Professional Service Management  

1.0 Introduction

KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a multinational company which is leading fast food restaurant over the world. It was launched in United States in the19360s and at present, it has grown their industry more than 8o countries. Currently, one of the largest business fast food industry in global market. However, in Malaysia, it was launched in 1973 by Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Today, there are more than 500 KFC Restaurants nationwide and still counting. Great tasting chicken has become synonymous with KFC and has been enjoyed by Malaysians ever since (Solutions, L.2015). KFC already has taken own place in Malaysia by giving good quality of service.

Generally, service quality is a method which help in a farm to ensure the full satisfaction of customer. The SERVQUAL model has been created in a fairly high number of variants connected in arranged commercial enterprises. It was intended to assess customer’s perception of service quality with the intent to look at the level of execution of a successful and reliable business. Apart from seeing the level of service quality, it also assists firms to take some other advantages such as tracking customer expectations and perceptions over time (Weitz, and Wensley, 2006). The purpose of this model is used in showing of a service quality of the company in terms of find out the gap between customer satisfaction and perception. However, the SEVQUAL model was designed by Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry (1980) in order to manage the business to ensure the full satisfaction of customer. The gap creates between vendor and customers when perceive level of quality difference. Because, the vendor think they are providing high level of service quality but the customer think oppositely. 

2.0 Dimension of service quality in KFC

KFC Service quality analysis also plays important role as the part of specialized quality management in KFC. There are five main dimension of service quality in KFC’ Malaysia’s such responsiveness, assurances, tangibles, empathy and reliability are as follows:

2.1 Responsiveness

The responsiveness refers how quickly service provider respond to customer’s order and how instantly the service provider are ready to give service to customer. The responsiveness of customer service is additionally considered as the key and noticeable point to succeed the incremental growth of service quality in KFC. As realized that KFC World and KFC Malaysia customers service officers are prepared to be responsive by the demand and order from the prospective customer. The KFC Malaysia applies the procedure of responsive and bind quick service to serve their respective customer. In addition, we have comprehended that just about KFC's outlets in Malaysia, understood that almost KFC’s outlets in Malaysia.

2.2 Assurance

The assurance is also considered as important determinants which customer take into the account. Assurance means how familiar the customer service to take care of the customer needs as well as their problems. KFC Malaysia assure that the quality of service is the best in the courtesy, ethics and politeness of their service personnel and officers. The KFC managers also must assure that the customer will not wait for the longer time to get the order what they want in KFC.

2.3 Tangibility

It is the most important service quality which the service provider of KFC must prominent which need to be consider through the cleanness outlets, the neatness officers and service personnel and also the officers also can service the order what the customer wants.

2.4 Empathy

It is the capacity to recognize feeling of the customer in order to make well communication and understand the customers. The KFC of Malaysia, the ordering person can communicate with the customers but they are not aware of feeling of customer. Lack of understanding always make mistake with customers.

2.5 Reliability

It means that the service provider must perform the service with dependably. Reliability is the probability that an item won't fail within particular time period. The reliable includes the capacity of KFC's machine to be dependable into certain period and food service are well done by right individuals. KFC will give preparing to each franchisor and do occasional checking the status of machines in order to best quality service. KFC Malaysia assure that the quality of service is the best in the courtesy, ethics and politeness of their service personnel and officers.

3.0 Gaps Analysis of KFC in Malaysia

Serviced gap is defied between what the customer are expecting and what is being delivered by service provider. In KFC of Malaysia has found five gaps which they need to give more focus on that gaps in order to develop customer satisfaction. The five gaps are as follows:

Source: Serviceperformance.com, 2015.

3.1 Gap1: Expected service between customer and Market Company

The first gap happens between expected service between customer and Market Company.  A restaurant must be ready to welcome many kids of customers with hope to satisfy them all (Kumaran, Maran and Anbazhagan, 2011). The KFC never welcome to their customers even they do not response the customer, have also limited variety. KFC should look at their customer because business is in competitive market. The capital of Service Company is customer. In this case, KFC may start keeping a new people or waiter who will let customer welcome and will pass to the customer’s menu of KFC, when they enter in KFC. To minimize this gap, they may make variety in the KFC to attract customer. Because, KFC can make customer satisfaction by making variety inside the KFC.

3.2 Gap 2: Expected service between management perception and customer expectation

The second gap arise when expected service between management perception and customer expectation. Some companies experience difficulties in translating the consumer expectation into specific service quality delivery. This can consist of poor service design, failure to maintain the quality and frequently update their provision of good customer service or it can say a lack of standardization. As we know the KFC not only in Malaysia but also all over the world. It’s a multinational company, the employees of KFC can explain their customer expected to management. So that they can work on it. However, every customer wants to get the high quality product with low price. In KFC of Malaysia, the price of the product is high and the service is not good as the price. It has also limited delivery area which they are not able to fill up the customer expectation due to located in city area.

3.3 Gap 3: Service quality specification and actual service deliver

The third gap arise when the service quality specification and actual service deliver. It is referred as the service performance gap which service providers do not perform at the level expected by the management. The gap creates when the instruction of service delivery do not promise high quality service delivery or performance. It measures the performance gap between service specifications and service delivery. The size of this gap depends upon employees’ willingness and ability to perform at the appropriate level. This gap revelations the weakness in employee performance. Organizations with a Delivery Gap may specify the service required to support consumers but have subsequently failed to train their employees, put good processes and guidelines in action. As a result, employees are hard prepared to manage consumer’s needs.

As we know, when the customer comes to KFC, they need to take food by themselves and the customers wait for a long time to get services. However, there is no specific direction where they can get service from KFC. They may write self-service to let customer recognise. So, the customer can able to get where they need to go for the service. For example, there is place in KFC where the customer takes the service by themselves such straw, tomato- couch, KFC need to mention by writing self-service in there which will help customer to get actual service.

3.4 Gap 4: Service Delivery and External Communication

The fourth gap is when promises made do not match actual delivery inadequate horizontal communication between departments or services a propensity to over promise (Suresh, P 2013). In some cases, promises which are made by the companies through advertising media and communication raise customer expectations. When over-promising in advertising does not match the actual service delivery, it creates a communication gap. Consumers are disappointed because the promised service does not match the expected service and as a result they may seek alternative products. As expectations are playing a vital major role in consumer perceptions of service quality, the firm must be certain not to promise more in communications that it can deliver in reality. Promising more than can be delivered will raise initial expectations that lower perceptions of quality when the promises are not fulfilled by the company.

The KFC, this gap arises when the services are not provided as promised. That is, for example, in their advertisement they are mentioning that the Family is RM 15.80 but the actual price for that that food is more than RM15.80 after including VAT and the other taxes which depends on the country’s policies. Therefore, the price which KFC is promised in their advertisement to their customers are not providing to them which may lead to the formation of this Gap.

3.5 Gap 5: Expected service and perceived service

The fifth gap arise when between expected service and perceived service. It occurs when the differences between what has really delivered to the customers and what customers feel they have received. However, customer expectations are influenced by the extent of personal needs, past service experiences and word of mouth recommendation. The difference occurs when customers are influenced and service provider has shortfall. The KFC is one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world which is available in 80 countries. The above Perceptions Gap do not found in KFC Malaysia as they always maintain their standard of branches, dine-in, home delivery, cleanliness of restaurant, environment, etc. so every time when customers go there or order anything from there or even after years of time they will receive the same taste or even better than before. The customers never regret their decision even they went to another country and tried KFC over there. They found same standard and quality everywhere so this gap is not available in KFC.

4. Conclusion

I have chosen KFC which actually found four gaps by using SERVQUEL model. KFC Malaysia should fill up the gap in order to get customer satisfaction. I also have discussed here five dimension of KFC which will help for KFC to give good quality in service to customers. KFC Malaysia would be more customer satisfaction if they solve the gap.  KFC Malaysia may expand their services in rural area and in that case they put less price of services.

5.0 References:

Sahu, K. (2012). KFC Service Gap. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at:             http://www.slideshare.net/Keshaw_Kumar_sahu/kfc-service-gap [Accessed 9 Sep. 2015].

            Serviceperformance.com, (2015). [online] Available at: http://serviceperformance.com/wp-            content/uploads/ServQual.gif [Accessed 10 Sep. 2015].

Solutions, L. (2015). KFC Malaysia | KFC Malaysia. [online] Kfc.com.my. Available at:     http://www.kfc.com.my/kfc-malaysia/ [Accessed 9 Sep. 2015].

Stuff, (2015). Service key for KFC chief. [online] Available at:             http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9564777/Service-is-key-for-new-KFC-chief             [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].

Suresh, P (2013). GAP ANALYSIS & SERVQUAL. [online] Available at:             http://www.slideshare.net/praveensureshpai/gap-analysis-servqual [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].

Zeithaml,V. A., Berry, L. L. and Parasuraman, A. (1996).The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality.             Journal of Marketing [online] Available at:             http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9604100835/behavioral-consequences-service-   quality [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].

Zekiri, J. (2011). Applying SERVQUAL Model and Factor Analysis in Assessing Customer Satisfaction       with Service Quality: The Case of Mobile Telecommunications in Macedonia. [online] Available         at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/65904212/Applying-SERVQUAL-Model-and-Factor-Analysis-       in-Assessing-Customer-Satisfaction-with-Service-Quality-The-Case-of-Mobile-        Telecommunications-in-Macedoni#scribd [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].