Abstract: The aim of this study is to focus on the customers’ expectations and perceptions of service quality and to determine the discrepancy in the service gap, and suggest ways to reduce or close the gaps and improve service quality in the three selected group age cargo service providers in the Pratunam area of Bangkok, Thailand. Qualitative research method is employed because the researcher wants to understand how both the internal and external customers perceive the service quality and interpret their experiences and the world around them in their own words in a natural setting or real life business situations. This is based on in-depth interviews conducted with the participants from both the “ANO” companies and their customers (Focus Groups) with reference to service quality. The companies used in this study as case study were tagged “ANO” in order to honor the confidentiality agreement, the researcher had with the management of those companies. The companies were selected based on the number of their customers and their market share. The researcher tends to understand the difference in the customers’ expectations and perceptions of service quality as well as the discrepancy in the service gaps in the group age cargo shipping service. A total of 30 participants were used and out of which; three Managing Directors/CEOs, three senior managers, and three middle executives (operational managers); six front-desk employees and 15 focus group members, five members from each company were interviewed and the data collected content analyzed. The result of the findings showed that there is a difference between the customers’ expectations and perceptions of service quality. The result also established that different customers have different expectations. These expectations are always influenced by the way and manner in which the service is performed and delivered and advertising on the part of service provider, and the customers’ past experiences, the word of mouth (WOM) which could be either positive or negative, and above all the personal needs of the individual customer. Again, the result of the findings also revealed that there is a difference in the gap between the customers’ expectations and perceptions of service quality in the group age cargo shipping service. Here, the customers’ expectations were higher than their perceptions; hence customers’ expectations were given priority. The result of this study indicated that the service quality of the group age cargo service providers in the Pratunam area of Bangkok is low and they failed to meet the customers’ expectations.
Keywords: Service quality, Customers’ expectations, Customers’ perceptions, Discrepancy in the gap, Group age cargo shipping.
Title: Assessment of the Expected and Perceived Service quality of Groupage Cargo shipping Management in the Pratunam Area of Bangkok, Thailand
Author: Bertrand Ifeanyi Akile
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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