Service level objective

About: Service level objective is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7894 publications have been published within this topic receiving 218701 citations.

Monitoring and Control in Service Operations

Abstract: Service organisations do not always manage those items which affect customer satisfaction to the same level as manufacturing organisations, which indicates a possible mismatch between what customers think they are buying and what service organisations seem to be providing. Efficiency is certainly needed but too much emphasis on efficiency may be dysfunctional if it leads to over‐standardisation, or emphasis on the product at the expense of the process, when the customers think they are buying process elements. Effectiveness could be better achieved by emphasis on the processes rather than by trying to become more “product‐orientated”.

Service Quality and Export Performance of Business-to-Business Service Providers: The Role of Service Employee– and Customer-Oriented Quality Control Initiatives

Abstract: Using the facilities–transformation–usage framework of service provision and drawing from control theory, the authors develop a theoretical model that examines the influence of different quality control initiatives on relative service quality in a business-to-business setting and, consequently, on export performance. They explicitly consider quality control initiatives that address service employees' performance and the customers' coproduction as well as selected firm characteristics as antecedents of such initiatives. They test the proposed model on data drawn from an export survey of service providers. The results show that export customer–oriented training, customer coproduction instructions, and work process standardization have a positive influence on relative service quality, which in turn positively affects export performance. However, adaptation to export customers' coproduction competence and motivation has a positive influence on relative service quality only when the customer integrati...

Method and system for establishing federation relationships through imported configuration files

Abstract: A method is presented in which federated domains interact to complete transactions within a federated environment. A point-of-contact server within a domain relies upon a trust service to manage trust relationships. An administrative user can build a federation relationship between a first service provider and a second service provider, which includes a trust relationship between the first service provider and the second service provider and a selection of federation-related operations, i.e. federation functionality. During configuration of the federation relationship, a file is dynamically generated based on the selection of federation functionality for the federation relationship. The file is exported to the second service provider, which provides additional configuration information by inserting it into the file. The modified file is imported at the first service provider from the second service provider, and the additional configuration information are extracted for subsequent use in federated transactions.

Tourism Service Quality: A Dimension-specific Assessment of SERVQUAL*

Abstract: In the ever more competitive nature-based tourism market, service providers must maintain every edge to remain competitive. Owing to the customer-oriented service endeavours, tourism enterprises, either private or public, need to improve their service offerings so as to retain or improve their market share. To help service providers identify their strengths and weaknesses, the most widely accepted measurement scale for service quality is the SERVQUAL instrument. One of the criticisms levelled against the SERVQUAL scale is its inappropriateness as a generic measure for all service settings. Empirical research as to the dimensionality of service quality within a professional service environment, in particular, tourism sector, is scant and this study, therefore, is aimed to extend the line of research in service quality measurement. Based on data gathered from 320 tourists, the study brought to light four interpretable service quality dimensions for tourism services: Assurance, Tangibility, Responsiveness an...

Dynamic schedule mediation

Abstract: An apparatus and method provides dynamic schedule mediation by scheduling and monitoring appointments between a service provider and customers. The apparatus and method uses statistical analysis to determine a best appointment time based on at least one of: historical performance patterns, the type of service requested during the appointment, geographic location of the customer or the service provider, time of day, time of year, weather, skills of the service provider, and automobile traffic conditions. The apparatus and method monitors changes to the appointment initiated by the customer or service provider and notifies the other party. Reminders and conformation prompts are sent to the customer. The apparatus and method also provider may be used to evaluate the rules of the service provider and to evaluate individual field service personnel of the service provider.