Continuous improvement of service operations: application of service template.

This paper reports on the development and application of a service template as a diagnostic tool for identifying opportunities for improvements in the service package. The operations in the branch of a bank in Bangalore, India, provide the context. For 21 service attributes, the gap between the expectations of a target customer group and the actual service experience is assessed through a customer survey. A service template graphically displaying the mean values of the responses for the expectations and the perceived service was constructed. Also, for each service attribute, tests of statistical significance for the mean values of the gap were performed. The results were used to develop priorities for improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]