P/PS/31. Customer satisfaction and service quality

The paper is devoted to the philosophic, psychological and economic aspects of the notion 'quality'. It looks at the basic models explaining the criteria for quality in service, namely, the Servqual (Service Quality) model which measures expectations and perceptions, the GAP models which make it easier to see where things can and do go wrong, the Kano and the Expectations models that show the needs and influences in expectations of the customers. The paper seeks to understand the difference between customer satisfaction and quality. The paper concludes that quality is subjective while customers' needs are mostly objective. The need for market research is outlined and the significance of price for customers' satisfaction is highlighted.