Service quality framework for clinical laboratories

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinaysing Ramessur ◽  
Dinesh Kumar Hurreeram ◽  
Kaylasson Maistry
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Medical Practitioner ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Clinical Laboratories ◽  
Quality Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a service quality framework that enhances service delivery in clinical laboratories by gauging medical practitioner satisfaction and by providing avenues for continuous improvement. Design/methodology/approach – The case study method has been used for conducting the exploratory study, with focus on the Mauritian public clinical laboratory. A structured questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL service quality model was used for data collection, analysis and for the development of the service quality framework. Findings – The study confirms the pertinence of the following service quality dimensions within the context of clinical laboratories: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, turnaround time, technology, test reports, communication and laboratory staff attitude and behaviour. Practical implications – The service quality framework developed, termed LabSERV, is vital for clinical laboratories in the search for improving service delivery to medical practitioners. Originality/value – This is a pioneering work carried out in the clinical laboratory sector in Mauritius. Medical practitioner expectations and perceptions have been simultaneously considered to generate a novel service quality framework for clinical laboratories.

Improvement of laboratory turnaround time using lean methodology

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shradha Gupta ◽  
Sahil Kapil ◽  
Monica Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Industrial Engineering ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Tools And Techniques

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation of lean methodology to reduce the turnaround time (TAT) of a clinical laboratory in a super speciality hospital. Delays in report delivery lead to delayed diagnosis increased waiting time and decreased customer satisfaction. The reduction in TAT will lead to increased patient satisfaction, quality of care, employee satisfaction and ultimately the hospital’s revenue. Design/methodology/approach The generic causes resulting in increasing TAT of clinical laboratories were identified using lean tools and techniques such as value stream mapping (VSM), Gemba, Pareto Analysis and Root Cause Analysis. VSM was used as a tool to analyze the current state of the process and further VSM was used to design the future state with suggestions for process improvements. Findings This study identified 12 major non-value added factors for the hematology laboratory and 5 major non-value added factors for the biochemistry lab which were acting as bottlenecks resulting in limiting throughput. A four-month research study by the authors together with hospital quality department and laboratory staff members led to reduction of the average TAT from 180 to 95minutes in the hematology lab and from 268 to 208 minutes in the biochemistry lab. Practical implications Very few improvement initiatives in Indian healthcare are based on industrial engineering tools and techniques, which might be due to a lack of interaction between healthcare and engineering. The study provides a positive outcome in terms of improving the efficiency of services in hospitals and identifies a scope for lean in the Indian healthcare sector. Social implications Applying lean in the Indian healthcare sector gives its own potential solution to the problem caused, due to a wide gap between lean accessibility and lean implementation. Lean helped in changing the mindset of an organization toward providing the highest quality of services with faster delivery at an optimal cost. Originality/value This paper is an effort to reduce the gap between healthcare and industrial engineering and enhancing the use of lean practices in Indian healthcare. The study is motivated toward implementing lean methodology successfully in services.

Service journey quality: conceptualization, measurement and customer outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Elina Jaakkola ◽  
Harri Terho
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe quality of the customer journey has become a critical determinant of successful service delivery in contemporary business. Extant journey research focuses on the customer path to purchase, but pays less attention to the touchpoints related to service delivery and consumption that are key for understanding customer experiences in service-intensive contexts. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize service journey quality (SJQ), develop measures for the construct and study its key outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a discovery-oriented research approach to conceptualize SJQ by synthesizing theory and field-based insights from customer focus group discussions. Next, using consumer survey data (N = 278) from the financial services context, the authors develop measures for the SJQ. Finally, based on an additional survey dataset (N = 239), the authors test the nomological validity and predictive relevance of the SJQ.FindingsSJQ comprises of three dimensions: (1) journey seamlessness, (2) journey personalization and (3) journey coherence. This study demonstrates that SJQ is a critical driver of service quality and customer loyalty in contemporary business. This study finds that the loyalty link is partially mediated through service quality, indicating that SJQ explains loyalty above and beyond service quality.Research limitations/implicationsSince service quality only partially mediates the link between service journey quality and customer loyalty, future studies should examine alternative mediators, such as customer experience, for a more comprehensive understanding of the performance effects.Practical implicationsThe study offers concrete tools for service managers who wish to understand and develop the quality of service journeys.Originality/valueThis study advances the service journey concept, demonstrates that the quality of the service journey is a critical driver of customer performance and provides rigorous journey constructs for future service research.

Quality of service and customer satisfaction: a conjoint analysis for the Nigerian bank customers

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 841-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Yusuf Dauda ◽  
Jongsu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Waiting Time ◽  
Consumer Preference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Banking Service ◽  
Nigerian Banking

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perceptions of Nigerian banking customers regarding customers’ evaluation of their banks service quality based on their banks actual performance on current banking service delivery. Design/methodology/approach A survey has been used to collect primary data and 1,245 usable questionnaires were used in the analysis. A conjoint analysis with stated preference data were used to construct the consumers’ behavior, while discrete choice method was employed to evaluate the preferences. More information was obtained by in cooperating heterogeneity into the model by the random coefficient and the test variance with the primary attributes and social demographics and individual characteristics. Findings Discrete choice analysis shows that bank management should focus on: reduction of transaction errors, transaction cost, waiting time and initial online learning time. This four attributes have strong impact on customer’s satisfaction depending on quality performance. Relative to other services the reduction in waiting time and transaction cost are the most important services to the Nigerian banking customers. Other findings of willingness to pay and consumer preference for other attributes reveal more information for improved banking policies. Research limitations/implications The sample only focussed on the urban areas and did not consider rural dwellers. Future research should aim to improve on these by including a variable in the utility set up that captures the distance of the respondent to the main city. Practical implications Nigerian banking customers do not care about a friendly smile as customer care. Rather, they value more on the waiting time and transaction cost showing that convenience and cost dimensions have strong and direct effect on service quality. Other dimensions identified includes, reliability, product portfolio, security and privacy, ease of use, accessibility, and competence and credibility. Originality/value This study has drawn on a sample of 1,245 Nigerian banking customers and evaluating how the survey respondents perceive their respective banks’ performance by their evaluation of the current banking service delivery.

Assessing international students' satisfaction of a Jordanian university using the service quality model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Abu-Rumman ◽  
Rasha Qawasmeh
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeEducation plays a key role in socio-economic development and globalization has increased the numbers of students wanting to study abroad. Attracting international students is therefore an important objective for universities as international students open up opportunities to bring economic, cultural and academic benefits to both the universities themselves and to the countries in which they are located. This study therefore aimed to assess student satisfaction with a Jordanian university using the dimensions of quality contained within the established SERVQUAL model.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve these goals, quantitative data was collected from international students attending one university located in Jordan via a questionnaire survey, using a randomized sample. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the construct validity, and correlations between student satisfaction and the different dimensions of quality were tested.FindingsConsistent with other studies, the findings demonstrated that the five dimensions of service quality, i.e. tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, and the university of study, have a strong relationship with student satisfaction. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between country satisfaction and the tangibility and assurance sub-dimensions of quality.Practical implicationsPractical implications – The findings of this study are of interest and practical benefit to university leaders in developing their quality and student acquisition strategies.Originality/valueThis study makes a useful contribution to the growing body of evidence of service quality in higher education set within the context of a developing country.

scholarly journals Laboratory Staff Turnover: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes Study of 23 Clinical Laboratories

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Novis ◽  
Suzanne Nelson ◽  
Barbara J. Blond ◽  
Anthony J. Guidi ◽  
Michael L. Talbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Staff Turnover ◽  
Human Resource Practices ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Full Time Equivalent ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Clinical Laboratories

Context.— Knowledge of laboratory staff turnover rates are important to laboratory medical directors and hospital administrators who are responsible for ensuring adequate staffing of their clinical laboratories. The current turnover rates for laboratory employees are unknown. Objective.— To determine the 3-year average employee turnover rates for clinical laboratory staff and to survey the types of institutional human resource practices that may be associated with lower turnover rates. Design.— We collected data from participating laboratories spanning a 3-year period of 2015–2017, which included the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff members that their laboratories employed in several personnel and departmental categories, and the number of laboratory staff FTEs who vacated each of those categories that institutions intended to refill. We calculated the 3-year average turnover rates for all laboratory employees, for several personnel categories, and for major laboratory departmental categories, and assessed the potential associations between 3-year average all laboratory staff turnover rates with institutional human resource practices. Results.— A total of 23 (20 US and 3 international) participating institutions were included in the analysis. Among the 21 participants providing adequate turnover data, the median of the 3-year average turnover rate for all laboratory staff was 16.2%. Among personnel categories, ancillary staff had the lowest median (11.1% among 21 institutions) and phlebotomist staff had the highest median (24.9% among 20 institutions) of the 3-year average turnover rates. Among laboratory departments, microbiology had the lowest median (7.8% among 18 institutions) and anatomic pathology had the highest median (14.3% among 14 institutions) of the 3-year average turnover rates. Laboratories that developed and communicated clear career paths to their employees and that funded external laboratory continuing education activities had significantly lower 3-year average turnover rates than laboratories that did not implement these strategies. Conclusions.— Laboratory staff turnover rates among institutions varied widely. Two human resource practices were associated with lower laboratory staff turnover rates.

Organisational culture: the hidden operand in clinical laboratories

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-280
Author(s):  
Wee Leong Chang ◽  
Jill Meyer ◽  
Fabrice Merien
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Transformational Change ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Competing Values Framework ◽  
Competing Values ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Clinical Laboratories

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present organisational cultural determinants that can influence total quality management (TQM) in clinical laboratories. Design/methodology/approach This is a viewpoint paper using evidence provided by a literature research about cultural patterns using Competing Values Framework to explain the relationship between organisational culture and TQM. Findings Cultural aspects likely to enhance creativity and innovation are considered as incentives in promoting cultural transformation. TQM in the average modern clinical laboratory requires a long overdue transformational change in values, culture and attitude. Social implications Valuing people, making up an organisation, is expected to enhance TQM. Originality/value This paper provokes a shift in thinking among traditional clinical laboratory managers and results in a win-win for both staff and total quality outcomes.

scholarly journals A review of service quality and service delivery

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zyad M. Alzaydi ◽  
Ali Al-Hajla ◽  
Bang Nguyen ◽  
Chanaka Jayawardhena
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Environment ◽  
Informal Controls ◽  
Customer Involvement ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers with an overview of the service quality and delivery domain, focussing on the inclusion of customer co-production and customer integration. Specifically, this paper concentrates on service quality (including quality measurement), the service environment, controls and their consequences. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the literature is conducted, analysed and presented. Findings The review shows that service delivery is both complex and challenging, particularly when considering the unique characteristics of services and the high level of customer involvement in their creation. The facilitation, transformation and usage framework identifies how failures can occur at each stage of service delivery, beginning with the characteristics of the service environment, while control theory offers insights into the formal and informal controls that may be applied in the facilitation and transformation stages, which may reduce the likelihood or extent of such failures. Originality/value Despite the fact that it is widely accepted that service quality is an antecedent to customer satisfaction, it is surprising that this customer co-creation aspect has been largely neglected in the extant literature. As such, the role that customer co-production plays in service quality performance has been examined in this paper. It is hoped that this examination will enhance both theoretical and practical understanding of service quality. It would be useful to find modern tools that can help in improving service quality performance.

Healthscape role towards customer satisfaction in private healthcare

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 600-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debajani Sahoo ◽  
Tathagata Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private Healthcare

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the motives that enforce consumers to find out the major determinants that frame healthscape in private healthcare service that leads to their satisfaction in a developing country like India. Design/methodology/approach – The generic motive dimensions are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next the reliability and validity of the factors are established followed by regression analysis using SPSS 20.0 s/w. Findings – This paper identifies six healthscape motives in the private healthcare sector named as service personnel conduct and cleanliness, service delivery and facilities, ambience, location and look, appealing decoration, and upgraded safety service, out of which only service delivery, ambience, location, and decorations contribute the most to build customer satisfaction as per their significance value. Research limitations/implications – The various dimensions of healthcare motives should be viewed as the levers of improving hospitals’ service quality in the minds of its present and future customers. This finding can offer valuable insight to the forthcoming as well as existing developer who are planning to have their healthcare service presence in India. Practical implications – This study suggests some important strategic guidelines for service positioning and market segmentation of healthcare services as per customer requirements. In the recent past, availing services from hospitals were purely utilitarian in nature. Customers were more inclined to get proper and timely services and cared more about the service quality of the healthcare service provider. Originality/value – This paper is among the few works done on understanding private healthcare service delivery process in India and customer satisfaction level from those Hospitals. This study addresses the gap by identifying a set of dimensions that are relevant to customers for a unique healthcare experience.

Measuring service quality in mid-scale hotels

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A Rauch ◽  
Michael Dwain Collins ◽  
Robert D Nale ◽  
Peter B. Barr
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Environment ◽  
Customer Perceptions

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify an appropriate factor structure that may be utilized to effectively measure a hotel’s performance relative to service quality in a mid-scale setting. Customer perceptions of service quality in mid-scale hotels have largely been ignored; the focus of researchers has been the upscale (4-star) and luxury (5-star) segments. Design/methodology/approach – A 27-item questionnaire is utilized to measure service quality with an initial sample size of over 2,500 respondents. Principle component analysis is utilized to determine the factor structure and regression analysis to determine which factors may serve as predictors of a hotel’s ability to meet customers’ expectations and to provide value. Findings – A three-dimensional model emerged from the data, consistent with the theorizing of Rust and Oliver (1994), which includes the service product, service delivery and service environment. The service environment is the strongest predictor of a hotel’s ability to meet guests’ expectations and to provide guests with value within this context, which is inconsistent with findings in upscale and luxury hotels. Research limitations/implications – The generalizability of this research may be challenged, as the study was conducted within the context of an oceanfront resort destination dominated by leisure travelers; however, the study may be replicated in additional settings to determine if a similar bundling of service quality attributes occurs in other mid-scale settings including business hotels, as well as economy hotels. Practical implications – A three-factor model may be more appropriate for assessing service quality in a mid-scale (3-star) environment. In this setting, the service environment and service product may be more important measures of service quality than service delivery. This is an important finding, as many mid-scale and select-service, as well as new mid-scale, lifestyle hotel concepts, attempt to drive profitability by deemphasizing service delivery or by utilizing technology to facilitate service delivery. These findings may also assist operators of mid-scale hotels in improving guests’ perceptions of quality, which has been found to increase perceived value and may positively influence purchase or revisit intentions (Kashyap and Bojanic, 2000). Originality/value – Service quality research has been conducted, almost exclusively, in first-class (4-star) and luxury (5-star) hotels, while the majority of hotels do not fall into these categories. Although guest expectations relative to service quality may be lower in more moderately priced, mid-scale hotels, service quality remains a critical variable that influences a guest’s decision to return or recommend a hotel to others. Many travelers now utilize online reviews to minimize purchase risk by seeking information relative to service quality when selecting a hotel. Consequently, it is more important than ever that service quality is understood in hotels at all service levels. The present research contributes to filling this gap in the literature.

scholarly journals Improving service quality through customer journey analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 840-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragnhild Halvorsrud ◽  
Knut Kvale ◽  
Asbjørn Følstad
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Customer Journey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diary Studies ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework based on customer journeys for a structured portrayal of service delivery from the customer’s point of view. The paper also introduces customer journey analysis (CJA) for empirical investigation of individual service experiences in a multichannel environment. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents case studies for onboarding new customers on broadband services. CJA starts with modeling of the service process in terms of touchpoints. The individual customer journeys are reconstructed through methodological triangulation of interviews, diary studies, and process tracking. Findings The paper provides empirical insights into individual customer journeys. Four types of deviations during service delivery are identified: occurrence of ad hoc touchpoints, irregularities in the sequence of logically connected touchpoints, occurrence of failures in touchpoints, and missing touchpoints. CJA seems effective in revealing problematic and incoherent service delivery that may result in unfavorable customer experiences. Practical implications For a service company, the proposed framework may serve as a unifying language to ease cross-departmental communication and approach service quality in a systematic way. CJA discloses the gap between the planned and actual service delivery and can be used as a tool for service improvement. Originality/value The framework provides concepts, definitions, and a visual notation to structure and manage services in terms of customer journeys. CJA is a novel method for empirical studies of the service delivery process and the associated customer experience.

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