All services suffer from heterogeneity. Explain this problem, and discuss ways that heterogeneity can occur in service delivery.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Services delivered by people are susceptible to heterogeneity, or variation in quality. Quality of manufactured goods is easier to control with standardized procedures, and mistakes are easier to isolate and correct. Because of the nature of human behavior, however, it is very difficult for service providers to maintain a consistent quality of service delivery. This variation in quality can occur from one organization to another, from one service person to another within the same service facility, and from one service facility to another within the same organization. Heterogeneity usually increases as the degree of labor intensiveness increases. Many services, such as auto repair, education, and hairstyling, rely heavily on human labor. People-based services are often prone to fluctuations in quality from one time period to the next.