Service guarantee

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A service guarantee contains a promise by a service provider to provide a service in a certain way and promises concrete replacement or compensation payments in the event of non-compliance with the announced standards . It is therefore a means of maintaining or restoring the trust and satisfaction of customers , especially in the event of poor performance or malfunctions. The service level agreement has a very similar objective, but is an agreement between the client and the service provider.

Service guarantees are to be distinguished from promises of quality or performance, which only communicate standards that the company endeavors to meet, without making any statements about compensation for deficiencies in the service. Such promises are communicated under the term "customer charter". A guarantee also differs from claims for compensation based on statutory warranty , since guarantees are given voluntarily by the provider and can go beyond the legally stipulated claim.

However, the use of the term is not always uniform. Furthermore, the different forms of quality commitments can coexist. For example, a customer charter can contain extensive quality promises, of which a service guarantee is given for only some and other features are secured by legal claims.

Delimitation of the binding nature of quality commitments in public transport

The concept of the service guarantee was developed in the USA in the 1980s and has also been discussed and used in Europe since the mid-1990s. It is used here particularly in public transport , where it is seen partly as a supplement and partly as a replacement for passenger rights . Special features of service guarantees are:

  • In contrast to goods, services cannot be viewed in advance by prospective buyers.
  • In the event of defects, they cannot simply be replaced by exchanging for a fault-free piece, but the fault can only be alleviated by subsequent corrections or compensation.
  • Determining what is error-free and what is incorrect is often more difficult to make and more dependent on subjective assessments.

In addition to providing concrete assistance in the event of a malfunction, service guarantees are therefore primarily a quality signal from the customer's perspective , which is intended to create trust in the service. From the supplier's point of view, they offer the possibility, as an instrument of quality management and control, to obtain information about problems by systematically evaluating the incoming warranty claims. Both of these require the guarantee to be communicated comprehensively and made meaningful. According to Hart, the following requirements must be observed:

  1. It should relate to the main aspects of the service.
  2. From the customer's point of view, reasonable (significant) reparations are to be offered.
  3. Validity limits should be kept low or avoided entirely.
  4. The guarantee must be precisely formulated and communicated in a variety of ways.
  5. It should be easy to claim compensation.

literature

  • Björlin-Lidén, Sara: The Role of Service Guarantees in Managing Services. Karlstad: Universitetstryckeriet Karlstad 2004.
  • Björlin-Lidén, Sara: The impact of service guarantees on customer satisfaction. Lecture at the conference "More customers through more participation?", Berlin 29. – 30. September 2005, http://www.busrep.net/download/deutsch/BjoerlinLiden_DE.pdf
  • EUSG consortium: EUSG consortium (2006): Evaluation and monitoring of trends with regard to passenger needs on the level of service and treatment of passengers. Final Report December 2006. Berlin http://www.nexus-berlin.com/Nexus/Bereiche/Mobilitaet/fahrgastbeduerfnisse.html
  • Dienel, Hans-Liudger ; Holger Jansen; Nancy Neugebauer; Martin Schiefelbusch; Alexander Schulz: Customer service in public transport. Services of the transport companies in a European comparison. In: Technology Assessment - Theory and Practice, No. 1, Volume 17, pp. 71–77, May 2008. http://www.tatup-journal.de/tatup081_diua08a.php
  • Hart, Christopher: The Power of Unconditional Service Guarantees. In: Harvard Business Review , Vol. 66 (1988) No. 4, pp. 54-62.
  • Neugebauer, Nancy: Service guarantees and customer satisfaction - use and experience in Germany, in: Schiefelbusch, Martin / Hans-Liudger Dienel (ed.): Customer interests in public transport - consumer protection and consumer participation. Erich Schmidt Verlag , Berlin 2009, series "Verkehr und Technik", Volume 96; ISBN 978-3-503-11009-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Neugebauer, Nancy: Service guarantees in public transport. Analysis of previous offers on the German transport market and potential for optimization, in: Der Nahverkehr 6/2007

Web links

BUSREP project