1. INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR
ASSESSING THE CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION, ADAPTED FROM
BUSINESS AREA TO UNIVERSITY
MANAGEMENT
Ass. Prof. PhD Angela ALBU
PhD student Paul IVAN
“Stefan cel Mare” University,
Suceava ROMANIA

2. • The high education system has a crucial importance for
the professional training of the all types of specialists in
every country.
• It gives the opportunity to put into practice the concept of
Long Life Learning.
• The high education is a particular class of service with
very specific features.
• For assessing the quality of the high education services it
is necessary the feed-back with the opinion of the clients
(students).

3. The SERVQUAL model

4. • For assessing the difference between
expectations and perceptions the model uses a
double questionnaire with different statements
about quality
• The final result – the quality of the service – is
given by the average score of every quality
dimension.

5. The adaptation of the SERVQUAL
model for high education services
First stage of the Second stage of the
research research
•The questionnaire in •Modified questionnaire
the form proposed by •15 statements
Parasuraman •3 dimensions of the
•19 statements quality (tangibility,
•5 dimensions of the reliability and empathy)
quality (tangibility,
reliability, solicitude,
safety, empathy).

6. • The changes we proposed at the SERVQUAL
questionnaire are based on:
• The questionnaire is dynamic and can be adapted at
any type of service
• Some affirmations are redundant

7. The assessment of the quality of education
services provided by the FEPA
• The research was developed at the Faculty of
Economic and Public Administration (FEPA)
• 1114 students, bachelor level of study, from all
study programs and all years of study
• 431 students from the first year of study
• The poll had an error of ± 2.996% and 95.45%
probability

8. The new form at the
questionnaire
EXPECTATIONS AFFIRMATIONS PERCEPTIONS
1. 1 2 3 4 5 The FEPA* has modern facilities and equipment 1 2 3 4 5
2. 1 2 3 4 5 The equipment of the faculty are maintained in good conditions 1 2 3 4 5
The professors and employees from FEPA present themselves (clothes, cleanliness, etc.) in an appropriate
3. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
manner for their position
The materials associated with education service provided by FEPA (as printed matters, journals) have good
4. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
visual appearance and are updated
5. 1 2 3 4 5 FEPA provides students the conditions for carrying out various extracurricular activities 1 2 3 4 5
6. 1 2 3 4 5 The activities conducted at FEPA respect the deadlines 1 2 3 4 5
7. 1 2 3 4 5 Performance of staff working in the FEPA reflects a high level of knowledge and skills 1 2 3 4 5
The faculty provides the education services in a right manner, according with academic standards, from the
8. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
beginning and will persist in doing it without error
Specific documentation of the educational process (catalogs, statements, books) are prepared properly and the
9. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
records are clear, correct
10. 1 2 3 4 5 Evaluation system applied by the professors of FEPA is fair and impartial 1 2 3 4 5
11. 1 2 3 4 5 The professors and employees of the FEPA always show good will in helping. 1 2 3 4 5
12. 1 2 3 4 5 The behavior of employees and professors inspire confidence 1 2 3 4 5
13. 1 2 3 4 5 FEPA has a schedule convenient for all the students 1 2 3 4 5
14. 1 2 3 4 5 The professors and employees are providing individual attention to each student 1 2 3 4 5
15. 1 2 3 4 5 FEPA understands the specific needs of its student 1 2 3 4 5

9. The results of the research with SERVQUAL
model – Second phase – General results
Expectations Perceptions
Affirmation 1 2 3 4 5 Weighted average 1 2 3 4 5 Weighted average Differences
1 0 104 223 431 356 3.9325 0 15 149 609 342 4.1457
2 0 149 163 386 416 3.9591 0 0 163 579 371 4.1857
3 0 74 74 460 505 4.2524 0 30 74 535 475 4.3057
4 15 74 134 327 564 4.2124 15 45 297 446 312 3.8925
5 15 30 282 342 446 4.0524 45 163 327 371 208 3.4792
Arithmetic average 4.0818 Arithmetic average 4.0018 -0.0800
6 0 45 149 401 520 4.2524 15 15 282 386 416 4.0524
7 0 15 149 327 624 4.3990 0 30 163 446 475 4.2257
8 15 45 134 431 490 4.1991 15 89 208 490 312 3.8925
9 0 30 74 252 757 4.5590 30 45 134 401 505 4.1724
10 0 15 149 312 639 4.4123 15 104 371 386 238 3.6525
Arithmetic average 4.3644 Arithmetic average 3.9991 -0.3653
11 15 30 134 327 609 4.3324 0 89 208 371 446 4.0524
12 0 74 104 327 609 4.3190 0 45 163 520 386 4.1191
13 0 30 149 327 609 4.3590 45 59 282 475 252 3.7458
14 0 30 208 327 549 4.2524 89 119 312 431 163 3.4126
15 0 74 89 475 475 4.2124 59 89 386 431 149 3.4659
Arithmetic average 4.2950 Arithmetic average 3.7592 -0.5359

10. Tangibility (questions 1 – 5); the calculated difference between
expectation and perceptions has the overall value of -0.0800.
•A result close to zero indicates a fairly stable balance between
expectations and perceptions, which means that students'
expectations were confirmed with some very small exceptions.
•Also, it can be seen that at three of the five statements the
average of the perceptions was higher than the average of the
expectations.
•This result again suggests that potential candidates do not know
the facilities and equipment available at the faculty and were
pleasantly surprised in contact with them.
•Negative results were obtained especially at the affirmations
about the quality of FEPA written materials and conducting
various extracurricular activities.

11. Safety (the affirmation from 6 to 10);
•the overall result was negative - 0.3653
•all intermediate averages were negative.
•this results has to be serious analyzed because the safety
dimension involves very important aspects of the
relationship student (client) - faculty (service provider) such
as meeting deadlines and commitments, the level of staff
knowledge and skills, accuracy of implementation of
didactic process and, last but not least, evaluation and
assessment system of the professional results of the
students.

12. Empathy with the last 5 statements
•also a negative general difference -0.5359
•this means that the faculty didn’t understand yet the
specific needs of all its students, there are still situation
when the students are considered a mass and are not
treated as individual entity
•this information are very important both for the staff of the
faculty and for the professors and other employees,
because in the future it is necessary to find a better manner
to collaborate and work with the students, to find the way to
give everyone the due attention.

13. The research has a final part regarding only the
students form the first year of study

14. • This result is probably due to the fact that students have
not yet used / received all facilities of the faculty (that are
in the first year undergraduate).
• But negative results can be viewed from the perspective
of diversification needs, increasing labor market
requirements that require the curriculum to be more
adapted to real economic environment.

15. CONCLUSIONS
• The results of this study are important because
the difference between expectations and
perceptions is a real feedback for the service
providing process;
• Also, the results offer the image of the faculty in
the minds of our students or of potential
candidates.
• The research can be extended at university level
and used as a tool to improve the quality of the
education services.

16. • The research is important because is for the first
time when the SERVQUAL model is applied for
the assessment of the quality of the high
education services in a Romania university.
• The questionnaire presented in this research is
also unique, being an original adaptation of the
method for local education system.