Challenges in Services Marketing
MARKETING CHALLENGES IN SERVICE MARKETING
Managing, growing, and profiting with both product and service businesses are challenging tasks. But the challenges are different from one to the other. Listed below are some of the most common and difficult challenges of growing and managing consulting, professional, or technology service businesses that don't necessary apply to product businesses. 1. Clients can't see or touch services before they purchase them
Clients can't see or touch services before they purchase them. This makes services difficult to conceptualize and evaluate from the client perspective, creating increased uncertainty and perception of risk. From the firm's perspective, service intangibility can make services difficult to promote, control quality, and set price.
2. Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously
Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously. This creates special challenges in service quality management that product companies do not even consider. Products are tested before they go out the door. If a product has quality problems while in production, the company can fix them and customers are none the wiser. Service production happens with the customer present, creating a very different and challenging dynamic.
3. Trust is necessary
Trust is necessary. Some level of trust in the service organization and its people must be established before clients will engage services. This is as important, sometimes more important, than the service offerings and their value proposition.
4. Competition is often not who you think
Competition is often not who you think. Competition for product companies are other product companies. Competition for service companies are often the clients themselves. Sure, sometimes you find yourself in a competitive shootout (some firms more than others), but often the client is asking 'should we engage this service at all' and 'if so, should we just do it
Managing, growing, and profiting with both product and service businesses are challenging tasks. But the challenges are different from one to the other. Listed below are some of the most common and difficult challenges of growing and managing consulting, professional, or technology service businesses that don't necessary apply to product businesses. 1. Clients can't see or touch services before they purchase them
Clients can't see or touch services before they purchase them. This makes services difficult to conceptualize and evaluate from the client perspective, creating increased uncertainty and perception of risk. From the firm's perspective, service intangibility can make services difficult to promote, control quality, and set price.
2. Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously
Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously. This creates special challenges in service quality management that product companies do not even consider. Products are tested before they go out the door. If a product has quality problems while in production, the company can fix them and customers are none the wiser. Service production happens with the customer present, creating a very different and challenging dynamic.
3. Trust is necessary
Trust is necessary. Some level of trust in the service organization and its people must be established before clients will engage services. This is as important, sometimes more important, than the service offerings and their value proposition.
4. Competition is often not who you think
Competition is often not who you think. Competition for product companies are other product companies. Competition for service companies are often the clients themselves. Sure, sometimes you find yourself in a competitive shootout (some firms more than others), but often the client is asking 'should we engage this service at all' and 'if so, should we just do it