Factors Influencing the Quality of Service

Abstract

There are several possibilities for classifying the factors which influence the quality of a service. As telephone systems are designed to replace a face-to-face conversation, this situation is taken as a reference for the use of a telecommunication service. Factors can be identified which relate to different conversation modalities. The transmission paths which are involved in this type of conversation are illustrated in Figure 3.1. Starting from this schematic, Richards (1973, p. 116) defines factors that cause loss of communication efficiency of the following types:

• Type A: Factors that cause difficulty in listening when the transmission is unidirectional and no assistance is given to the listener by the talker.

• Type B: Factors that cause difficulty in talking.

• Type C: Factors that cause difficulty specifically in conversing, that is, factors associated with the alternation of talking and listening roles of the participants.