The quality of services in a higher education institution: an evaluation for the integration of AHP, SERVQUAl and QFD methods
Abstract
The quality evaluation of services rovided is important and essential for the geenration, selection and implementation of strategies, aiming the competitive development of organizations. Profitable private companies and philanthropic institutions with social purposes need to provide qualified services in order to achieve the wanted effectiveness and good performance levels. Human Resources are reliable sources of information that allow structured assessments about the organization, the structure, and the process of services delivery. In this sense, the objective of this research was to evaluate the quality service provided in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), more specifically in the middle activity sectors, from the employee’s perspective (Human Resources), using SERVQUAL scale, AHP method and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) integration. For that, a case study was carried out, using exploratory and descriptive research, with quantitative and qualitative approach. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires applied to employees from three sectors: Management (Direction and Coordination), Secretariat and Library. The AHP, SERVQUAL and QFD methods provided support for data collection and evaluation of the main quality variables. From the results obtained, the most relevant aspects for continuous improvement of services are: teaching materials, problem solving, quality and service speed, confidence, cordiality, skills domain and knowledge of students’ necessities. In the construction of the quality by QFD assumption, the requirement “People” stood out with the highest degree of importance, demonstrating the relevance that human resources have in providing qualified services.