Page 128 - DMGT522_SERVICES MANAGEMENT

Unit 5: Market Positioning

The difficulty in assessing the service process has given rise to many methodologies in Notes
service encounter analysis and measurements which seek to ‘map’ the service process. It is
known as service blueprinting.

Service flowcharts allow managers to better understand servuction processes. Designing
the process becomes the key to product design. In the design stage, it is ensured that the
visible part of operations is supported by invisible processes.

Customer actions, onstage contact employee options, backstage contact employee options
and other support functions form the components of a service blueprint.

There are four major steps in designing a service blueprint: identify process to be
blueprinted, map the process form customer’s point of view, draw line of interaction and
draw line of visibility.
5.4 Keywords

Blueprinting: maps the process of service delivery
Line of Interaction: customer interactions with people in service
Line of Visibility: line of onstage contact employee actions

Positioning: battle for the consumer’s mindshare
Positioning Map: depicts what the consumers think of available brands with their features
Price War: Market situation in which (usually two) powerful competitors try to usurp each
other’s market share by progressively reducing prices until one of them retreats, at least
temporarily.

5.5 Review Questions

1. Positioning is battle for the consumer’s mindshare. Discuss the relevance of positioning in
modern marketplace.
2. What are the options available for a firm to position a service? If you want to position
healthcare services, how would you do it?
3. Draw a positioning map for the airline industry. If you are coming up with an airline
service which would cater to middle-middle income and upper-middle income groups,
where would you place it?
4. Success will breed imitators. What can a firm do toward them off? Give examples to
support your answer.
5. Prepare a rough blueprint for a banking firm.

6. Explain the current positioning used by Airtel in India and contrast it with the positioning
of Vodafone.
7. What do you think, positioning on the basis of which attribute would yield maximum
results? Explain your answer.
8. Can a service be positioned on two or more attributes? Give reasons to explain your
answer.

9. Can a service brand do without a positioning statement or can a firm skip the positioning
process? Explain your answer.
10. Briefly explain the service blueprint designing process.

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