Exam 3 Service Marketing

Which of the following can influence how satisfied a customer is with a service?

-customer emotions -product features -customers perceptions of service quality -uncontrollable situational factors

Which of the following is NOT a factor that contributes to provider Gap 1 (The listening gap)?

Advertising that over-promises

Which of the following statements describes a marketing implication that results from the intangibility of services?

All of the above.

All of the following are strategic roles of the servicescape EXCEPT

Boundary spanner

Based on the Framework for Understanding Physical Environment-User Relationships, employees and customers' internal responses to the dimensions of their physical surroundings are:

Cognitive, emotional, and physiological

According to research, which of the following is NOT among the themes that have been identified as the sources of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction in interpersonal service encounters?

Credibility

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a service firm may avoid a customer relationship with a particular customer?

Customer is not divisible

Critical incidents research has shown that three attributes essential to customer satisfaction with technology-based service encounters are:

Delivery on the core promise; flexibility of the systems; better than the alternative

Which of the following is NOT a key contributing factor of provider Gap 3 (the service performance gap)?

Efficient marketing research systems

Which of the following statements describes a marketing implication that results from the simultaneous production and consumption of services?

Employees affect the service outcome

The characteristic of a service that refers to differences in employees performances is

Heterogeneity

Which of the following is among the fundamental guidelines for effective service standards?

Identify which aspects of service are critical to customer impressions and perceptions of service

what refers to the set of service options that the customer views as comparable solutions.

Perceived service alternatives

The first step in developing an effective physical evidence strategy is to:

Recognize the strategic impact of physical evidence

A service encounter that occurs without any direct human contact is a(n)

Remote encounter

Companies that ask customers to rate various service attributes and dimensions of performance with the express purpose of using the feedback to assess gaps in service quality will benefit most from the use of

SERVQUAL surveys

All aspects of the organization's physical facility are collectively referred to as the:

Servicescape

Which of the following acts as the stimulus in the stimulus-organism-response model?

The multidimensional service environment

Which of the following statements is a criterion for creating effective service standards?

The standards should be based on behaviors and actions that are very important to customers

In a service blueprint, elements of physical evidence are noted:

above the sequence of customer actions

In the context of the zone of tolerance, _____ service represents expectations for the minimum tolerable level of service, or the bottom level of performance acceptable to the customer.

adequate

Experience qualities

are attributes that can be discerned only after purchase or during consumption.

Structural bonds

are created by providing services that are designed right into the client's service delivery system.

Customer expectations

are the standards for performance against which service experiences are compared

All of the following are strategic roles of the servicescape EXCEPT:

boundary spanner

quantitative research

captures the observable or measurable characteristics, attitudes, or behaviors of customers, and is used to gauge and numerically express levels of customer satisfaction and perceptions of value, relative importance of service attributes, and/or the size and extent of gaps in service quality.

Ambient

conditions include background characteristics of the environment such as temperature and lighting.

Any penalties a customer must pay to terminate a service agreement are referred to as

contractual costs

The types of benefits an organization can recognize from developing and maintaining a loyal customer base include

customer behavior benefits

A customer's lack of initiative to switch service providers because they believe the change won't be worth the effort or cost is referred to as

customer inertia

The typology of exchange relationships presented in Exhibit 6.1 establishes the link between marketing activities and the evolution of customer loyalty. The primary marketing objective at the "acquaintances" stage of the customer-firm relationship is:

customer satisfaction

In the context of the zone of tolerance, _____ service is the level of service the customer hopes to receive.

desired

The Empathy

dimension of service quality is the caring, individualized attention given to customers.

The Assurance

dimension of service quality refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence.

The Responsiveness

dimension of service quality refers to the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.

The four core dimensions that underpin consumers' initial evaluations of e-service transactions are:

efficiency, fulfillment, system availability, and privacy

Technology-mediated

encounters are characterized by real-time communication with a real person via talk, text, or live chat.

Direct personal contact between employees and customers is a characteristic of

face-to-face encounters

The typology of exchange relationships presented in Exhibit 6.1 establishes the link between marketing activities and the evolution of customer loyalty. Following the "acquaintance" stage in the evolution of customer-firm relationships is the customers-as-_____ stage.

friends

The first step in the process of developing customer-defined standards is to:

identify existing or desired service encounter sequence

The first step in building a service blueprint is to

identify the process to be blueprinted

Service-related cues such as decor that lead to inferences about what a service should or will be like are referred to as _____.

implicit service promises

Service companies can close provider Gap 4(the communication Gap) by

improving communications between sales and operations departments

Services are

in the simplest terms, are deeds, processes and performances.

Which of the following is a key contributing factor for Provider Gap 2( the service Design and standards Gap)?

inappropriate physical evidence and servicescape

The characteristic of a service that means that it cannot be seen, felt, tasted, or touched is:

intangibility

The primary distinguishing characteristic of service is

intangibility

Among the principles of service design, "evidencing" suggests that

intangible services should be visualized in terms of physical artifacts.

In a(n) _____ environment, the servicescape must be designed to facilitate and satisfy the activities and needs of both customers and employees simultaneously.

interpersonal services

Provider Gap 1: Listening Gap

is the difference between what customer expectations of service actually are and what the company understands them to be.

A service company that wants to make a deliberate effort to identify and understand customers' reasons for dropping the firm's services will likely benefit from

lost customer research

A service firm seeking "real-time" insights about the actual customer experience is most likely to use __________ to assess how actual service delivery and employee performance compares to a set of standards based on the service attributes and levels of performance most important to customers.

mystery shopping

One category of service innovation is _____ which describes an organization's efforts to introduce new solutions to meet different service needs its current customers may have.

new services for existing customers

Provider Gap 2 (Service Design & Standards Gap)

occurs when a company accurately understands customer expectations for service but doesn't develop the right service designs or performance standards to meet them.

In service blueprinting terms, _____ are the steps and activities that contact employees perform within the customer's view.

onstage contact employee actions

Attempts to describe services using only words are subject to some specific challenges. For instance, _____ will be an issue when narrative descriptions of services fail to adequately convey the full scope and complexity of a service process.

oversimplification

A customer's expectations for service performance will be influenced by their _____, or their previous exposure to services that are relevant to a focal service.

past experiences

In the context of the expanded marketing mix for services, the term refers to all human actors who play a part in service delivery and thus influence buyers perceptions.

people

Customers___________of service are based on their subjective assessments of their actual experiences

perceptions

States or conditions essential to the physical or psychological well-being of a customer and that are also pivotal influences on what customers desire in a service are known as

personal needs

An important influence in desired service expectations is ____________, the customer's underlying generic attitude about the meaning of service and the proper conduct of service providers

personal service philosophy

In the context of the expanded marketing mix for services, is the term used to refer to the procedures and operating systems by which a service is delivered.

process

The Customer Pyramid is a concept that firms can use to differentiate and describe customers based on their level of

profitability

Which among the following is NOT a strategy for customer retention?

profitability segmentation

Upward communication

programs complement formal research studies and ensure managerial contact with both internal and external customers.

Service marketers use ____________ research to explore and understand the thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives of customers. Data gathered through this type of "open-ended" research helps to define, characterize, and explain trends, themes, and factors that shape customer expectations and perceptions of service.

qualitative

Search

qualities are attributes that a customer can determine or assess prior to purchase and consumption.

Physical environment

quality refers to a customer's judgment of the design, décor, and surroundings of the servicescape.

Social bonds

refer to relationship strategies that encourage loyalty by fostering personal connections among the customers and employees of a service.

Interaction quality

refers to a customer's judgment of the service delivery process (the way in which the service is delivered).

Customer relationship value

refers to a customer's lifetime revenue or profit contributions to a company.

Service quality; satisfaction

refers to customers' specific perceptions regarding service attributes, outcomes, and dimensions of service performance, while _____ refers to the emotional response that reflects a customer's overall sense of fulfillment.

Gap 4: The communication Gap

refers to differences between service performance and the service providers external communications about the service.

The customer gap

refers to the difference between customer' expectations and perceptions of service

Perishability

refers to the fact that services cannot be saved, stored, resold or returned

The focus of __________ marketing is on developing and strengthening bonds with current customers rather than the acquisition of new customers.

relationship

Companies that ask customers to rate firm performance against important service expectations or relative to competitors in order to identify and measure overall strengths and weaknesses are likely to use

relationship surveys

A service firm that wants to identify the benefits and attributes that customers expect in a service is most likely to conduct

requirements research

Among the following terms, best describes entities whose core offering is a service.

service company

which of the following is a marketing implication that results from the heterogeneity of services?

service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employee and customer actions.

Customer interactions with the service firm are referred to as

service encounters

A firm that augments the scope of its existing service offerings by adding attributes that will allow it to reach new markets or new customers is implementing a

service line extension

Among the following terms, best describes the services offered for sale by entities whose core business is manufactured goods.

service product

The expanded marketing mix for services that includes the fundamental four P's (product, price, place, promotion) as well as people, physical evidence, and process is referred to as the

seven P's of service marketing

Short-term or temporary factors that influence how readily a customer will revise their expectations for adequate service are known as ____.

situational factors

Attempts to describe services using only words are subject to some specific challenges. For instance, the tendency of individuals to assume that their own personal experiences and degree of exposure to a service constitute "the norm" for all other service stakeholders means that _____ may be an issue in narrative descriptions of services.

subjectivity

The "cocreative" principle of service design suggests that

the perspectives of all stakeholders should be considered in the service design process.

Researchers use critical incident studies

to collect verbatim stories about memorable service encounters that customers have experienced in order to understand the factors and circumstances that contributed to their perceptions of (dis)satisfactory interactions.

Which among the following research instruments is most likely to be administered immediately following a particular transaction to capture "snapshots" of customer perceptions about key service encounters?

trailer calls

Statements made by parties other than the service provider that influence expectations for what the service will be like are referred to as _____.

word-of-mouth communications

The extent to which customers recognize and are willing to accept variation in service performance is called the ____________:

zone of tolerance