ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of service delivery in financial services and highlights some of the issues associated with managing quality. It begins by introducing the concept of the service profit chain as a way of thinking about the service delivery process and its impact on customers. The chapter discusses models of service quality, the service delivery process and the areas where problems may arise with respect to service delivery. It examines the outcomes of service quality paying particular attention to the issue of service failure and service recovery. The starting point is internal service quality which refers to the extent to which an organisation is able to provide the right quality of support to employees to enable them to serve customers effectively. Included in the general concept of internal service quality would be factors such as job design, working environment, reward systems, training and support systems. Internal service quality will result in higher levels of employee satisfaction, productivity and retention.
