Measuring Citizen Satisfaction Using the SERVQUAL Approach: The Case of the ‘Hellenic Post’

Abstract

In a global environment of intense competition and continuous change, companies need to focus on improving the level of their services and enhance the satisfaction of their customers in order to stay competitive and achieve long-term survival. This necessity underlines the need for developing measures that can estimate the current level of services provision, since measurement is the first step towards improvement. Measuring the existing level of servicesprovided can help managersmake better decisions for improving customer satisfaction.The purpose of the present study is to (a) measure the level of services provided by the Hellenic Post and (b) evaluate the satisfaction of its customers (citizens). The evaluation was made using an enhanced approach, incorporating both customers and managers in the sample of the study. Moreover, the present study investigated the gap between customer expectations and customer perceptionswith regard tothe level of the services offered by the Hellenic Post.The empirical study was undertakenusing two structured questionnaires; the first was targeted to customers (SERVQUAL modified instrument) and the second to managers of Hellenic Post branches. In total, 406 questionnaires were collected from customers (citizens) and 86 questionnaires from the managers of a correspondingnumber of Hellenic Post branches. Results showed that customers have a negative perception about the services offered by the Hellenic Post (in comparison with their expectations) and that there is a significant difference between the actual perceptions of customers and those of managers.