Survey Questionnaire - Research Proposal Example

Survey Research Questionnaire Introduction: The purpose of the survey instrument I intend to design is to determine quality of service levels in four-star hotels by measuring the perception of guests who are making use of hotel services. In order to measure this quality of service, a survey questionnaire will be designed, which will aim to assess customer perception of the service they receive and whether or not it matches up to their expectations. In designing the questionnaire, one of the first steps is to carry out a survey of the literature in order to determine whether nay gaps exist and if so, where these gaps are. Literature: The quality of service is said to be the gap between customer expectations and the actual performance they receive. (Parasuraman et al, 1994; Tsang and Qu, 2000). When customers are pleased with the service they receive, they are likely to patronize the hotel again and again, which reduces advertising costs. In particular, previous studies have shown that the quality of service offered by front line personnel has a great impact on levels of customer satisfaction (Dunaway, 2002: McKenna, 2002). Furthermore, customer loyalty at hotels may be largely dependent on the quality of housekeeping services and the room itself. (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000; Parasuraman et al, 1991). These are some of the important elements that have been identified in the literature as contributing to customer perception of quality in service. In developing a survey instrument, McDowell(2006) points out that the method used must set out a comparison between the theory vs the reality, which is the need identified that is to be examined in the survey. In this case, the theory identifies two important elements that are crucial in customer perception of service. They are (a) the quality of front line services and (b) the room and housekeeping services. The need identified in this study is to examine how these elements may be applicable specifically in four star hotels. On the basis of this, the survey instrument is to be designed.(McDowell, 2006:30-54). In developing face validity for the questionnaire, it is necessary to address the following aspects – what is the need to test the items through the survey? Why do we need to ask these questions and how should they be asked? In this survey, the need that has been identified is that of testing perception of service quality in four-star hotels. The service quality is very important because four-star hotels are more expensive, therefore customers expect higher levels of service from these hotels. As a result, it is necessary to question customers about their perception of the service levels at four-star hotels, so that a determination can be made about whether or not their expectations of services about a branded hotel are being met to the desired levels or not. Where asking these questions is concerned, it must be borne in mind that most of these customers at four star hotels are wealthy and busy customers, and are likely to be impatient about survey instruments that take too long to complete. Since most of these customers are likely to be at the hotels on business or holiday, they may not appreciate a great deal of their time being wasted, hence the method devised must be quick. Therefore, any survey instrument that is designed must be capable of being completed without taking up too much of the customer’s time. On this basis, a Likert style questionnaire that asks customers to rank their satisfaction levels on certain items on a scale of 1 to 5 would be most appropriate, because customers can tick the appropriate response and complete the questionnaire very quickly, while at the same time, it would also provided the desired feedback that is sought from the customers. In view of the above, the survey instrument that is designed must be able to measure (a) the customer perception of service offered by front line personnel, such as receptionists, etc (b) customer perception of housekeeping and room services offered and (c) whether levels of service meet customer expectations. Customers can be asked to rank their satisfaction levels on a scale of 1 to 5, in order to assess their satisfaction levels. In order to address issues of respondent bias, a pilot survey questionnaire can be administered first, among a few respondents. This would help in making necessary corrections to the questionnaire where necessary and enable the validity and reliability of the survey to be maintained. In developing the face validity for this survey, the Likert style questionnaire was deemed to be the best method for asking the desired questions. The reason is that the Likert style questionnaire allows for equal weightage to be accorded to all the questions, so that each of the variables assessed through the survey will be properly balanced. The need identified is that of determining customer perception of service quality. By thus asking customers to rank their satisfaction levels on a numerical scale, it allows for a quantitative assessment of the subjective element of satisfaction. Moreover, such a design also requires very little input of time from the customer in completing such a questionnaire, and therefore the response rate is likely to be quite high. Another aspect that must also be taken into consideration in designing the survey questionnaire is to ensure the validity of the content that is included in the questionnaire. According to Converse and Presner (1986), this must include a question-by-question analysis, which includes the following components: (a) what does the question mean to you? (b) Would you re-word the question and if so, how would you do it? (c) when you created the responses, what specifically did you have in mind? In terms of the questionnaire on customer perception of the quality of service, this survey will specifically divide questions into two components – the questions assessing satisfaction with front desk services and those assessing satisfaction with room and housekeeping services. Additionally, another group of questions will need to address the gap between the service element and the expectations of the customer. Hence, the questions will be simple and ask customers to rate their levels of satisfaction with a particular service. Research Question: The major research question that will be posed through this survey is: How do service levels at branded UK four star hotels impact upon customer satisfaction? In answering this question, the survey instrument will be designed to determine three component aspects of quality of service through the following sub divisions of the main research question posed above: (a) Are customers satisfied with the levels of service offered by front line personnel? (b) Are levels of service meeting customer service expectations? If the survey instrument is able to determine these component elements of service, it will then be possible to arrive at an overall determination of whether the quality of service being provided at the hotel is high, medium or poor. If customers are satisfied with the services of the front desk and the room and housekeeping services, and if these services are meeting their expectations, it appears likely that the service levels at those four star hotels will be impacting favorably on customer satisfaction. The Survey Questionnaire: The process associated with the development of a survey and its testing are critical when research is being conducted (Strachota, Schmidt and Conceicao, 2006). The first step is to carry out a study of the literature in order to determine if any gaps exist, then the survey can be designed to address those gaps. In this case, there was a significant amount of research information available in the literature on service quality, but they did not specifically address service in four-star hotels in the present era of globalization, where hotels are subject to intensive competitive pressures. Where four star hotels are concerned there is also the question of brand image that has to be maintained, because customers expect a higher level of service from these hotels because they pay higher rates for these services. As a result, the survey questionnaire that is designed will focus specifically upon customer perception of service in four star hotels. The three major areas that are identified for discovery of service levels are (a) front line services (b) housekeeping and room services and (c) extent to which levels of service match customer expectations. The survey questionnaire allows for the collection of subjective participant attitudes in a numerical format through the use of a Likert style questionnaire. The questionnaire is a favored tool of many of those engaged in research, and it can often provide a cheap and effective way of collecting data in a structured and manageable form” (Wilkinson & Birmingham 2003). A sample questionnaire to assess these elements can be designed through incorporation of the following questions – a sample questionnaire is provided below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Please answer the questions below: (IMPORTANT NOTE: If your answer to the first question is “NO” please stop immediately and do not proceed further. Thank you for your time.) Have you ever used the services of a four or five star hotel in the United Kingdom? YES NO If you have answered “Yes” to the question above, please circle the most appropriate response. Please use the ranking below: 5: “Very Good” 4: “Good” 3: “Fair 2. “Bad 1. “Poor” Demographic information: Gender: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­________Male __________ Female Age: _______20 to 30, ___________30 to 40, __________40 to 50 _______above 50 Front line services: Q1. How would you rate the speed of check in/check out services at the hotel? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q2. How would you rate the friendliness of the receptionist? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q3. How do you rate the availability of business/tourist facilities and information at the hotel? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Housekeeping and room services: Q4. How would you rate the readiness status of the room for your occupation? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q5. How would you rate the facilities available in the room? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q6. How do you rate cleanliness of linen and toilet items available in the room? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q7. How do you rate the housekeeping services at the hotel? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Service levels versus expectations: Q 8: How closely did the level of service offered by the front desk meet your expectations? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q 9. How closely did the room at the hotel meet your expectations? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Q10. How closely did the housekeeping services at the hotel meet your expectations? * 5 *4 *3 *2 *1 Overall perception of quality: On an overall basis are you satisfied with the quality of service that has been provided at this hotel? ___________________YES ________________NO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bibliography: * Converse, J.M. and Presner, S, 1986. “Survey questions: handcrafting the standard questionnaire”, Newbury Park: Sage Publications. * Dunaway, J. (2002). Training links customer service and compliance. ABA Bank Compliance, 23, 4-8. ABI/INFORM database. * McDowell, Ian, 2006. “Measuring health”, Oxford University Press * McKenna, T. (2002). Service training your front line. National Petroleum News, 7, ABI/INFORM database. * Kandumpully, J and Suhartanto, D, 2000. “Customer loyalty in the hotel industry: the role of customer satisfaction and image”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality management, 12(6): 346-51 * Parasuram, A., Zeithaml, V., Berry, L. (1994). “Reassessment of Expectations as a Comparison Standard in Measuring Service Quality: Implications for further research.” Journal of Marketing, 58: 111-124. * Parasuraman, A, Berry, L.L. and Zeithaml, V.A., 1991. “Understanding customer expectations of service, Sloan Management review, 32(3): 39-48 * Tsang, N and Qu, H, 2000. “Service quality in China’s hotel industry: a perspective from tourists and hotel managers”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(5): 316-26 * Strachota, Elaine, Schmidt, Steven W and Conceicao, Simone, C.O., 2006. “The development and validation of a survey instrument for the evaluation of instructional aids”, http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/conted/education/mwr2p06/pdfs/D/Strachota_Schmidt_Conceicao_The_Development_and_Validation_of_a_Survey_Instrument.pdf; August 7, 2008 * Wilkinson, David and Birmingham, Peter, 2003. “Using research instruments: A Guide for researchers”, Routledge Read More