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RATER model
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SERVQUAL model
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Key differences
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How to use them
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Benefits of using them
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If you want to deliver excellent customer service, you need to understand and measure your customers' expectations and perceptions. Two popular models that can help you do that are the RATER model and the SERVQUAL model. But what are the key differences between them and how can you use them effectively? In this article, we will compare and contrast these two models and give you some tips on how to apply them to your customer service strategy.
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- Patrick S. 🧑💻 🥑 Full-Stack/Web3 Dev | Developer DAO Member | Lead DevRel Forward Research / Arweave
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- Mia S. Amazonian | Serial Entrepreneur | Philanthropist | Marketer | Creator
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- Meghan M. :)
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1 RATER model
The RATER model is a simple and easy-to-remember framework that identifies five dimensions of service quality: Reliability, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy, and Responsiveness. These are the factors that customers use to evaluate your service performance and satisfaction. The RATER model suggests that you should ask your customers to rate each dimension on a scale of 1 to 10, and then compare the average scores with your own standards and goals. The higher the gap between the scores, the lower the service quality and the more room for improvement.
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- Meghan M. :)
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I agree there is more room for improvement with a larger customer sample size. Having a larger group will hopefully weed out any unhelpful customer feedback (ie. Personal bias, rushed responses, untruthful information, etc.). This type of model can also be applied internally during employee surveys to improve their overall work satisfaction. For both scenarios, customer and employee feedback, time will always be of the essence. Quick and concise questions that can be easily understood is the way to go!
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- Shaun Green Hard FM Building Services Professional with a background in HVACR, successful in delivering budgets between £350k to £4.5 Million.Memberships: CIWFM, MIoD, MBCS, MCIM, MIC, MInstR, MASHRAE, AaPS, TM44 Inspector
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The RATER model stems from Parasuraman et al 1988 Service Quality research that was later revised (Parasuraman et al. 1991b), resulting in the 5 Dimensions of Service Quality known RATER and form the foundation of the SERVQUAL model.
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2 SERVQUAL model
The SERVQUAL model is a more comprehensive and detailed approach that also uses the five dimensions of the RATER model, but adds two more steps: measuring the customers' expectations before the service encounter, and measuring the customers' perceptions after the service encounter. The SERVQUAL model then calculates the difference between the expectations and the perceptions, which is called the service gap. The service gap represents the degree of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your service. The SERVQUAL model also identifies five possible sources of service gaps: knowledge gap, policy gap, delivery gap, communication gap, and interpretation gap.
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- Patrick S. 🧑💻 🥑 Full-Stack/Web3 Dev | Developer DAO Member | Lead DevRel Forward Research / Arweave
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As a web3 tech founder, the RATER model guides us in building and maintaining our blockchain-based platform. For instance, when we notice users struggling to navigate our platform (a gap in Tangibles), we enhance our documentation and/or our user interface to provide better guidance. If we observe delays in addressing user queries (a lapse in Responsiveness), we improve our support systems. By regularly applying RATER, we ensure a user-centric approach, fostering trust and satisfaction within our community.
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- Steven Frye Operation Manager
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If you want to know how you are doing with your customers go to their office and ask how are we doing. They will tell you and their body expression will tell you as well. When you ask how are we doing be prepared for the response. Good, bad or mediocre. Have a response for your customers. Even if it’s just let me take this back to the office and I’ll let you know how we are going to improve on this. You were then asking them to give you a chance to make it right. You ate also showing you care.
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- Curtis Smith President at Streamline Oil and Gas, Inc., President of Streamline Midstream Inc.
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The best way for a company to understand its customer is to get out of the office and see, don’t join in on what a minority of customers want. Bring basics back to your models.
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3 Key differences
The main difference between the RATER model and the SERVQUAL model is the level of complexity and depth. The RATER model is a simpler and faster way to measure your service quality, but it does not capture the customers' expectations or the reasons behind the service gaps. The SERVQUAL model is a more thorough and rigorous way to measure your service quality, but it requires more time and resources to collect and analyze the data. The RATER model is more suitable for general and frequent feedback, while the SERVQUAL model is more suitable for specific and periodic feedback.
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- Mia S. Amazonian | Serial Entrepreneur | Philanthropist | Marketer | Creator
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While the RATER model offers a quick and simple way to measure service quality, it falls short when it comes to capturing customer expectations and reasons behind service gaps. Enter the SERVQUAL model, the heavyweight champion of thoroughness. It demands more time and resources, but in return, it delivers a comprehensive understanding of service quality, leaving no gap unturned. So, if you're looking for a speedy assessment with the RATER or a deep dive into the intricacies of customer perception with SERVQUAL, choose wisely, my fellow thought leaders. Remember, service excellence is a journey, but with the right measurement model, you'll navigate it like a true customer service maverick.
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- Shaun Green Hard FM Building Services Professional with a background in HVACR, successful in delivering budgets between £350k to £4.5 Million.Memberships: CIWFM, MIoD, MBCS, MCIM, MIC, MInstR, MASHRAE, AaPS, TM44 Inspector
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RATER Are the Service Quality Dimensions uncovered by Parasuraman et al. 1991b Service Quality research. SERVQUAL Measures variances between customer expectations and perceptions of service received resulting in a 'Performance Gap' and dissatisfaction. There are 5 gaps in total with GAPs1-4 contributing to GAP5 and SERVQUAL only measures GAP5. Reducing GAPs1-4 ultimately reduce GAP5 and these are summarised below:INTERNAL TO COMPANYGap 1: Consumer expectation - management perception gapGap 2: Management perception - service quality specification gapGap 3: Service quality specifications – service delivery gapGap 4: Service delivery – external communications gapEXTERNAL TO COMPANYGap 5: Expected Service – perceived service gap
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4 How to use them
Both models can be beneficial in improving customer service, but they must be used correctly and thoughtfully. To use them effectively, consider using the RATER model as a regular survey, post-service feedback form, or customer review platform to quickly and easily monitor service quality and identify strengths and weaknesses. The SERVQUAL model can be employed as a more comprehensive and diagnostic tool to understand customers' expectations and perceptions, as well as pinpointing the sources of service gaps. Utilize this model through a special survey, focus group, or mystery shopper program. Combining both models will provide a holistic and balanced view of service quality and customer satisfaction; the RATER model can serve as a baseline while the SERVQUAL model can follow-up (or vice versa) depending on needs and objectives. Furthermore, customize both models to fit the industry, business, customers by modifying dimensions, scales, questions, and methods to suit the specific context and goals.
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- Patrick S. 🧑💻 🥑 Full-Stack/Web3 Dev | Developer DAO Member | Lead DevRel Forward Research / Arweave
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In my role as a web3 tech founder, we use the RATER model for daily feedback through surveys, ensuring continual service quality monitoring. It helps us swiftly identify and address areas of concern. The SERVQUAL model is applied periodically, during major updates or releases, through detailed surveys or focus groups. It provides in-depth insights into users' expectations and the sources of service gaps.The combination of both models offers us a comprehensive, balanced view of our service quality, leading to more effective customer satisfaction and trust.
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5 Benefits of using them
The RATER model and the SERVQUAL model can bring many benefits to your customer service, such as increasing customer loyalty and retention, enhancing customer satisfaction and advocacy, improving customer feedback and communication, optimizing customer service processes and practices, and gaining a competitive edge. By meeting or exceeding customer expectations and perceptions, delivering consistent and high-quality service, listening to their opinions and preferences, identifying and closing the service gaps, and standing out from rivals to create value for customers, you can achieve these benefits.
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6 Here’s what else to consider
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- Shareese B. Jackson MBA Customer Service Advocate
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Both these methods of measuring customer satisfaction can be used and may or may not be helpful...the bottom line is when a customer is truly happy with your service, they will tell you...and when they are not they will tell others...
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