Service Is Different

Abstract

Argues that successful implementation of TQM in service organizations requires an understanding of the intrinsic differences between them and manufacturing organizations. These differences make quality more difficult to achieve and measure – services are intangible, people‐oriented, cannot be stored or easily serviced, are consumed on delivery and their perceived quality depends largely on customer expectation. Suggests that the public sector has recently become a focus for the quality revolution and, to succeed, service organizations will have to implement and use the tools of TQM in their own way.

Citation

Macdonald, J. (1994), "Service Is Different", The TQM Magazine, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 5-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/09544789410052679