Measuring quality service : The use of a SERVPERF scale as an input for ELECTRE TRI multicriteria model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to guide organizations according to the relative importance of customer's satisfaction about six quality service dimensions: reliability, empathy, assurance, tangibility, responsiveness (Parasuraman et al. , 1985) and price. Design/methodology/approach – The present study uses SERVPERF customer requirements and weights of ELECTRE TRI multicriteria method to provide guidance on an appropriated action plan. Subsequently, it was demonstrated how the proposed model applied to the Inn. Findings – SERVPERF is based on the subjective and cognitive perception of customer's service analyses. ELECTRE TRI decreases the deviation of subjectivity and develops manager's energy flow, focussed on enterprise resources. Research limitations/implications – Measuring quality is hard work and usually the customer perceptions are not well understood, because it changes many times. In addition SERVPERF and ELECTRE TRI weights do not order the quality importance. Practical implications – Together, SERVPERF and ELECTRE TRI allow managers to prioritize the service level desired by the customer. Originality/value – The importance of this analysis follows the competitiveness approach: productivity, quality and flexibility (Boljwin and Kumpe, 1990). The paper develops an approach to lead organizational quality performance based on the customer view. It provides a sustainable competitive advantage.