A Study on Service Process Design and Service Quality Improvement: The Case of the Hospitality Industry

This research examines the link between service process design and service quality improvement in the hospitality sector, specifically how formal processes, digital applications and customer engagement influence satisfaction and loyalty. This study adds to the SERVQUAL framework and service-dominant logic, by illustrating the necessity of ensuring service processes are aligned with customer observations of expectations whilst achieving service effectiveness. A qualitative case study approach was adopted including semi-structured interviews with managers and frontline staff, customer feedback analysis, and service manuals and operational documents. Thematic and comparative analysis indicated that standardization in overarching processes for the core services offered by hotels produced more consistency and reliability in hospitality service quality offerings. Nevertheless, challenges persist, such as process bottlenecks during peak periods, frontline staff adaptation to standardized processes, and ongoing technology integration. The findings of this study show that successful hospitality companies have been able to achieve standardization with customization, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and customer co-creation in order to further enhance perceived service quality. Ultimately, this study showed that service process design is a clear operational requirement and strategic leverage point for competitiveness. Recommendations to managers include key process mapping, providing staff training, using customer technology-driven initiatives, and making incremental, continuous improvements on service quality in a fast-changing market environment.