Unboxing SERVQUAL: SQuID Inside!

Maps based on bibliographic data of 50 of 264 keywords in 111 papers show that service quality, SERVQUAL, and customer satisfaction are the most popular topics in service management research. The discussion about costs are relatively minimal and is not directly related to SERVQUAL but to service quality and customer satisfaction. This empirical evidence is interesting, given that cost is an intrinsic element of service quality that is much more measurable and controllable in practice. The logical relationship between price, cost, activity, and service quality was studied to find the possibility of placing the cost aspect into the original model of SERVQUAL. A mixed methods study combining preliminary theoretical evaluation and empirical research findings is used to develop the model of ServQual. This study succeeded in presenting gaps 6 and 7 inside a framework called the Service Quality Improvement Driver (SQuID). SQuID clarifies the significant relationship between service quality, cost, and price on SERVQUAL. This framework can help companies analyze and develop traceable service quality comprehensively and improve service quality effectively, even on an ongoing basis. Further research in the geographical context shows that the SQuID framework can be a practical solution for Asian businesses that are already quite familiar with SERVQUAL. Cultural-based service quality in the dimensions of tangible and empathy need special consideration when implementing the SQuID framework in several business sectors in Asia