Research on relationship between software quality and service quality of application service providers

Abstract

[[abstract]]在e化經濟的時代，企業網路化已成為不可抗拒的趨勢，因此卻造就了Application Service Provider (ASP)廠商相當可觀的商機。ASP廠商如雨後春筍般出現，廠商之間競爭日趨激烈，如何能夠提供差異化的產品組合以精準的滿足客戶所需，藉此取得競爭優勢，已成為現今相當重要的議題。軟體品質(Software Quality)作為ASP廠商的一項重要指標，其結果能大幅影響客戶對於服務品質(Quality of Service)的感受。然而軟體品質與服務品質在定義上不盡相同，因此本研究試圖找出兩者之間所有可能存在的隱涵關聯，以協助ASP廠商在擬定產品組合上之參考。經由典型相關分析而發現，當ASP廠商面對製造業時，我們建議其在研發期(Development)與銷售訂約期(Negotiation and Sales)階段，首重的服務品質特性為「信賴型」的相關性組合；在安裝、設定期(Implementation)與售後檢討期(Assessment)則重視「靈敏型」的相關性組合；至於在使用期(Execution)則提供「實用型」的相關性組合。相對地，面對於服務業，我們建議在研發期(Development)、銷售訂約期(Negotiation and Sales)、及使用期(Execution)提供「忠實型」的相關組合；在安裝、設定期(Implementation)與售後檢討期(Assessment)我們建議提供「敏捷型」的相關性組合。因此，ASP廠商可依照不同產業在Service Level Agreement(SLA)各階段所重視的服務品質特性之程度，而強調不同的價值組合，並有效地運用CMMI軟體專案管理手段，而分配有限的資源而掌握顧客的真正的需求，以利於制定適當之發展策略。[[abstract]]With the advance of networking technology and the growth of electronic business, it has offered considerable business opportunities for Application Service Providers (ASP). While a large number of new ASP starups emerge in many fileds, such as ERP, CRM, SCM, and so on, market competition has been increasingly intensive. Hence, it has become a crucial issue that how ASPs can differentiate their services and precisely meet customers’ demands in order to obtain the competition advantage in the market. This study uses the SERVQUAL model as indicators to substantially reflect customers’ satisfaction on ASP’s service quality. However, the ASPs usually focus on software qualities of project management that are somehow different from SERVQUAL. This study tries to configure the proper mapping between SERVQUAL and ASPs’ software quality management along the ASP contracting process, that is, the five stages of SLA, by the canonical correlation analysis. According to the research results, we recommend the following configurations: the ASPs in facing the manufacturing industry should provide the “reliance” combination during the first two stages of development, and negotiation and sales; the “flexibility” combination for the third and fourth stage of implementation and assessment periods; finally, the “utility” combination for the execution period. While ASPs face the service industry, we recommend firms to provide “faith” combination in the first two stages of development, negotiation and sales and the final stage of execution. Contrarilly, ASPs offer “agility” combination for implementation and assessment periods. Hence, based on the different configurations between SERVQUAL and software qualities in respective stages of SLA, ASPs shall focus varying values combination to meet customers’ upmost satisfaction, and effectively distribute limited resources to formulate optimal developmental strategy.[[note]]碩