Definition (1):
Service variability means that the quality of services depends on who provides them as well as when, where, and how they are provided. For example, some hotels-say, Marriott-have reputations for providing better service than others. Still, within a given Marriott hotel, one registration-counter employee may be cheerful and efficient, whereas another standing just a few feet away may be unpleasant and slow. Even the quality of a single Marriott employee’s service varies according to his or her energy and frame of mind at the time of each customer encounter.
Definition (2):
“Service variability may be defined as the changes in the quality of the same service provided by different vendors.” This change differs because of the service’s nature, the person providing the service, the years’ time when it is provided, and the delivery method of the service.
Definition (3):
Service variability means a service’s quality depends on who offers them and where, how, and when they are offered.
Service variability can be of five types:
- Arrival variability
- Capability variability
- Request variability
- Subjective preference variability and
- Effort variability