ASSESSMENT ON THE SERVICE QUALITY OF SAKALAM KOPI: BASIS FOR PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Abstract

Sakalam Kopi, established on July 15, 2022, has gained recognition as a rising coffee shop in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. It distinguishes itself not only by offering high-quality coffee but also through its active community engagement and social initiatives, creating a welcoming space for coffee lovers seeking both excellent products and meaningful experiences. Despite its potential, Sakalam Kopi faces a significant challenge: a shortage of staff, which results in prolonged service times—often taking 10 to 15 minutes to prepare just two drinks. This issue leads to longer wait times, causing customer frustration, dissatisfaction, and a potential loss of trust in the shop's service quality. Moreover, the business has not yet placed sufficient emphasis on improving service quality as a means to enhance customer satisfaction and attract new clientele. This study seeks to evaluate Sakalam Kopi’s performance based on the five dimensions of service quality, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, in order to identify key areas for improvement. The goal is to recommend effective strategies that will elevate customer satisfaction, strengthen brand reputation, and position Sakalam Kopi as a leading choice for coffee enthusiasts within the community. This study employs the SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman et al. (1985) to evaluate the service quality of Sakalam Kopi, focusing on five key dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The aim is to identify gaps between customer expectations and perceptions that may affect overall satisfaction. A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilizing a structured survey questionnaire to collect data from seventy-six (76) respondents regarding their experiences and preferences related to the shop’s service quality. To interpret the data, the study applied appropriate statistical treatments, including frequency distribution, percentage, weighted mean, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine significant differences and trends in customer responses. The findings of this study reveal that all five service quality dimensions were rated positively by the respondents, each receiving a verbal interpretation of "Agree." The Empathy dimension received the highest overall weighted mean of 3.07, followed by Tangibility with 3.05. Responsiveness scored an overall weighted mean of 2.82, while Assurance received 2.79. The Reliability dimension obtained the lowest weighted mean at 2.66. These results suggest that while Sakalam Kopi is generally meeting customer expectations across all service quality areas, particular attention should be given to improving reliability and assurance to further enhance customer satisfaction. The outcome of this study presents a comprehensive enhancement plan aimed at addressing the primary challenges faced by Sakalam Kopi, including slow service delivery, issues related to ambiance and cleanliness, and the inconsistency of customer experiences.