Abstract
Despite their importance as the largest contributor to the economic growth of a country, many SMEs fall behind in attaining customer satisfaction. This can be as a result of the gap that exists between expectations of customers and the deliverables by the SME providers. In the previous chapter, the authors explained the role of service quality via SERVQUAL and the GAP model. This chapter will, therefore, extend the argument by providing insights into the importance of qualitative research to enhance the services provided by SMEs in order to minimize this “GAP.” The chapter first illustrates the service blueprint to highlight the importance of service design to carry out the business. Later, various qualitative studies undertaken in service marketing discipline are highlighted. Using a qualitative approach, two separate studies (i.e., focus group studies) were conducted involving 10 SME providers and 10 SME consumers in the automotive industry (i.e., used car sales showroom). The FGDs provided insights into identifying the critical incidents of success (and or failure) of these SMEs.