Transcript IMC of Services Marketing

IMC of Services Marketing
MANAGING THE SERVICE PROMISES
CHAPTER 16
Provider Gap 4
CUSTOMER
COMPANY
Part 6 Opener
Service Delivery
The
Communication
Gap
External
Communications
to Customers
Communications and the Services
Marketing Triangle
Figure 16.1
Company
Internal Marketing
Vertical communications
Horizontal communications
Employees
Interactive Marketing
Personal selling
Customer service center
Service encounters
Servicescapes
Source: Kotler, Philip, Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and
Control, 9th Edition, © 1997.
External
Marketing
Communication
Advertising
Sales promotion
Public relations
Direct marketing
Sponsorship Marketing
Database Marketing
Customers
Why are services more difficult to promote than
physical products?
Key Reasons for Service Communication Challenges
 Inadequate management of service promises

Usually and issue internally between departments or employees.
 Inadequate management of customer expectations

Can be a result of external marketing providing unrealistic
expectations.
 Inadequate customer education

This often exists with high involvement services – i.e., certain
medical services, certain financial services, etc.
 Inadequate internal marketing communications

Both horizontal and vertical communication is important – i.e.,
between service employees and between management and employees
Approaches for Integrating Services Marketing
Figure 16.2
Communication
Manage
customer
expectations
Manage
service
promises
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Manage
internal
marketing
communication
Improve
customer
education
Figure 16.3
Approaches for Managing
Service Promises
MANAGING SERVICE PROMISES
Create effective
services
communications
Coordinate
external
communication
Make
realistic
promises
Offer
service
guarantees
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Create Effective Services Advertising
 Use narratives to demonstrate the service experience
 Present vivid information
 Use interactive imagery
 Focus on the tangible
 Feature service employees in communication
 Promise what is possible
 Encourage word-of-mouth communication
 Feature service customers
 Use transformational advertising
Coordinate External Communication
 Advertising
 Websites
 Sales promotion
 Public relations
 Personal selling
Approaches for Managing Customer Expectations
Figure 16.11
Offer choices
Create tiered-value
offerings
Communicate criteria for
service effectiveness
Communicate unrealistic
expectations
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Approaches for Improving Customer Education
Figure 16.12
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Prepare
customers
for the
service
process
Confirm
performance
to standards
Clarify
Expectations
before/
after the sale
Teach customers
to avoid peak
demand periods
and seek slow
periods
Figure
16.13
Approaches for Managing Internal
Marketing Communications
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Create
effective vertical
communications
Create
effective horizontal
communications
Align back-office
personnel with
external customers
Create
cross-functional
teams
Which of these gaps are the easiest, hardest to
close?
Mini Case – Vancouver Aquarium Tours – page 536
Key Factors Leading to the Customer Gap
Customer
Gap
Customer
Expectations
 Provider Gap 1: Not knowing what customers expect
 Provider Gap 2: Not selecting the right service designs and standards
 Provider Gap 3: Not delivering to service standards
 Provider Gap 4: Not matching performance to promises
Customer
Perceptions
Key Factors Leading to Gap 4
 Lack of integrated services marketing
communications
 Over promising
 Ineffective management of customer expectations
 Inadequate horizontal communications