Page 383 - Marketing Management

360 PART 5 SHAPING THE MARKET OFFERINGS

Service buyers are aware of this variability and often talk to others before selecting a service
provider. To reassure customers, some firms offer service guarantees that may reduce consumer per-
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ceptions of risk. Here are three steps service firms can take to increase quality control.
1. Invest in good hiring and training procedures. Recruiting the right employees and providing
them with excellent training is crucial, regardless of whether employees are highly skilled profes-
sionals or low-skilled workers. Better-trained personnel exhibit six characteristics: Competence,
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courtesy, credibility, reliability, responsiveness, and communication. Given the diverse nature
of its customer base in California, banking and mortgage giant Wells Fargo actively seeks and
trains a diverse workforce. The average Wells Fargo customer uses 5.2 different bank products,
roughly twice the industry average, thanks in part to the teamwork of its highly motivated staff. 18
2. Standardize the service-performance process throughout the organization. A service blue-
print can map out the service process, the points of customer contact, and the evidence of
service from the customer’s point of view. 19 Figure 13.2 shows a service blueprint for a
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guest spending a night at a hotel. Behind the scenes, the hotel must skillfully help the guest
move from one step to the next. Service blueprints can be helpful in developing new service,
supporting a zero-defects culture, and devising service recovery strategies.
3. Monitor customer satisfaction. Employ suggestion and complaint systems, customer surveys,
and comparison shopping. Customer needs may vary in different areas, allowing firms to de-
velop region-specific customer satisfaction programs. 21 Firms can also develop customer in-
formation databases and systems for more personalized service, especially online. 22
Because services are a subjective experience, service firms can also design marketing communi-
cation and information programs so consumers learn more about the brand than what they get
from service encounters alone.

Desk Bill
Registration Delivery Desk
Papers Elevators Room Tray Lobby
Hotel Exterior Cart for Lobby Hallways Care for Amenities Food Hotel Exterior
Parking Bags Key Room Bags Bath Menu Appearance Food Parking

Arrive at Give Bags Check In Go to Room Receive Sleep Call Room Receive Eat Check Out
Hotel to Bellperson Bags Shower Service Food and Leave

Line of Interaction

Greet and Process Deliver Deliver Process
Take Bags Registration Bags Food Check Out

Line of Visibility

Take Bags Take
to Room Food Order

Line of Internal Interaction

Registration Prepare Registration
System Food System

|Fig. 13.2|
Blueprint for Overnight Hotel Stay

Source: Valarie Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne D. Gremler, Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006).