BAS 282: Marketing Services: SmartBook

A framework is used to understand the differences between customers' perceptions of a service outcome and customers' initial expectations in the ______ Gaps Model.

Service

Service failure occurs when ______.

a customer's perceptions of a service fall below his or her expectations to a degree that leads to customer dissatisfaction

The delivery of services is ______ process; the production of goods is ______ process.

a heterogeneous; a homogeneous

Service quality is ______.

a measurement activity of how good a service experience is or was

For a service failure to occur, there has to be ______.

a significant expectation-perception mismatch

When measuring service quality, the measurement of the excellence of a service uses an objective measure based on ______.

a universally agreed upon standard

Service failure happens when ______.

the perceived quality of the service encounter is negative.

Jennifer had to walk to work because her train never arrived. This experience shows the inseparability of train service because both ______ and Jennifer must be ______ for the service to happen.

the train conductor; present

If a company wants to have an upward flow of information, what is a particularly powerful and helpful question to ask customers after their service experience?

"What could we have done better?"

From the following list, select all of the examples of services.

* A massage * A bus ride

From the following list, select the four gaps in the Service Gaps Model.

* Communication * Design and Standards * Delivery * Knowledge

Select all of the following methods that can help companies manage the knowledge gap.

* Conducting better marketing research * Encouraging an upward flow of information for customers * Following up with customers after their service experiences

From the following list, select all of the items that are aspects of service failure.

* It can be caused by a variety of factors. * The customer sees the service quality as negative. * It means the service experience did not go as planned.

Select all of the statements below that are accurate statements concerning the communications gap.

* It is important that companies never underpromise. * It is important that companies never over-promise.

Which of these products represents a service due to its heterogeneity?

Haircuts

When managing the communications gap, companies should integrate ______ communications and messages across all ______ touchpoints, and manage them centrally.

brand; customer

Customer service is a ______ activity; service quality is ______ activity.

business; a measurement

Alyssa goes to a medical facility for an operation, and she finds that the doctors and staff know a great deal about the procedure and are very confident that everything will go well. This demonstrates the dimension of ______.

assurance

The design and standards gap is the gap between the service design and standards and the service __________.

delivery

The difference between what the company thinks the customer expects and how it actually provides the service is called the __________ gap.

delivery

The difference between actual customer expectations and the company's perception of customer expectations is called the __________ gap.

knowledge

The difference between actual customer expectations and the company's perception of customer expectations is called the ___________ gap.

knowledge

The low service quality at Haruki's firm is resulting in ______ revenue. This impact on the firm seems directly correlated with the ______ word of mouth she has been seeing online.

lost; bad

If you look at the tangibility spectrum, you will find that ______.

most market offerings lie somewhere along the spectrum

A well-run company realizes that dissatisfied customers create an opportunity to ______.

overdeliver

Steven is starting a new company and wants to make sure he manages the delivery gap effectively. First, he should devise a plan based on strategic decisions. Next, he needs to connect service design and standards to customer needs and company ______. Finally, he needs to monitor and control the company's ______ in an effort to match them with their service goals.

positioning; physical components

To manage the design and standards gap, companies should use the ______ element of the marketing mix to increase or decrease demand.

price

If a company's problem concerns perceptions, the company should adjust its ______. If a company problem concerns expectations, the company should most likely adjust its ______.

service design and execution; communications

When customer perceptions of a service fall below expectations to a degree that leads to customer dissatisfaction, ______ occurs.

service failure

Unlike goods, services tend to be ______.

tangible

The perishability of services prevents them from being ______.

used again and again

Services have __________, meaning they have no physical substance and thus cannot be touched, stored, or possessed like goods.

intangibility

Match each dimension for evaluating service quality with the correct definition.

* Reliability: The ability to perform a service dependably, accurately, and on time * Assurance: The knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence * Tangibles: The appearance of facilities, equipment, and personnel * Empathy: The provision of caring, individualized attention to customers * Responsiveness: The willingness to help customers and provide prompt service

Select the five dimensions for rating service quality from the following list.

* Tangibles * Empathy * Responsiveness * Assurance * Realiability

Select all of the following answers that are common causes of service failure.

* Unanticipated external circumstances * Other customers * Company fault

Which of the following examples would most likely be considered a service mismatch rather than a service failure?

A manicurist spills a drop of nail polish on your finger and has to wipe it off.

Which of the following is most important with regard to fixing the company's problem?

Aligning customer expectations and perceptions

Which of the following service experiences would a person most likely remember?

Buying a product from a rude salesperson

Place each characteristic in the correct category.

Characteristics of Goods * Can be touched * Mass produced * Stored for long periods Characteristics of Services * Not physical * Changes each time it is sold * Production and consumption happen at the same time

Which of the following is an accurate statement about services?

Production and consumption happen at the same time.

Classify each example as a service failure or a service mismatch.

Service Failure * A caterer forgets to bring the $2,000 cake to a wedding. * A mechanic forgets to reinstall the brake pads, leading to an accident. Service Mismatch * A plumber leaves a dirty paper towel on the counter next to the sink. * A cook serves soup that is only lukewarm.

After his property was surveyed, Bill decided he was very pleased with the surveyor, and he found the survey report to be of good quality. Which measurement of service quality was Bill using in this case?

Technical

Which example demonstrates the best way to fix a company's problem that has to do with customer expectations?

The company adjusts its advertising so it doesn't overpromise a product.

Which of the following would most likely cause the delivery gap to negatively impact service quality?

The company doesn't understand what the customer wants.

Companies often use the saying "______" as a general guideline for fixing a customer's problem.

The customer is always right

Which of the following contributes to a service's heterogeneity?

The interaction between a customer and service provider

Which of the following is the goal of service recovery?

To turn a customer's dissatisfaction into satisfaction

Which of the following is the most important aspect of service recovery?

Whether the customer is satisfied or dissatisfied

The goal of developing a marketing strategy around the four criteria of the Service Gaps Model is to manage the gap between the customer's ______ and ______.

expectations; perceptions

Stanislav had a great time at the beach resort. Due to the perishability of the experience, however, he is disappointed that ______.

he cannot repeat the same experience twice

The quality that services possess in which they are inherently variable because they cannot be mass-produced is called __________.

heterogeneity

Service production and consumption is a dynamic activity that occurs in real time between the organization and the customer, which means they have the unique quality of __________.

inseparability

A measurement of how good a service experience is or was is called service ___________.

quality

The five dimensions of evaluating service quality form the acronym RATER, which stands for ______.

reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness