Module 6 (Chapter 13)

Select all that apply A business that experiences service delivery gaps can use which of the following methods to improve the quality of its service? (Check all that apply.) Provide incentives and support for service providers Implement self-service technologies Empower employees to work in the customer's best interest Ask each customer what level of service he or she expects when he or she enters the business

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

In delivery of a service, one of the most important early steps is addressing the knowledge gap, or the ability to understand ______. Multiple choice question. how to handle a service failure consumer expectations demand for the service costs and profitability

consumer expectations

A continuing dilemma for marketers of services is to understand buyers' __________, which means to understand in advance what they think will be delivered based on their previous experiences and knowledge.

expectation

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 ______. Multiple choice question. perishability heterogeneity inseparability intangibility

inseparability

Which of the following is NOT a method to reduce delivery gaps? Multiple choice question. Threaten to terminate employees Provide support and incentives Use technology to minimize errors Empower employees

Threaten to terminate employees

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

True

The Service Gaps Model can be very useful to improve the delivery of services. Match each of the following gaps with an example of that gap. + Knowledge + Standards + Delivery + Communication

+ Knowledge: Diners at a restaurant think the portions are too small, but the manager is unaware of this complaint. + Standards: Management believes that customers in a restaurant think the service is very slow, however, management allows servers to stand around and chat. + Delivery: A restaurant usually serves fresh bread made on the premises, but at the end of the day the ovens are shut down early and only cold loaves are available. + Communication: A restaurant advertises they are open for breakfast, but when guests arrive on Sunday morning, there is a sign on the door indicating they only open for brunch at 11:00.

******Which of the following products or services is considered perishable in the sense that it cannot be stockpiled? Multiple choice question. A package of gum A pair of shoes A dental exam A box of candles

A dental exam

Select all that apply What are some common problems caused by the use of technology in a service setting? (Choose every correct answer.) Customers dislike replacing humans with machines. Customers do not understand how to use the technology. The technology is less efficient than a human. The technology does not perform adequately.

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

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? Multiple choice question. Emotional Institutional Financial Instrumental

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 Reason: A service provider that does a good job one year is likely to keep customers satisfied the next year too.

Which of the following is most likely to lead to high levels of customer loyalty? Multiple choice question. High customer satisfaction ratings Low prices High levels of customer dissonance Intangible compensation for service failures

High customer satisfaction ratings

****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? Multiple choice question. Mary did not find a parking spot that was as close as she wanted to the store. Mary had trouble finding the coffee aisle because the signs were unclear. Mary had to wait a long time in the checkout line because the clerk kept making errors using the cash register. It took Mary a little longer to find what she needed since they recently remodeled the store.

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

Select all that apply Which of the following are characteristics that make marketing services different from product marketing? (Choose every correct answer.) Perishability Heterogeneity Profitability Intangibility

Perishability Heterogeneity Intangibility

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? Multiple choice question. Reliability Empathy Assurance Tangibles

Reliability Reason: The ability to perform a service dependably and accurately, including taking an order and delivering what the customer asked for, is an aspect of reliability, not empathy.

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. Multiple choice question. Knowledge Service Gaps Intangibility Service Recovery

Service Gaps

Which of the following characteristics is NOT one that distinguishes services from products? Multiple choice question. Inseparability Perishability Heterogeneity Intangibility Volatility

Volatility

Customer service is best represented by which of the following statements? Customer service ______. Multiple choice question. defines the task of marketing an intangible or primarily intangible item adds to marketing efforts by helping to meet the customers' needs and wants mandates that all customer needs must be met ensures that customers become lifelong customers

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. Multiple choice question. let them talk back to the customer encourage the employee not to be supportive avoid punishing them encourage the customer to be upset

avoid punishing them

Janet had to deal with a very difficult customer who wanted to be given complimentary services such as free flights and upgrades on future flights when he very vocally complained in the airport about delays and lost luggage. He screamed at Janet and was very offensive. Her supervisor made Janet feel a little better about the unsettling experience by offering ______ support and commending her on how she handled the difficult passenger. Multiple choice question. financial instrumental physical emotional

emotional

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. Multiple choice question. supported rewarded incentivized empowered

empowered

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. Multiple choice question. intangibility perishability price differential heterogeneity

heterogeneity Reason: The more humans involve for the activity, the higher the heterogeneity

The primary reason there is greater heterogeneity in services than in products is because ______. Multiple choice question. of unknown outcomes on the buyer's part cost inequities generate differences of the increasing use of technology in delivering services human inputs generate differences

human inputs generate differences

In addition to providing service employees with emotional and instrumental support, management should offer the staff ______ that reward them for providing customers with good service. Multiple choice question. better benefits pensions incentives more hours

incentives

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. Multiple choice question. infinite intangible inseparable perishable

inseparable

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. Multiple choice question. delivery knowledge standards communication

knowledge

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. Multiple choice question. standards knowledge communications delivery

knowledge

For the marketing manager to be able to deliver consistent quality service, it is imperative to set ______. Multiple choice question. high prices to impart high quality high employee-to-customer ratios measurable goals that are based on customer expectations general goals based on employee feedback

measurable goals that are based on customer expectations

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 ______. Multiple choice question. perishability intangibility infinity inseparability

perishability

Despite having to deal with difficult guests, the service provider can be motivated to provide "service with a smile" when the firm ______. Multiple choice question. does not deal with unruly customers and removes them from the service list provides frequent training programs for employees provides support and incentives to motivate quality service establishes a policy for the firm that the customer is NOT always right

provides support and incentives to motivate quality service

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. Multiple choice question. standards delivery communication knowledge

standards Reason: By setting appropriate service standards and measuring service performance, firms can attempt to close the standards gap.

The most fundamental difference between services and goods is that services are ______. Multiple choice question. homogeneous intangible cheaper incentives

intangible

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

intanginable

Which of the following situations best illustrates how a firm can offer employees emotional support and stand behind the employees' actions? Multiple choice question. At a picture framing store, employees are told to ignore unruly, dissatisfied customers and wait on other buyers first. At a dry cleaning store, employees are told not to charge unhappy customers but to enter their name on a "black list" of clients. At the return desk at a large home repair store, employees are taught not to accept any item that is no longer in an unopened package. At a copy center, part-time employees are encouraged to turn over any unhappy customer to the supervisor immediately.

At a copy center, part-time employees are encouraged to turn over any unhappy customer to the supervisor immediately.

What problem might occur if a grocery store decides to install self-checkout devices? Multiple choice question. The technology will lead to customers purchasing fewer items. The technology will be less accurate in counting money than human employees. The technology will be more expensive in the long run than paying human employees The technology will be too challenging for some customers.

The technology will be too challenging for some customers.

If the Americana Hotel has successfully closed the standards gap, the knowledge gap, and the delivery gap in providing customers with service, it is still necessary to close the __________ gap.

communication

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. Multiple choice question. standards knowledge communication delivery

communication

An effective method to assess customer service expectations is to analyze customer ______ behavior in which management is told by buyers what dissatisfies them. Multiple choice question. buying complaint loyalty exit

complaint

When a firm such as Ruth's Chris Steak House tells servers to "use your best judgment" in serving a customer who is not satisfied with his or her $40 steak, it is allowing the server to make decisions at the point of delivery. This is called _______.

empowerment

One of the problems in using customer complaint behavior to assess buyers' service expectations is that ______. Multiple choice question. it is very costly to collect and process given the value of the information it is extremely time consuming and is essentially dated by the time it is processed managers often are more concerned with resolving the complaint than analyzing the essence of the problem managers usually do not respond to customer complaints so there is no record of the information

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