According to the American Society for Quality, customers in the United States consistently rate service quality lower than product quality (American Society for Quality, The Quarterly Quality Report, www.asq.org, May 16, 2006). For example, products in the beverage, personal care, and cleaning industries, as well as the major appliance sector all received very high customer satisfaction ratings. At the other extreme, services provided by airlines, banks, and insurance companies all received low customer satisfaction ratings.
a. Why do you think service quality consistently rates lower than product quality?
b. What are the similarities and differences between measuring service quality and product quality?
c. Do Deming's 14 points apply to both products and services?
d. Can Six Sigma be used for both products and services?