A Study on Service Quality Improvement in Adult Day Care Centers-Applying the Kano Model and Customer Satisfaction Coefficients

Purpose: This study is to evaluate the service quality of adult day care centers from the users’ perspective and to establish improvement priorities in response to rapid population aging and the increasing demand for community-based care services.Methods: Key service attributes were derived through Focus Group Interviews(FGI) with users and staff. The Kano model classified service attributes by their satisfaction impact, while Timko’s Customer Satisfaction Coefficient(CSC) quantified the asymmetry between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, integrating both emotional and functional dimensions of service quality.Results: Health and exercise-related services were identified as attractive quality factors. Conversely, services related to vehicle transportation, hygiene, and safety emerged as essential one-dimensional factors for maintaining trust. Relational factors such as staff empathy and communication also significantly influenced service quality, demonstrating the increasingly emphasized need for humancentered care.Conclusion: By integrating qualitative(FGI) and quantitative(Kano and CSC) analyses, this study proposed a user-centered framework for assessing service quality tailored to the characteristics of elderly day care services. The findings offer empirical insights to support strategic service improvement, policy-based quality management, and efficient resource allocation within the long-term care system. thereby contributing to sustainable development of community-based senior care networks.