Marketing Services
Antonio Guzman
Student ID # 1451565
BU320.2.1 Marketing Principles
Assignment 05 Marketing Services
10/05/2012
The marketing of services differs from product marketing because of the four fundamental differences involved in services: Services are intangible, inseparable, variable, and perishable. Intangible which means they cannot be touched, tasted, or seen like a pure product can. Another difference is that services are produced and consumed at the same time; that is, service and consumption are inseparable. Furthermore, the more humans are needed to provide a service, the more likely there's to be variability in the service's quality. Finally, services are perishable in that they cannot be stored for use in the future.
Firms can help employees provide better service in several ways. Firms must set specific, measurable goals based on customers' expectations; to help ensure a high-quality service, the employees should be involved in the goal setting. Empowering employees to make decisions about how service gets provided to customers. Also, managers and co-workers should provide emotional support to service providers by demonstrating a concern for their well-being and standing behind their decisions. The support that managers provide must be consistent and coherent throughout the organization. A key part of any customer service program is providing rewards to employees for excellent service.
The Gaps Model is designed to encourage the systematic examination of all aspects of the service delivery process and prescribe the steps needed to develop an optimal service strategy. There are four service gaps: knowledge gap, standards gap, delivery gap, and communication gap.
The knowledge gap reflects the difference between customers' expectations and the firm's perception of those customer expectations. To reduce the knowledge gap, firms must understand the customers' expectations. Another way to reduce the knowledge gap, is to evaluate service quality
Student ID # 1451565
BU320.2.1 Marketing Principles
Assignment 05 Marketing Services
10/05/2012
The marketing of services differs from product marketing because of the four fundamental differences involved in services: Services are intangible, inseparable, variable, and perishable. Intangible which means they cannot be touched, tasted, or seen like a pure product can. Another difference is that services are produced and consumed at the same time; that is, service and consumption are inseparable. Furthermore, the more humans are needed to provide a service, the more likely there's to be variability in the service's quality. Finally, services are perishable in that they cannot be stored for use in the future.
Firms can help employees provide better service in several ways. Firms must set specific, measurable goals based on customers' expectations; to help ensure a high-quality service, the employees should be involved in the goal setting. Empowering employees to make decisions about how service gets provided to customers. Also, managers and co-workers should provide emotional support to service providers by demonstrating a concern for their well-being and standing behind their decisions. The support that managers provide must be consistent and coherent throughout the organization. A key part of any customer service program is providing rewards to employees for excellent service.
The Gaps Model is designed to encourage the systematic examination of all aspects of the service delivery process and prescribe the steps needed to develop an optimal service strategy. There are four service gaps: knowledge gap, standards gap, delivery gap, and communication gap.
The knowledge gap reflects the difference between customers' expectations and the firm's perception of those customer expectations. To reduce the knowledge gap, firms must understand the customers' expectations. Another way to reduce the knowledge gap, is to evaluate service quality