provided in the public hospitals
Though the above are the problems faced by the hospitals, creating, implementing and monitoring the systems
to improve quality and patient safety have become a major focus in the present scenario
To thrive in future health systems, hospitals will need to transform to patient centered and information - rich
organizations
Therefore, I think that it is worth to study the perception of the patients towards the service quality of the
Medical College Hospitals in the state of Odisha
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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to check the perception of the patients towards the service quality of the
Medical College hospitals in Odisha.
Besides, the study has the following secondary objectives:
1. To study the importance of service quality in the hospital industry in general.
2. To study the various types of health care services offered by the selected Public Vs Private Medical College

hospitals in Odisha.
3. To study the difference in perception of the patients towards the service quality of the Public Vs Private
Medical college Hospitals in Odisha.
4. To analyze the service quality factors that influence patients satisfaction with Government vs. Private
Hospitals in Odisha.
5. To identify the service quality gap in Public and Private Sector Medical College Hospitals.
6. To suggest measures to improve the service quality of the Medical College hospitals based on the findings
of the study

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SCOPE OF THE PRESENT STUDY

The Scope of the present study is to assess the perception of the patients towards the service quality of
the Medical College Hospitals in the state of Odisha. This will be restricted to 3 Government Medical
College Hospitals and 3 nos. of Private Medical College Hospitals
The service quality is a vast subject consisting of a number of dimensions. The most common service
quality dimensions namely, assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibility only will be
studied in the present study
This study is confined to the patients of the selected Medical College hospitals in Odisha
In the present study, the sampling involves two stages. In the first stage, out of all the 9 Medical college
Hospitals 6 nos. will be selected
In the second stage, by adopting quota sampling, 75 respondents will be selected from each Medical
College Hospital. The sampling details are given in the later part

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Research Methodology & Sampling Plan

We have to use both primary and secondary data but need to depend largely upon primary data
However at places it would be supplemented with secondary data which would be collected from various
reports of Department of Health, Government of India, and Government of Odisha, World Health Organization
(WHO) statistics and research articles from various other web sources

Besides some relevant journals, magazines and newspapers would be consulted.

For the primary data, we need to have questionnaire method. The questionnaire would be administered with
the patients in the medical college hospitals
Sl.
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name of the Medical College and Hospitals

SCB (Shri Ramachandra Bhanja) Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack
VSS (Veer Surendra Sai) Medical College and Hospital, Burla, Sambalpur
MKCG (Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati) Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur
KIMS (Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences), Bhubaneswar
IMS & SH (Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital,) Bhubaneswar
Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar
Total
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Sample
Size
75
75
75
75
75
75
450

Type
Public
Sector
Private
Sector

18

HYPOTHESES
The formulation of the hypotheses is based on specialist literature reviews, personal & professional
experience, consultations with recognized experts and my guide. The following null hypotheses are to be
tested empirically
H01: There is no significant association in the satisfaction level of the patients belonging to the different
social - economic profiles towards the services of the select multi specialty hospitals.
H02: There is no significant relationship between the acceptance levels of the respondents belonging to
different demographic profiles towards the perceived level of service quality in the select multi specialty
hospitals.
H03: There is no significant difference in the acceptance levels of the patients between the expected and

perceived levels towards various service quality dimensions in the select multi specialty hospitals in
Mumbai.
H04: The demographic variables of the patients do not have any influence on their acceptance level towards
loyalty with the services of the select multi specialty hospitals in Mumbai
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LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In true sense, research in any field of knowledge makes the ground for more researches and this process on.
Obviously, all studies and researchers have their own limitations. The researcher may have certain limitations
while conducting this study. They are as follows:

The sample of the study is only limited to the Medical College Hospitals and thus the result may not
represent the entire scenario.

Sample size is limited to only 450 of the patients which may not represent the total population
perception. Hence, the conclusion drawn is specific and may not be generalized.

The research will be based on primary data so it would depend upon respondents awareness and
readiness for the study.

Also the limitation of respondents willingness to provide all the information requested is there.

The service quality is a vast subject consisting of a number of dimensions. The most common service
quality dimensions namely, assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibility only were
studied in this study.

Despite all the care taken, the authenticity and accuracy of data depends upon the reliability of the
information provided by the respondents. Therefore, this limitation bound to be present in the study.
Lastly, few empirical researches have been done in the same area of study and hence intensive review of
past studies is limited
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SCOPE OF FURTHER RESEARCH

The basic significance of the study lies in identifying and highlighting the current status, challenges faced as
well as future opportunities at the Medical College Hospitals so as to develop strategies to promote it as a
destination so as to generate sustainable economic returns in the long run as well as upliftment of the
society in which it is operated
The suggestions from the respondents incorporated herein, would provide guidelines for future course of
action to be followed
This study may be equally important for all those interested in undertakings similar studies in the context of
other states and regions, because certain methods and approaches which would evolved and employed here
by the researcher ought to be helpful in carrying out further studies of a similar nature

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RELATED WORKS IN MEASUREMENT OF

SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH CARE
Parasuraman, et al (1988) suggested a widely used model known as SERVQUAL for evaluating the quality of
services where he has used 5 dimensions to evaluate the quality
Weaver et. al.(1997), in his work, has identified some variables which have essentially defined and critically
explained all the abovementioned latent constructs. These variables are Care and service (Service quality and
access), Health Plan Features (Technical and interpersonal aspects), Consultation (Access, information and
cost), Choice (Complexity, discomfort and convenience)
Chahal (2000) has described three latent constructs viz. physicians performance, nursing performance and
operational quality having positive relation with service quality of health care

Aragon (2003) elucidated a model on patient satisfaction where he considered three latent constructs which
are related to overall satisfaction of patients viz. 1) Waiting time (information about delay, waiting time, length
of queue, Speed of service), 2) Physician service (physicians seriousness, physicians care about comfort of
patients, physicians ability to explain the treatment and diseases, nursing service, seriousness of nurses,
technical skills)
Doud Marrakchi e.t al.(2008) pointed out that there is an association of patient satisfaction with seven
variables reception, information, nursing care, comfort, food, hygiene and invoice services which define the
service quality of hospitals
Sharma and Narang (2011), in their study on quality of healthcare, identified some factors of service quality.
These are health care delivery, interpersonal and diagnostic aspect of care, facility, health personnel conduct
and drug availability and financial and physical aspect to care
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RELATED WORKS IN MEASUREMENT OF

SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH CARE
Otani et al. (2009), in their study, identified some independent variables related to quality of patient
satisfaction towards quality of service. These variables are admission, nursing care, physician care, staff care;
food and room of which they pointed out that the staff care and nursing care were two most preferable factors
to patients
Zineldin et.al.(2011) identified some parameters for measuring service quality of healthcare in their study viz.
Object(technical quality focusing on treatment; the main reason why patients visit hospitals), Processes
(functional quality which measures how well healthcare activities are implemented), Infrastructure (resources
required to perform healthcare services), Interaction (information exchange, financial and social exchange),
Atmosphere (relationship and interaction process between parties )
Itumalla(2012), has conducted a study on service quality in the healthcare sector in India and identified ten
factors of service quality for developing customer satisfaction index. These ten factors are reliability of service,
knowledge of service staff, promptness of service staff, communication of service staff, attitude of service staff,
availability of service staff, safety when using service, consistency of the service provided, trustworthiness of
service and equipment and facilities
The above literature review revealed that there are some common attributes or variables based on which
service quality of hospitals is measured. Therefore, it is important to select one the abovementioned
instruments for measuring service quality of healthcare

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23

APPLICATION OF SERVQUAL MODEL

Anderson (1995) applied the SERVQUAL model to measure the quality of health care service offered by a public
university of health clinic
Youseff (1996) applied SERVQUAL in National Health Service Hospitals in the UK

Lam (1997) examined the validity, reliability and predictive validity of SERVQUAL and analyzed its applicability
to the health sector in Hong Kong
Sewell (1997) in his study with National Health Service Hospitals
Angelopoulou et.al.(1998) in their investigation on service quality provided in the public and private hospitals
Dean (1999) applied SERVQUAL in two different health care settings at Australia to test the transferability of the
said model
Lim and Tang(2000) measured satisfaction of 252 patients in hospitals of Singapore by applying modified
version of SERVQUAL
Wong (2002) pointed out that three dimensions viz. responsiveness, assurance and empathy of SERVQUAL
model were more important factors than other two dimensions affecting overall patient satisfaction
Jaboun and Chaker(2003) conducted a comparative study on public and private hospitals at UAE
Boshaff and Gray (2004) conducted their research on patients of private health organizations in South Africa
Contd
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24

APPLICATION OF SERVQUAL MODEL

Kilbourne et.al. (2004), in his study, proved that SERVQUAL is capable of capturing even slight quality indicators
in a multidimensional way, namely, tangibles, responsiveness, reliability and empathy as well as overall service
quality

Wisniewski and Isniewski (2005) conducted a study with SERVQUAL model in a Scottish colposcopy clinic and
evaluated each of the five generic dimensions by applying mean score and t-test analysis
Karassavidou et.al. (2007) applied SERVQUAL model to measure a service quality on three dimensions viz. a)
human aspects, b) physical environment and infrastructure of the care unit and c) access
Mangkolrat (2008), in her recent work on patient satisfaction measurement, suggested a conceptual framework
where she measured the gap between patients expectation and their perception in the light of service quality
Akter et. al. (2008), in their research on service quality perception and satisfaction, applied SERVQUAL model
considering three new dimensions viz. communication, discipline, tips or Baksis replacing other three
dimensions viz reliability, tangibles and empathy suggested by Parasuraman et.al
Qin et.al.(2009) considered the perceived quality as one of the antecedents of patient satisfaction and compared
perceived quality with the expected service quality on the basis of SERVQUAL model

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25

SIGNIFICANCE OF SERVQUAL MODEL

SERVQUAL is a standardized and reliable instrument that identifies five different dimensions of service quality
and validates those dimensions in different service situations
Over the years many researchers have successfully applied it across various Industries including health care
industry
Mangkolrat ( 2008), in his research thesis, summarized seven benefits of SERVQUAL approach in measuring
patient satisfaction
It is good at eliciting the views of customers regarding service encounters e.g. customer relative importance,
expectations and satisfaction.
It is able to alert management to consider the perception of both management and customers
Addressing the service gaps can serve as a basis for formulating strategies and tactics in order to ensure the
fulfillment of expectations
SERVQUAL is able to identify specific areas of excellence and weaknesses
It is able to prioritize areas of service weaknesses.
It provides benchmarking analysis for organizations in the same industry
SERVQUAL can trace the trend of customers relative importance, expectations and perceptions, if applied
periodically
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26

THE SERVQUAL MODEL

The SERVQUAL instrument developed by Parsuraman A, Valarie A Zeithaml and Leonard L. Berry in 1985 is
the most popular scale in measuring quality of services
In the SERVQUAL model, Parasuraman et. al. identified the gap between the perception and expectation of
consumers on the basis of five attributes viz. reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles to
measure consumer satisfaction in the light of service quality
SERVQUAL is a methodology that helps to identify customer perceptions of service quality, which defines
five dimensions of service quality.
Reliability: Doing what they say they will do, on time and to specification
Assurance: Possession of the required skills to perform the service and also convey trust, confidence
Tangibles: Include the physical appearance of people and facilities
Empathy: Showing an understanding of customer needs and provide and individualized service
Responsiveness: Willingness to help and respond to individual requirements
A SERVQUAL instrument consists of two sections: a 22-item section that records customer expectations of
excellent firms in the specific service industry, and a second 22- item section that measures consumer
perceptions of a particular company in that service industry
Results from the two sections are then compared to arrive at gap scores for each of the five dimensions
Customer expectations are measured on a 7-point scale with the anchor labels of not at all essential and
absolutely essential. Similarly, customer perceptions are measured on another 7-point scale with anchor
labels of strongly agree and strongly disagree
01
Not at all essential

02
Not Essential

For Mapping Expectations

03
04
05
Somewhat not Essential Undecided Somewhat Essential

06
Essential

07
Absolutely Essential

06
Agree

07
Strongly Agree
27

For Mapping Perceptions

01
Strongly
Disagree
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02
Disagree

03
04
05
Disagree Somewhat
Undecided
Agree Somewhat
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THE SERVQUAL DIMENSIONS

Item Dimensions

Expectations (E)

Perceptions (P)

E1. Excellent companies will have modern-looking

equipment.
E2. The physical facilities at excellent companies will
be visually appealing.
E3. Employees of excellent companies will be neat in
appearance.
E4. Materials associated with the service (such as
pamphlets or statements) will be visually appealing in
an excellent company.
E5. When excellent companies promise to do
something by a certain time, they will do so.
E6. When a customer has a problem, excellent
companies will show sincere interest in solving it.
E7. Excellent companies will perform the service right
the first time.
E8. Excellent companies will provide their services at
the time they promise to do so.
E9. Excellent companies will insist on error-free
records.

P1. XYZ has modern-looking equipment.

E10. Employees of excellent companies will tell

customers exactly when services will be performed.
E11. Employees of excellent companies will give
prompt service to customers.
E12. Employees of excellent companies will always
be willing to help customers.
E13. Employees of excellent companies will never be
too busy to respond to customer requests.

P10. Employees of XYZ tell you exactly when services will be

performed.
P11. Employees of XYZ give you prompt service.

Tangibility

2
3
4

Reliability

6
7
8

10

Responsiveness

11
12
13

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P2. XYZs physical facilities are visually appealing.

P3. XYZs employees are neat in appearance.
P4. Materials associated with the service (such as pamphlets or
statements) are visually appealing at XYZ.
P5. When XYZ promises to do something by a certain time, it
does so.
P6. When you have a problem, XYZ shows a sincere interest in
solving it.
P7. XYZ performs the service right the first time.
P8. XYZ provides its services at the time it promises to do so.

P9. XYZ insists on error-free records.

P12. Employees of XYZ are always willing to help you.

P13. Employees of XYZ are never too busy to respond to your
requests.

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THE SERVQUAL DIMENSIONS

Item Dimensions
14
Assurance
15
16

17
18

Empathy

19
20
21
22

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Expectations (E)
E14. The behaviour of employees of excellent
companies will instill confidence in customers.
E15. Customers of excellent companies will feel safe
in their transactions.
E16. Employees of excellent companies will be
consistently courteous with customers.
E17. Employees of excellent companies will have the
knowledge to answer customer questions.
E18. Excellent companies will give customers
individual attention.
E19. Excellent companies will have operating hours
convenient to all their customers.
E20. The employees of excellent companies give
customers personal attention.
E21. Excellent companies will have the customers
best interest at heart.
E22. The employees of excellent companies will
understand the specific needs of their customers.

Perceptions (P)
P14. The behaviour of employees of XYZ instills confidence in
customers.
P15. You feel safe in your transactions with XYZ.
P16. Employees of XYZ are consistently courteous with you.

P17. Employees of XYZ have the knowledge to answer your

questions.
P18. XYZ gives you individual attention.
P19 XYZ companies have operating hours convenient to all its
customers.

P20. XYZ employees give you personal attention.

P21. XYZ has your best interests at heart.
P22. Employees of XYZ understand your specific needs.

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CONCLUSION
Although, both at the public and private level, significant initiatives are taken for the development of the
hospital services, still we need to go miles in attracting and serving the customers according to their needs,
wants and demands
Findings of this research may provide the required positive inputs and will influence the Healthcare sector
in the state of Odisha in a constructive manner. Also it will be used as a guideline for the authorities to
design their facilities and arrange for the optimum level of service delivery
there always exist a need for systematic rethinking of measures of service quality because of the uniqueness
of the services and the quality of services are always perceived individually and differently by different
people
The basic aim behind all of these is to create our business process by keeping our customers at the core of it
so that we can create sustainable competitive advantage over our competitors over the years and remain in
the hearts of our customers for ever

1/8/2015

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1/8/2015

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