BA 370- Chapter 13

An airline employee is able to make a decision at the moment of assigning a passenger a seat at the gate when it is obvious the flier is in a wheel chair. The firm has ______ the employee by allowing him to move the passenger to first-class seating.

empowered

The marketing manager needs to communicate with customers and employees on an ongoing basis in order to understand buyers' expectations and to reduce the ______ gap.

knowledge

One of the problems in using customer complaint behavior to assess buyers' service expectations is that ______.

managers often are more concerned with resolving the complaint than analyzing the essence of the problem

For the marketing manager to be able to deliver consistent quality service, it is imperative to set ______.

measurable goals that are based on customer expectations

A business that experiences service delivery gaps can use which of the following methods to improve the quality of its service?

- Provide incentives and support for service providers - Implement self-service technologies - Empower employees to work in the customer's best interest

Which statements about dealing with service failures are true?

-The proper approach can create a somewhat positive outcome from a negative experience. -The company should find a way to involve customers in the actual resolution process. -Teamwork between the company and customers usually gives the best result.

Which of the following products or services is considered perishable in the sense that it cannot be stockpiled?

A dental exam

Lisa is a manager at a customer service call center for a footwear manufacturer. One of the customer service representatives, Mark, is upset because he just finished a call in which the customer berated him for the poor quality of a pair of shoes. Mark is worried that he may be punished for offering the customer a refund and a 20% discount on her next pair of shoes, but Lisa reassures him that he made the right decision and tells a few jokes to get his spirits up. What type of support has Lisa provided?

Emotional

True or False: Service providers that have high customer satisfaction ratings this year are unlikely to achieve the same level of satisfaction next year.

False

Which of the following are characteristics that make marketing services different from product marketing?

Heterogeneity Intangibility Perishability

Which of the following are benefits that a service provider receives from engaging in effective service recovery?

Increased purchase intention Improved word of mouth

Joe owns a large retail company and wants to find out more about his customers' service expectations. Which one of the following is the best way for Joe to gain this insight?

Joe needs to engage in structured market research on his industry and brand.

Mary went to the local supermarket, where she shopped regularly, to purchase her groceries for the week. Which of the following was a delivery gap that resulted in a service failure by the grocery store?

Mary had to wait a long time in the checkout line because the clerk kept making errors using the cash register.

Lilly went to the Yummy Fork for lunch, and when her food arrived, it was not what she ordered. She later posted a negative comment about the Yummy Fork on a blog. Which one of the five service dimensions was used by Lilly to determine she did not like the service by the Yummy Fork?

Reliability

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

Jane has multiple managers at her retail job. It is company policy that customers cannot return items without a receipt, but sometimes managers will allow customers to receive store credit for their returns. One day a customer was irate that Jane would not allow a return for store credit because the manager on duty adhered to the company policy. The customer wrote a complaint about Jane to the corporate office. What needs to change about this situation?

The support that managers provide must be consistent and coherent throughout the organization.

What are some common problems caused by the use of technology in a service setting?

The technology does not perform adequately. Customers do not understand how to use the technology. Customers dislike replacing humans with machines.

True or False: Delivery gaps always result in a service failure.

True

True or False: To assess service quality, it is necessary to understand both customers' perceptions and their expectations.

True

In the context of the Service Gaps Model, which of the following should the management do to bridge the knowledge gap?

Use marketing metrics such as service quality and the zone of tolerance

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

An important element of offering emotional support to employees is to ______ when they have been empowered to make decisions in dealing with the customer.

avoid punishing them

In addition to empowering and rewarding service providers, as well as offering instrumental support, service managers are advised to ______.

be consistent and predictable in their support

Ryanair advertised the lowest rates in Europe with fares of $12 between Paris and Munich. However, when Bill arrived at the airport, he had to pay $28 in taxes, $25 for one small carry-on bag, $6 for a non-alcoholic beverage, and $2.50 to use the restroom on the plane. Between Ryanair and the customer there is a ______ gap.

communication

An effective method to assess customer service expectations is to analyze customer ______ behavior in which management is told by buyers what dissatisfies them.

complaint

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

consumer expectations

Service quality is defined as ______.

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

A restaurant is facing a problem in service delivery on a night when there are twice as many customers dining as usual. An integral part of recovery of the service dilemma is to provide both distributive and procedural ____ , in resolving the delays in getting all customers served.

fairness

When a hotel has a service delivery problem such as a broken air conditioning system on a very hot weekend, one critical element of service recovery is to ______.

find a solution that seems fair to all customers

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

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

One of the basic ways in which services differ from products is that production and consumption are ______ from each other. Consequently, service providers often include options for the customer to become more involved in the production of the service, which usually results in greater customer satisfaction.

inseparable

Services are ______, which means that they cannot be touched, tasted, or seen.

intangible

The most fundamental difference between services and goods is that services are ______.

intangible

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

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

Despite having to deal with difficult guests, the service provider can be motivated to provide "service with a smile" when the firm ______.

provides support and incentives to motivate quality service

Poor service delivery can be converted into a positive interaction through service ______ an effort that resolves the problem fairly and shows the buyer that the firm is listening to the complaint.

recovery

Firms are able to gain a better understanding of customers' service expectations by using quantitative and qualitative market ______ which can be extensive and expensive.

research

Customer______ , refers to human or mechanical activities undertaken by firms to help satisfy their customers' needs and wants.

service

McDonald's has a policy that, in addition to ketchup, mustard, and onions, all burgers must have two pickles. This contributes to efforts to reduce the ______ gap and provide measurable service quality based on expectations.

standards