Exploring Customer Perception Gaps — The GAP Model of Service Quality

In today’s technologically advanced era, not only phones but customers too have grown smart. Customers have all the information they need, available to them, just a click away.

They know precisely what they are looking for and what they want from you. And these expectations often weighed against the product or service performance lead to customer perception gaps.

According to Salesforce, more than 76% of customers expect companies to understand their needs. Any deviations from their expectations might lead to negative perceptions and thereby impact Customer Experience.

It is thus necessary to analyze the customer perception gaps in order to leverage them and improve CX.

The 5 GAP model of service quality is a great tool to dive deep into the gaps in customer experience.

And to understand this, we need to know the difference between Customer Expectation and Perception.

With no further adieu, let’s begin…

Customer Expectations vs Customer Perceptions

There is a thin-line difference between Customer Expectation and Perception. But it is necessary to distinguish the two in order to analyze customer perception gaps.

To start with, Customer Expectation is how the customers think your product and service will be.

This can be shaped by their tastes, needs, lifestyle choices, peer recommendations, past experience with the brand, ads of the product, social media, reviews, etc.

In short, Customer Expectation is what the customer expects your product to be.

On the other hand, Customer Perception is the actual experience customers derive after using your product first-hand.

This will depend upon the value derived from the product against the money paid, brand image, features, communication, accessibility, responsiveness, etc. Thus, perception would be what your product actually turns out to be for the customer.

However, usually, there is a deviation between what the customer expects vs what they get.

This difference between Customer Expectation and Perception leads to customer perception gaps. A higher gap can affect Customer Experience negatively.

To understand this gap we need to study the various other gaps causing it through the 5 GAP model of service quality.

The 5 GAP Model of Service Quality: A Deeper Look

The Gap Model of Service Quality was created by A. Parasuraman, Valarie Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry in 1985.

This model not only defines the gap between Customer Expectation and Perception but rather also helps to analyze other types of gaps in Customer Experience.

The 5 gaps of the Gap model are as follows:

These gaps often lead to customer dissatisfaction which may lead to the worst consequences.

According to statistics from Customer Think, 91% of customers decide against doing business with a brand due to dissatisfaction from failed expectations.

But, this can be avoided if businesses devise strategies for closing gaps in service marketing and Gap model marketing.

Some good strategies to overcome customer perception gaps are discussed in the next section.

Strategies to Fill Customer Perception Gaps

The gaps identified from the GAP model of service quality help you analyze where your business is lacking in its Customer Experience efforts.

A gap in CX doesn’t only lead to the churn of existing customers but it also drives potential customers away due to bad reviews.

According to Lucidpress statistics, 79% of customers share a bad experience with a business with others.

Thus to safeguard your brand, the following strategies for closing gaps in service marketing and Gap model marketing can help:

Marketing Research

Management can reduce the Knowledge Gap by constantly updating themselves with customer expectations using marketing research.

Past experiences of customer requirements at different touchpoints in the Customer Experience journey are also a good source for understanding their expectations.

Only by knowing what customers’ value the most, brands can leverage this information to create high valued products.

Standardized Policy Creation Process

The management must convert the knowledge of customer expectations into standard policies for all employees to know the direction of their work.

Establishing clear goals based on these policies, ensuring proper communication through middle-level management and proper understanding of the policies and goals by employees is a must to overcome policy gaps.

Employee Re-creation

The employees need to understand the policies clearly to know what is expected of them.

To avoid the delivery gap, clarify employee roles, appoint the right person for the right task, provide proper training to the employees and managers, motivate employees through incentives on meeting goals, and incorporate teamwork.

This will ensure all deliveries are in accordance with the actual standards.

Monitor External Communication

It is necessary to ensure that external communication is undertaken in a controlled manner.

According to Nextiva, 33% of customers discovered and interacted with businesses using social media channels.

That is why, your ads matter, whether online or offline.

Therefore, misleading ads overstated benefits, and unreal promises must be avoided. Instead, content must highlight aspects of the solution that solve customer problems.

Survey Customers

Customer gap under customer-oriented marketing strategy can be analyzed using feedback surveys. Customer opinions from surveys will help you know what they expected and what they perceived.

And the only way to fill this customer gap is to fill all other gaps. Because only when the customers receive equal to or more than their expectations, their perceptions result in a positive Customer Experience.

The ultimate aim of all these strategies for closing gaps in service marketing and Gap model marketing is to align customer expectations with customer perceptions.

Conclusion

According to the Gap model, Customer Satisfaction is largely based on Customer Perception. The higher the customer gap, the greater the dissatisfaction.

Analyzing these gaps and filling them timely using the above-stated strategies can not only save your business from turning obsolete but also boost your earnings. According to Gallup, satisfied and engaged customers result in 23% more revenue. Thus, finding the gaps in your CX and correcting them in time is very essential.