Introduction to services: Concepts, contribution and reasons for the growth of services sector, difference in goods and service in marketing, characteristics of services, concept of service marketing triangle, service marketing mix, GAP models of service quality.
Consumer behaviour in services: Search, Experience and Credence property, consumer expectation of services, two levels of expectation, Zone of tolerance, Factors influencing customer expectation of services.
Customer perception of services-Factors that influence customer perception of service, Service encounters, Customer satisfaction, Strategies for influencing customer perception.
Understanding customer expectation through market research: Key reasons for GAP 1,using marketing research to understand customer expectation, Types of service research, Buildingcustomer relationship through retention strategies –Relationship marketing, Evaluation ofcustomer relationships, Benefits of customer relationship, levels of retention strategies, Marketsegmentation-Basis & targeting in services.
Customer defined service standards: “Hard” & “Soft” standards, challenges of matching supply & demand in capacity, four common types of constraints facing services, optimum v/s maximum use of capacity, strategies for matching capacity & demand. Yield management-balancing capacity utilization, pricing. Waiting line strategies- four basic Waiting line strategies.
Leadership &Measurement system for market driven service performance-key reasons for GAP- 2service leadership- Creation of service vision and implementation, Service quality as profitstrategy, Role of service quality In offensive and defensive marketing.
Employee role in service designing: importance of service employee, Boundary spanning roles, Emotional labour, Source of conflict, Quality- productivity trade off, Strategies for closing GAP 3.
Customer’s role in service delivery-Importance of customer & customer’s role in servicedelivery, Strategies for enhancing-Customer participation, Delivery through intermediaries-Keyintermediaries for service delivery, Intermediary control strategies.
Role of marketing communication-Key reasons for GAP 4 involving communication, four categories of strategies to match service promises with delivery, Methodology to exceedcustomer expectation.
Pricing of services-Role of price and value in provider GAP 4, Role of non-monitory cost, Priceas an indicator of service quality –Approaches to pricing services, pricing strategies.
Physical evidence in services(6 Hours):
Types of service spaces- Role of service scapes, Frame work forunderstanding service scapes& its effect on behaviour-Guidance for physical evidence strategies.
Case Studies in Indian context only (6 hours)
Practical component: