What are the features of a service?
1. Tangibility: services are intangible, they do not have physical properties like goods.
-This makes it difficult to compare and evaluate, because the service can be different each time.
2. Lack of Inventory: services can't be inventoried/stored. They're either used or they aren't, there's no saving for later.
-If there's no demand, unused capacity is wasted.
3. No Ownership: The customer does not actually have any ownership of an item after the service.
4. Creates Value: the service creates value for the customer.
5. VARIABILITY: the service is not the same each time it's received.
e.g. different person serving you may result in
different service outcome (one person may not be as useful as another)
6. Consumers Involved in CO-PRODUCTION: different consumers will lead to different service outcomes, as the service person can cater the service for the consumer's individual needs.
7. TIME FACTOR: Time has greater importance with some services.
e.g. Food service; you expect the food to come
out quickly; delivery services; transportation etc.
Learn More :
- The responsibility of creating a favorable emotional customer response can take a toll on frontline service employees. T or F
- The decision to empower frontline employees requires that mid-level managers share some of their authority with their subordinates. T or F
- The first step in drawing a service blueprint is to identify the frontstage activity from the customers' perpectives. T or F
- Service products that can be classified as physical goods have been classified into one of three categories. Which service product category consists of services that require customers to make comparisons across service providers before developing a choice preference?
- A service blueprint is a design and communication tool for marketers to envision and plan the service performance. T or F
- Services with significant customization have weaker scripts than services produced for masses of people. T or F
- Complexity refers to the amount of variability in the service offerings. T or F
- Service quality has generally improved because of the strong connection between services and technology-based productivity. T or F
- Since a customized service performance can greatly enhance a customer's service experience, service organizations are recommended to plan all of their service performances to allow service customization. T or F
- Which, if any, of the following is NOT an example of a technology that may be used to empower customers?
- The high-bandwidth communication connection has altered the influence of word-of-mouth communications. T or F
- Information is a product that has virtually no marginal cost of distribution. T or F
- Services involve the transfer of ownership to the customer. T or F
- Technology cannot be used to integrate service offerings across multiple service delivery channels. T or F
- Services marketing is identical to goods marketing. T or F
- Services do not typically rely on physical goods for their performance. T or F
- According to the Services Marketing Triangle, the __________ form of marketing __________ promises in services marketing.
- In most cases, defective services can be corrected after they reach the customer. T or F
- For many services, the customers are considered co-producers of the service. T or F
- Interactive marketing is where the organization has NO need to prove its commitment to serving customers. T or F
- Service organizations must pay careful attention to the interactions among their customers. T or F
- To reduce the likelihood of customer rage, service managers are recommended to perform all of the listed actions EXCEPT
- Service organizations should attempt to encourage random acts of kindness among customers. T or F
- Customer compatibility management is critical to an organization that is interested in relationship marketing. T or F
- The customer experience includes the influence of other customers present. T or F