Managing the Dilemma of Matching Customer Expectations
Providing consistent & quality service to consumers to consumers gives you a competitive edge, it also requires an understanding of customer expectations and the types of expectations. Customers compare perceived quality of service with the expected quality of service while deciding the quality of service provided by the company. Possessing knowledge about customer perceptions and the factors like as service encounter, service evidence, image of the service organization, and price of the service on customer perceptions that influence consumers directly or indirectly should be taken into consideration. Encounters with the consumer whether it may be remote, face-to-face, and phone encounters should also be analyzed to understand customer perceptions.
Things that can be done to achieve good level of customer service are as follows
Provide the customer with detailed information about your product, because they want to have themselves updated info about the product.
When customer is confronted with problem, provide them with options that can help them chose a single solution from the n number of alternatives available to them; on the other hand consumers don’t like or get dissatisfied when they are provided with a single option they have to choose.
Don’t make your consumers run from one service center to another for solving their queries. Provide them with a location that can help their queries solved at a single place.
Provide the customer with superior communication, even not the best but communication with excellence.
When no knowledge or information is available with them regards the product or which product can satisfy their specific need, counseling is what they look for and providing the same is the responsibility for the marketer.
The process of marketing research consists of six phases – defining the problem and the research objectives, selecting an appropriate scale to measure services, designing and implementing the research program, coding and tabulating data, interpreting and analyzing the research findings and reporting the findings. Unless the information collected from the market research is applied to solve problems or for other intended purposes, the time and efforts spent on research will become futile.
Market Segmentation in Services
Undifferentiated Marketing Approach
Differentiated Marketing Approach
Concentrated Marketing Approach
Bases for Market Segmentation
Demographic Segmentation
Geographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation
Behaviorist Segmentation
Benefit Segmentation
Purchase Occasion Segmentation
User Status Segmentation
Usage Rate Segmentation
Loyalty Segmentation
Buyer Readiness and marketing Factors
Requirements for Effective Segmentation
Measurability
Accessibility
Substantiability
Action ability
Process of Market Segmentation
Identifying Customer Segments
Developing Measures for Structural Attractiveness
Selecting Customer Segments
Market Targeting in Services
On What Basis do Marketers Target the Identified Segments
Segment Size and Growth potential
Targeting Strategies
Mass Customization
What are the Factors that Companies Need to Consider Before Adopting Mass Customization
What are the Various Approaches to Mass Customization
Tips to exceed customer expectations[/i][/b][/i][/b]
Empathize
Take ownership of the problem
Follow [/b]up[/b]
Treat customers fairly
Find a balance between business needs and customer needs
Try to become an expert in your field
Make recommendations
Ditch the script
Take time to reflect
Gaining a competitive advantage over a company to differentiate self from competitors based on the attributes that are important, distinct, communicable, superior, preemptive, affordable and profitable to the customers. Organizations should understand the customers ‘tendency to wait for longer periods depending on the value of the service and their irritability while waiting alone. Additionally, by adopting reservation systems, organizations can spread the demand equally across peak and slack periods. While planning to exceed expectations of customers the marketing mix should be considered, because inadequacy of the 4 P’s can cost you more. Focusing on the service level Service Product Level
The Core Product
The Actual Product
The Augmented Product
The Potential Product
Can also make you better in your field.
Things helping you getting better
Generation of Ideas
Screening
Testing the Concept
Business Analysis and Design of Service
Test Marketing
Infrastructure Development
Service Launch
Marketers should try to earn profits at each stage - launch, growth, and maturity stages, and should decide on discontinuing a particular product/service if it reaches the decline stage. However, a company might also choose to reposition the product at this stage.
They can also enter into long term contracts. They can also opt for price bundling in order to develop their relations with their customers. A company can also adopt efficiency based pricing to offer the maximum value to their customers. Finally, the factors that influence the prices of services should be studied carefully.
The factors that need careful consideration are:
Which Services to Promote
Who would be the Target Customer
What would be the Value Added to the Product/Brand
Is the Timing Right for Promotion and how long should a Promotional Campaign be Run
Who is Benefited from the Promotions
How to Differentiate a Promotional Campaign
You can’t manage expectations without communication. In fact, you can’t manage anything without communication. Communication being the crux of everything needs to manage effectively to a great extent.
If expressed as a calculation, customer satisfaction might look something like this:
Customer Satisfaction = Your Performance / Customer Expectations
If your customers' satisfaction level is changing, there might be some reasons for the same, which needs to be found, either at their end or yours, to affect their expectations or perceptions. The required mix of speed, quality, and price for optimizing business operations is required & also for assuring that these correspond closely to your customers’ expectations. Arrange both you and your customers’ responsibilities and rights sequentially.
The five dimensions of service[/b][/b]
Tangibles
visually attractive parking areas and building exteriors
visually attractive dining area
staff members who are clean, neat, and appropriately dressed
décor in keeping with its image and price range
menu that is easily readable
attractive menu that reflects the restaurant’s image
dining area that is comfortable and easy to move around in
rest rooms that are thoroughly clean
comfortable seats in the dining room
Reliability
serve in the time promised
quickly correct anything that is wrong
be dependable and consistent
provide an accurate guest check
serve food exactly as ordered
Responsiveness
employees help each other maintain speed and quality of service during busy times
employees provide prompt and quick service
employees give extra effort to handle special requests
Assurance
employees who can answer guests’ questions completely
make guests feel comfortable and confident in their dealings with employees
personnel who are both able and willing to give information about menu items, the ingredients, and methods of preparation
make guests feel personally safe
personnel who seem well-trained, competent, and experienced
managers support employees so that they can do their job well
Empathy
employees who are sensitive to individual needs and wants rather than always relying on policies and procedures
make guests feel special
anticipate individual needs and wants
employees who are sympathetic and reassuring if something is wrong
employees seem to have the customers’ best interests at heart
Gaining insights of all the customer expectations, providing excellent quality customer service is what be the final conclusion.
Providing consistent & quality service to consumers to consumers gives you a competitive edge, it also requires an understanding of customer expectations and the types of expectations. Customers compare perceived quality of service with the expected quality of service while deciding the quality of service provided by the company. Possessing knowledge about customer perceptions and the factors like as service encounter, service evidence, image of the service organization, and price of the service on customer perceptions that influence consumers directly or indirectly should be taken into consideration. Encounters with the consumer whether it may be remote, face-to-face, and phone encounters should also be analyzed to understand customer perceptions.
Things that can be done to achieve good level of customer service are as follows
Provide the customer with detailed information about your product, because they want to have themselves updated info about the product.
When customer is confronted with problem, provide them with options that can help them chose a single solution from the n number of alternatives available to them; on the other hand consumers don’t like or get dissatisfied when they are provided with a single option they have to choose.
Don’t make your consumers run from one service center to another for solving their queries. Provide them with a location that can help their queries solved at a single place.
Provide the customer with superior communication, even not the best but communication with excellence.
When no knowledge or information is available with them regards the product or which product can satisfy their specific need, counseling is what they look for and providing the same is the responsibility for the marketer.
The process of marketing research consists of six phases – defining the problem and the research objectives, selecting an appropriate scale to measure services, designing and implementing the research program, coding and tabulating data, interpreting and analyzing the research findings and reporting the findings. Unless the information collected from the market research is applied to solve problems or for other intended purposes, the time and efforts spent on research will become futile.
Market Segmentation in Services
Undifferentiated Marketing Approach
Differentiated Marketing Approach
Concentrated Marketing Approach
Bases for Market Segmentation
Demographic Segmentation
Geographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation
Behaviorist Segmentation
Benefit Segmentation
Purchase Occasion Segmentation
User Status Segmentation
Usage Rate Segmentation
Loyalty Segmentation
Buyer Readiness and marketing Factors
Requirements for Effective Segmentation
Measurability
Accessibility
Substantiability
Action ability
Process of Market Segmentation
Identifying Customer Segments
Developing Measures for Structural Attractiveness
Selecting Customer Segments
Market Targeting in Services
On What Basis do Marketers Target the Identified Segments
Segment Size and Growth potential
Targeting Strategies
Mass Customization
What are the Factors that Companies Need to Consider Before Adopting Mass Customization
What are the Various Approaches to Mass Customization
Tips to exceed customer expectations[/i][/b][/i][/b]
Empathize
Take ownership of the problem
Follow [/b]up[/b]
Treat customers fairly
Find a balance between business needs and customer needs
Try to become an expert in your field
Make recommendations
Ditch the script
Take time to reflect
Gaining a competitive advantage over a company to differentiate self from competitors based on the attributes that are important, distinct, communicable, superior, preemptive, affordable and profitable to the customers. Organizations should understand the customers ‘tendency to wait for longer periods depending on the value of the service and their irritability while waiting alone. Additionally, by adopting reservation systems, organizations can spread the demand equally across peak and slack periods. While planning to exceed expectations of customers the marketing mix should be considered, because inadequacy of the 4 P’s can cost you more. Focusing on the service level Service Product Level
The Core Product
The Actual Product
The Augmented Product
The Potential Product
Can also make you better in your field.
Things helping you getting better
Generation of Ideas
Screening
Testing the Concept
Business Analysis and Design of Service
Test Marketing
Infrastructure Development
Service Launch
Marketers should try to earn profits at each stage - launch, growth, and maturity stages, and should decide on discontinuing a particular product/service if it reaches the decline stage. However, a company might also choose to reposition the product at this stage.
They can also enter into long term contracts. They can also opt for price bundling in order to develop their relations with their customers. A company can also adopt efficiency based pricing to offer the maximum value to their customers. Finally, the factors that influence the prices of services should be studied carefully.
The factors that need careful consideration are:
Which Services to Promote
Who would be the Target Customer
What would be the Value Added to the Product/Brand
Is the Timing Right for Promotion and how long should a Promotional Campaign be Run
Who is Benefited from the Promotions
How to Differentiate a Promotional Campaign
You can’t manage expectations without communication. In fact, you can’t manage anything without communication. Communication being the crux of everything needs to manage effectively to a great extent.
If expressed as a calculation, customer satisfaction might look something like this:
Customer Satisfaction = Your Performance / Customer Expectations
If your customers' satisfaction level is changing, there might be some reasons for the same, which needs to be found, either at their end or yours, to affect their expectations or perceptions. The required mix of speed, quality, and price for optimizing business operations is required & also for assuring that these correspond closely to your customers’ expectations. Arrange both you and your customers’ responsibilities and rights sequentially.
The five dimensions of service[/b][/b]
Tangibles
visually attractive parking areas and building exteriors
visually attractive dining area
staff members who are clean, neat, and appropriately dressed
décor in keeping with its image and price range
menu that is easily readable
attractive menu that reflects the restaurant’s image
dining area that is comfortable and easy to move around in
rest rooms that are thoroughly clean
comfortable seats in the dining room
Reliability
serve in the time promised
quickly correct anything that is wrong
be dependable and consistent
provide an accurate guest check
serve food exactly as ordered
Responsiveness
employees help each other maintain speed and quality of service during busy times
employees provide prompt and quick service
employees give extra effort to handle special requests
Assurance
employees who can answer guests’ questions completely
make guests feel comfortable and confident in their dealings with employees
personnel who are both able and willing to give information about menu items, the ingredients, and methods of preparation
make guests feel personally safe
personnel who seem well-trained, competent, and experienced
managers support employees so that they can do their job well
Empathy
employees who are sensitive to individual needs and wants rather than always relying on policies and procedures
make guests feel special
anticipate individual needs and wants
employees who are sympathetic and reassuring if something is wrong
employees seem to have the customers’ best interests at heart
Gaining insights of all the customer expectations, providing excellent quality customer service is what be the final conclusion.