An Analysis of Public Service Quality at the Kodi Bangedo District Office Based on Minimum Service Standards

Abstract

Public service delivery in remote sub-district areas such as Kodi Bangedo, Southwest Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, faces persistent challenges arising from difficult geographical conditions, limited administrative human resources, and inadequate service facilities. Residents from remote villages must travel two to three hours and spend IDR 50,000–100,000 to access a single administrative service, while the completion time for population administration and licensing services often exceeds the ideal standard. This study aims to (1) analyze the quality of public services at the Kodi Bangedo Sub-district Office based on five SERVQUAL dimensions (tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) across three main service categories, and (2) examine the strategies adopted by the sub-district office in addressing public service challenges in order to fulfil the Minimum Service Standard (Standar Pelayanan Minimal/SPM). A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, involving in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation study with informants determined through purposive and snowball sampling; data were analyzed using an interactive analysis model, with a Likert-scale questionnaire used as a complementary triangulation instrument. The findings show that public service quality remains uneven, with an overall SERVQUAL average of 2.36 (Kurang Baik/Fair). The responsiveness and assurance dimensions perform relatively well, whereas tangible, reliability, and empathy are still constrained by limited facilities, unstable technological infrastructure, and delays in service completion. To address these challenges, the sub-district office has implemented five strategies: optimizing apparatus resources, improving facilities and infrastructure, strengthening service administration systems, enhancing service quality for the community, and improving communication and responsiveness. These strategies remain largely adaptive and are not yet fully supported by formal policy, updated standard operating procedures, or dedicated budget allocation, indicating the need for further institutional strengthening