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Services Marketing
Notes or the display of certificates, plaques and trophies awarded for superior service quality, which
help convey the commitment of the service firm to superior service quality.
Managing the Trust of the Customer
Companies try to win the trust and confidence of their customers in order to retain existing
customers and attract new ones. Marketing of services is based on trust, as customers have to
purchase a service even before experiencing it. A popular method of managing trust is through
the money back guarantee. Under this scheme, the firm promises to refund the customers
money if he is not satisfied with the service delivery.
Example: Blue Dart promises to refund money, if customers parcel is not delivered at
the right destination in stipulated time. In addition to increasing customer involvement in the
service delivery, this also enhances the trust of the customer in the service quality.
Many restaurants set up a glass pane separating the kitchen area from the service area. This
allows customers to view how their food is being prepared in the kitchen. A common practice in
several 5-star hotels is that when a customer orders for delicacies like crabs, the chef displays a
live crab to the customer to obtain his approval before cooking it.
Facilitating Quality Service
A customers perceptions of service quality are shaped by a firms ability to manage the tangible
clues of its service. Often, customers form opinions about the quality of service by the way the
service is delivered or the processes involved in the service delivery. Firms can enhance the
value of their service by trying to attain perfection in the basic aspects of the service like
orderliness, customer-friendliness, and cleanliness. In addition, firms should create evidence
that appeals to the target market.
Example: While marketing the movie Harry Potter, the distributors of the film also
sold spectacles and toys of the kind used by the hero in the film to attract kids to the movie. Thus,
the distributors were selling not just the movie, but the entire experience associated with it.
Providing a Sensory Stimulation to Customers
Marketing of services is made easier by attaching an entertainment or fun factor to it. By doing
so, a service provider stimulates the senses of customers and makes them realise the difference
from other service providers.
Example: A tourist destination that has an amusement park, bungee jumping, skiing,
movie theatre, and trekking facilities will highlight the fun factor of the place and will be more
attractive to most tourists than a tourist destination that is located on a hill with no such facilities.
Changing the Image of Service Organisations
An organisation that aims to change its image, should give importance to managing the evidence.
Changing the current image in the minds of customers and superimposing it with a new image
is a difficult and challenging task for the service organisation.
Example: When McDonalds entered the Indian market, it easily succeeded in capturing
the kids and teens market. However, to give itself an image that it serves the entire family and
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