A Description of the Process and Opportunity for Improvement
A service gap is a difference between the services rendered to customers and the perceived service when buying a product or when interacting with a brand (Frank, 2012). The customer service gap model coined by Parasuraman, Zeithalm, and Berry in 1985 states that there are five types of service gaps. The five types are the customer gap, the knowledge gap, the policy gap, the delivery gap and the communication gap (Puranam & Vanneste, 2016). The communication gap is exhibited in advertisements whereby businesses over praise their products and the actual product doesn't match the advertised product. The customer gap occurs when their perceptions of a product don't match the real product while the knowledge gap happens when the company's service provision and the customers' expectations don't align (Malik, 2012). The policy gap occurs when the company fails to convert their policies into working guidelines for their staff and the delivery gap occurs when employees underperform according to customers’ expectations.
The Kentucky Fried Chicken is the world second largest fast food restaurant chain with outlets all over the world (Malik, 2012). They are known for their fried chicken with their extensive menu including chicken sandwiches, veggie snackers, chicken bucket, wraps, fries, soft drinks, salads, desserts and breakfast (Frank, 2012). Self-service is the primary service, but they also offer parcel services, home deliveries and they also rent out space for functions. Having dined in their several establishments, several areas of improvements stand out. Their product offerings have the potential for improvement, their pricing is too high, and the customer service in some outlets could be improved (Puranam & Vanneste, 2016). The self-service policy is not elaborated for first-time visitors and could be upgraded to include a personal touch from staff members directing the customers.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The impact of the current situation on the company and customer
The current situation negatively affects the company as well as the customers because there is a huge service gap between the perceived service and the delivered service (Malik, 2012). The current product offering has been criticized for being unhealthy since they use trans-fats in the preparation of non-veggie foods. The impact is the loss of health conscious customers and the unhealthy perception affecting the brand image negatively (Puranam & Vanneste, 2016). The pricing is higher compared to other fast food outlets which discourage customers from eating at their joints which in turn translates to a loss of revenue for the company (Frank, 2012). The poor customer service and absence of welcoming staff negatively affect the customer experience and also affects the brand image.
A recommendation to the service process to address the gap
To improve their delivery gap, the company should strategically place staff at the entrance so that they can direct the customers on the menus and where to pay and place their orders (Frank, 2012). The KFC Company has recently embarked on celebrity advertisement which creates high-quality expectations among their customers. To bridge the communication gap which could result from the adverts the company should invent new recipes to improve their products and dispel the consumer attitude of their unhealthy meal preparation processes. Reviewing of the food prices is also required so that they can be competitive with their business rivals on the pricing and stop losing their customers to them (Puranam & Vanneste, 2016). The customer gap created by the perception of the meals at KFC as unhealthy should be bridged by introducing more healthy dishes in their menu and clearly stating the ingredients of each meal (Malik, 2012). They should also showcase the number of calories in each of their products to enable their customers to make healthier choices when dining in their establishments.
Projected benefits from implementation of the process change
The process change will increase the customer attraction, and retention levels since the customer gap, communication gap, and knowledge gap will be bridged (Frank, 2012). The increased number of customers will, in turn, translate to increase in sales which will raise the company's profit margins (Puranam & Vanneste, 2016). Through the introduction of more health based meals and indicating the number of calories in each meal, KFC will cultivate a competitive edge by being among the few fast food outlets incorporating healthy eating into their menus (Malik, 2012). A review of their prices will also attract more customers and increase their market share allowing them to expand their businesses to even more locations.
In sum, there are five types of service according to the customer service gap model coined by Parasuraman, Zeithalm, and Berry in 1985. These are the communication gap, the policy gap, the customer gap, the knowledge gap and the delivery gap. An analysis of the KFC fast food outlets as the area of focus reveals that the company experiences communication, customer, and knowledge and delivery gaps in their business. There is improvement potential in the product offering, customer relations, and pricing for KFC. The impact of the current customer gaps is lower customer retention levels, decreased profits and negative brand image. The recommendations are to change the menus, introduce welcoming staff and indicate the number of calories in all meals. The projected benefits of the recommendations are increased sales, higher customer attraction and retention, higher brand equity and more profits.
References
Frank, B. (2012). The formation of consumer attitudes and intentions towards fast food restaurants. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 22 (3), 260-282. Doi: 10.1108/09604521211230987
Malik, S. U. (2012). Customer Satisfaction, Perceived Service Quality and Mediating Role of Perceived Value. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4 (1). doi:10.5539/ijms.v4n1p68
Puranam, P., & Vanneste, B. (2016). Corporate strategy: tools for analysis and decision-making . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
