Title: Prioritisation of quality dimensions of after-sales technical services

Authors: Bülent Başaran; Aslı Battal

Addresses: The Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science, Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, 11210 Gülümbe/Bilecik, Turkey ' Yapı Kredi Bankası Eskişehir Şubesi, Deliklitaş Mah. Sıcaksular Sok. No. 2, Odunpazarı, Eskişehir, Turkey

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to structure quality dimensions and houses of quality for after-sales services of gas-fired combi boiler technical service companies. A survey methodology and site visits are structured to collect scores, dimensions and detailed activities on two houses of quality. Importance weights for customer expectations are calculated using the analytic hierarchy process. Importance rank orders of technical requirements and comparative scores of other brands are calculated within the ordinary procedure of quality function deployment. The results indicate that a clear understanding by employees of customer needs is the most demanded customer expectation, whereas professional abilities and ethical behaviour are the most important technical requirements. This study is unique not only because it presents detailed service quality activities in a second house of quality to achieve quality excellence but also because it is the first quality function deployment study on combi boiler technical services.

Keywords: operations and logistics management; quality management; house of quality; HoQ; after-sales service; customer expectation; technical requirement; service quality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2017.083776

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2017 Vol.21 No.2, pp.245 - 263

Received: 03 Dec 2015
Accepted: 27 Feb 2016
Published online: 22 Apr 2017 *

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