BA 370 Chapter 13

Wegmans is developing a _________ compared with other grocery retail outlets based on its exceptional customer service.

sustainable competitive advantage

Customer service is best represented by which of the following statements? Customer service ______.

adds to marketing efforts by helping to meet the customers' needs and wants

Service quality is defined as ______.

customers' perceptions of how well a service meets or exceeds their expectations

If FedEx's website and advertising promised package delivery by 9:00 a.m., but FedEx could only deliver packages that early about half the time, this would be an example of a(n) ______ gap.

communication

In delivery of a service, one of the most important early steps is addressing the knowledge gap, or the ability to understand ______.

consumer expectations

Wegmans' excellent ________ far exceeds customer expectations, especially for a grocery store chain.

customer service

When travelers are bumped from overbooked flights, they are frequently offered vouchers good for future travel. The dollar value of the voucher is the airline's estimate of

distributive fairness

FedEx has learned that its customers expect packages to arrive on time and in good condition, and that customers wish to have control over their orders. By seeking to understand customer expectations, FedEx seeks to close the ______ gap.

knowledge

FedEx trains its employees in problem-solving skills so that they can provide competent, empathetic service recovery. The first step in service recovery is to

listen to the customer

Service providers cannot inventory or stockpile things like haircuts during slow times to "sell" later when the facility is busy. This characteristic of services is called ______.

perishability

The ambience of the café located inside Wegmans is an example of a ________ component of Wegmans' service quality strategy.

tangible

The Service-Product Continuum evidences ______.

that most firms combine both goods and services in their offerings.

_________ suggests that services are different from products because the consumption experience may be different every time. Wegmans is trying to reduce this by giving all customers positive experiences.

variability

Standards gap

The difference between the firm's perceptions of customers expectations and the service standards it sets

Which of the following refers to variability in a service's quality?

heterogeneity

FedEx gives its employees significant discretion in taking action to solve customer problems. This is referred to as

Empowerment

Which of the following characteristics discriminates services from products?

Inseparability Intangibility Perishability Heterogeneity

One of the most effective methods to assess how well a firm is delivering adequate service to consumers is to employ the ______ Model to evaluate their service provision.

Service Gaps

Communications gap

The difference between actual service provided to customers and the service that the firm's promotion program promises The difference between actual service provided to customers and the service that the firm's promotion program promises

Knowledge gap

The difference between customer expectations and what the firm perceives the customer to expect The difference between customer expectations and what the firm perceives the customer to expect

Delivery gap

The difference between the firm's service standards and the actual service it provides to customers The difference between the firm's service standards and the actual service it provides to customers

Which of the following are potential sources of heterogeneity of service quality at a hair salon?

The same hair stylist working at different times of the day, week, or month Two different hair stylists working at the same location

Jane has realized that she does not enjoy taking a taxi to work because there is substantial ______ in the delivery of the service depending on who is driving her cab that day.

heterogeneity

Since humans' work output cannot be standardized to the same degree as the output of a machine, one substantial difference between the marketing of services and products is the ______ of service delivery.

heterogeneity

The primary reason there is greater heterogeneity in services than in products is because ______.

human inputs generate differences

One difference between products and services is demonstrated by a hair salon, where the stylist delivers the service at the same time the customer receives it. This is called ______.

inseparability

Sherry will let only Martiné cut her hair. She has tried other stylists, but she knows from experience that Martiné cuts her hair well every time. For Sherry, ________ is the most important of the five service quality dimensions.

reliability

A grocery store is at the product-dominant side of the Service-Product Continuum since most items are selected self-service from the shelves; however, ______.

the firm can still view service as a viable competitive advantage

Wegmans sends the employees in its fish and meat department to a "university" program to become experts on the store's product categories. This helps to increase ______________, one of the foundations of service quality.

assurance

One of the best ways for managers to reduce the ______ gap is to conduct ongoing research and regularly talk with employees to explain what customers expect to get from the brand and the firm.

knowledge