Service Performance Gap: Understanding Customer Expectations in Service Quality

This article, 'The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service' by Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1993), delves into the crucial role of customer expectations in service quality. The authors highlight that customer expectations serve as the benchmark against which service quality is evaluated. If a service provider fails to meet these expectations, customers may experience disappointment or dissatisfaction, leading to a decline in perceived service quality and an expansion of the Service Provider Gap 3: Service Performance Gap. Consequently, service providers must prioritize understanding customer expectations and continuously strive to enhance service quality to bridge this gap.