Gaps Model

Read the overview below and complete the activities that follow.

Customer service is the set of activities and programs undertaken by retailers to make the shopping experience more rewarding for their customers. These activities increase the value customers receive from the merchandise and services they purchase. When customers evaluate customer service, they compare their perceptions of the service with their expectations. Customers are satisfied when the perceived service meets or exceeds their expectations. They are dissatisfied when they feel that the service falls below their expectations.

When the customer$$s perception of the service delivered by a retailer fails to meet the customer$$s expectations, a service gap results. There are four gaps that contribute to the service gap. The knowledge gap reflects the difference between customers$$ expectations and the retailer$$s perception of those customer expectations. The standards gap pertains to the difference between the retailer$$s knowledge of customers$$ perceptions and expectations and the service standards it sets. The delivery gap is the difference between the retailer$$s service standards and the actual service it provides to customers. The communication gap is the difference between the actual service provided to customers and the service that the retailer$$s promotion program promises.