Managing and improving service quality in higher education

Purpose – In today's environment, higher education (HE) institutions need to become more efficient and participate in a competitive global market where client expectations are continually rising. In this new reality, quality is critical for success. While the economic benefits of quality have been long established, many HE institutions still ignore them at their own risk. This is especially true for service quality and this paper will focus on HE service quality management and improvement. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper implements Schneider and Bowen's model of the three tiers of service organizations and service quality management and improvement methods, on HE institutions. Findings – An analysis of the service process within HE institutions reveals that the quality of service given to the customer tier (the students) by the boundary tier (all the employees who have contact with the students) is greatly dependent on the coordination tier (top HE management and its various departments). In this service chain, there are several problems and pitfalls that prevent the enhancement of service quality. Practical implications – In light of the three tiers of service model, the paper discusses practical implications and focuses on recommendations how to manage and improve service quality in HE. Originality/value – The paper presents a comprehensive approach for managing and improving the service quality chain while addressing the integration between the coordination, boundary and customer tiers, with an emphasis on meeting students' needs and expectations.