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Service Encyclopedia of Lovely Professional University

Submitted To:-

Ms. Gaganjeet

HOD, Lovely School Of Business

Submitted By:-

Ahmad Mustafa

Reg. No.10811688

Roll No. R1801A16

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S. No.

Topic Page No.

1. Executive Summary; introduction 3-6 2. Service marketing environment 7-11 3. Service segmentation 12-13 4. Customer requirements 14 5. Customer expectations 15 6. Quality concerns 16-17 7. Integrated gaps model of service quality 18 8. Service recovery strategy 20 9. Service blueprint 21 10. Positioning mapping 22-23 11. Services cape 24 12. Employer & customer role 25-26 13. IMS-services 27 14. Pricing 28 15. Delivery via intermediaries 29 16. Managing waiting lines 30 17. Conclusion 30 18. References 30

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Executive summary

From the day of Adam and Eve, education has a great role in the human life. Most of people

have interests in continuing higher education, but only few in India achieve it. Recent reforms in

Indian education sector by Mr. Kapil Sibal has made mandatory to provide primary education to

all children and had made tie-up with overseas universities for research and development

practices. New generation has interest in technical and management fields. They are joining

MBA, B.Tech. B.SC. etc

In India so many universities and institutes are available which provide higher education to the

students. IIM’s, IIT’s, NIT’s are best institutes of management and engineering courses. There

are so many private players who are interested in the education field for the investment purpose.

There are so many foreign universities who entered in Indian education sector because the Indian

education sector has so many potential. The Lovely Professional University is provided services

i.e. education both in technical and professional medium. The LPU provides different courses.

The university provides regular and distance based courses to the students. In this project, I have

tried my level best to prepare the service encyclopedia of Lovely Professional University by

going through various strategies to benefit its students. I have added the marketing environment,

customer requirements and expectations; quality concerns; service recovery strategies; drafted

the position mapping and blueprint of LPU. I have also designed the servicescape of it. Lovely

Professional University is known by its services, that is why its students have higher

expectations from it. So in my project, I have also added the customer expectations. I have also

added pricing used by Lovely Professional University for its various courses. Also its various

intermediaries are included in my project (No direct intermediary but vendors help in support

services). How Lovely manages its waiting lines are also discussed in my project. LPU has a

well-managed website (www.lpu.in) and UMS (University Management System) whereby it

makes people (parents, students, potential students) aware that what is offered in LPU, what are

the current events organized, information regarding admission, about LPU, academics, campus

life, student services, contact details, scholarships, distance education, international affairs and

placements. UMS system makes students updated like announcements, assignments and

attendance. As the varsity has started this strategy to make LPU paperless campus.

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Introduction

With education increasingly becoming the primary determinant of overall development in the

emerging knowledge economy, it becomes interesting for students, teachers, and all those who

are concerned. With a huge no. of schools, colleges and universities across India, they provide

information on various career courses, important educational institutes like IITs, IIMs, JNU, DU

and other MBA colleges. Keeping in mind the needs of the working professionals there is online

education and different distance-learning courses. The education loan has made it easier for those

who were intelligent and god gifted to continue their higher education at best institutes of India

and abroad as well.

Lovely Group

The Lovely Group is a widely recognized corporate house of the northern region of India whose

name is strongly associated with quality delivery in each enterprise undertaken by it. Needless to

say it has achieved resounding success in all its ventures including professional education. The

brand ‘Lovely ’symbolizes excellence and instills faith and confidence among millions of people

in India and abroad since 1961. ‘Lovely’ has come to represent initiative, reliability, transparency

& professionalism of high order.

Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar is a private semi-residential university created

under state government private university act. LPU is the largest private university in India in

terms of potential student intake, and is situated on 600 acres of green area on NH-1 at the entry

of Jalandhar city. The university currently has 24,000 students from 23 states and 5 countries and

over 150 programs. It is recognized by UGC under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956. It is a

residential university with separate hostels for both boys and girls housing more than 10,000

residents. It is branded for promotion as a "global university with boasting distinctive strengths

in education and entrepreneurship", and imparts education through more than 150 Diploma,

Graduate, Post Graduate and Doctorate programmes it offers in various disciplines like

Management, Engineering Hotel Management, Computer Application, Architecture, Design,

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Commerce, Fashion Technology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Paramedical Sciences,

Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Education, Physical Education, Films, Animation,

Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Sciences, Arts & Languages etc.

Lovely Professional University has recently tied with various International Universities

for twinning programs and International Exposure Programs. Also strict discipline is maintained

on campus: students are not allowed to leave without written permission from parents, and wear

a very fashionable and elegant uniform on all weekdays. AC and non-AC facilities with different

fees are available in hostels depending on student need.

LPU has grown phenomenally from its humble infancy as a management and IT institute. Its

extraordinary progress is a symbol of the growth and potential of modern India. LPU has

emerged as a global university with boasting distinctive strengths in education and

entrepreneurship. As a platform for excellence in teaching, learning& administration, state-of-

the-art information technology is extensively used in LPU, contributing to the development of

well trained graduates, post graduates and doctorates to meet the professional manpower needs

of not just India but the world. Education at LPU is a holistic one, aimed at developing the

intellectual and personal strengths of our students. Nurturing creativity and innovation through

challenging project work, participative learning and providing an environment conducive to

sparking ideas and imagination. The LPU experience takes place both within and outside the

classroom.

With no walls’ educational environment, disciplinary boundaries at LPU are porous, with

learning across faculties and disciplines highly encouraged. LPU has an excellent track record of

launching its students into successful career paths. Our student support services can talk to you

even before you become a student of LPU; help you while you are a student, perhaps with advice

about how to access study support, or ideas on how to make the most of your time at the

university; and give guidance on job -seeking once you are about to complete your professional

education.

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Lovely Professional University is India’s Largest University* acclaimed for academic

excellence:-

o range of programme offerings

o inspiring the quality and breadth of its academic programmes

o research initiatives

o creative work

o world class pedagogy

o international standards

o creating avenues for students display to their creativity

o honing the leadership skills

o providing a range of career choices

o nurturing faculty

o providing support needed in achieving career goals

o Ranked top by reputed magazines and newspapers.

o More than 150 diploma, undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes

offered on a single campus.

There is an innovative integration of inter-disciplinary streams on offer in Management, Hotel

Management, Computer Application, Engineering, Architecture, Design, Commerce, Fashion

Technology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Paramedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology,

Biochemistry, Education, Physical Education, Films, Animation, Fine Arts, Performing Arts,

Sciences, Arts & Languages etc. * In terms of students on a single campus

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Service marketing environment

Ours Ours Ours Ours is a service economy and has been for some time.is a service economy and has been for some time.is a service economy and has been for some time.is a service economy and has been for some time.

------K. Albrecht and B. Zemke

The physical service environment plays an important role in shaping the service experience and

delivering customer satisfaction. Rather it is an important component of LPU’s overall value

proposition.

The Marketing Environment.

What is the marketing environment?

We know that marketing environment surrounds and impacts on any organization. There are

three key perspectives on the marketing environment, namely the 'macro-environment,' the

'micro-environment' and the 'internal environment'.

The micro-environment

For Lovely Professional University the micro-environment factor influencing it would be its

students. So LPU have to make its system efficient in order to have a good relationship with its

students.

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The macro-environment

This includes all factors that can influence and organization, but that are out of their direct

control. There may be aggressive competition and rivalry in a market. The wider environment

is also ever changing, and the marketer (LPU) needs to compensate for changes in culture,

politics, economics and technology. Political factor is always influencing for an organization. If

Lovely goes against certain laws then the political factors would be coming into play. Also it

has to follow the UGC norms which would have its direct impact on its recognition.

The internal environment.

All factors that are internal to the organization are known as the 'internal environment'. They

are generally audited by applying the 'Five Ms' which are Men, Money, Machinery, Materials

and Markets. Lovely being a name in itself has come a long way. Its growth of students is

increasing day by day. So there would be a direct impact on the facilities which it provides to

its students. It has to provide its best facilities to its students otherwise the students protests

would be there to have a bad impact on the Lovely.

Lovely Professional University is India’s Largest University* acclaimed for academic excellence

o range of programme offerings

o inspiring the quality and breadth of its academic programmes

o research initiatives

o creative work

o world class pedagogy

o international standards

o creating avenues for students display to their creativity

o honing the leadership skills

o providing a range of career choices

o nurturing faculty

o providing support needed in achieving career goals

o Ranked top by reputed magazines and newspapers.

o More than 150 diploma, undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes offered

on a single campus.

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o There is an innovative integration of inter-disciplinary streams on offer in Management, Hotel

Management, Computer Application, Engineering, Architecture, Design, Commerce, Fashion

Technology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Paramedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology,

Biochemistry, Education, Physical Education, Films, Animation, Fine Arts, Performing Arts,

Sciences, Arts & Languages etc. * In terms of students on a single campus

MARKETING MIX

PRODUCT

Education: Lovely Professional University offers undergraduate and postgraduate full time and

part time courses. They specialize in the fields like Management, Engineering Hotel

Management, Computer Application, Architecture, Design, Commerce, Fashion Technology,

Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Paramedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry,

Education, Physical Education, Films, Animation, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Sciences, Arts &

Languages etc.

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Hostel Facility

Lovely is known for its best hostel facilities. It has separate hostels for boys and girls, with gym

facilities and mess of best qualities. The university also offers hostel facilities for both boys and

girls. The separate facilities for boys and girls, caring wardens and a tight security ensure a

pleasant stay allowing students to focus on their academics.

Communication and entertainment:

Whilst internet access and STD facilities ensure close contact with family and friends outside,

the common rooms are fully equipped with TV, indoor games and other recreation facilities

Cafeteria: There are also food courts available inside the university which offers different

varieties of food and beverages. Other services which are offered by the university are foreign

tours, gymnasium etc.

Medical Facilities: better medical facilities are provided to the students who are ill.

Book shop: lovely has in its campus a book shop which provides the students all kinds of books.

PLACE: It refers to the place where the customers can buy the service and how the service

reaches out to that place. A university should always be at a place where there are all facilities

available for the students. Lovely Professional University is situated in the main G.T. road in the

outskirts of the Jalandhar city. Thus providing it a different look. Transport facilities are easily

accessible to its students as it is situated in the main G.T.road.

PRICE: The University has opted for premium pricing strategy. The courses which are offers in

the university are priced somewhat similar as compared to other universities operating in the

north India LPU has kept the fee structure for its courses fixed As it provides almost 172

courses, these courses are having different fee structure.

PROMOTION: It includes the various ways of communicating to the customers of what the

company has to offer. It is about communicating about the benefits of using a particular product

or service rather than just talking about its features. The university has been actively involved in

its promotion strategies. The university has been using both print and media advertisements to

promote its university among the masses of people. LPU is nowadays being seen in every

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promotional activity. Its ads are seen during cricket matches, news, MTV. It also uses FM as a

source of media. Also its ads are seen on internet. We can say that LPU uses almost every source

of media for its promotional activities.

PEOPLE: An essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and

people. Recruiting the right staff and training them appropriately in the delivery of their service

is essential if the organization wants to obtain a form of competitive advantage. Consumers make

judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with. The

people with delivering the services of LPU are teaching and non teaching staff. The teachers are

of good qualifications and faculty is core strength of LPU in private universities in India.

PROCESS: The Lovely Professional University uses high defined processes to deliver the

services to the students. The classes are held in hygienic rooms. Lovely University focuses on

highly practical teaching and the courses are designed as per the industry needs and evolved

through constant interaction with leading professionals. The curriculum of the University

emphasizes on developing analytical skills, communication, and problem solving and team work

abilities, apart from imparting theoretical knowledge. Activities like case studies, industry

projects, presentations, research work and role-play are an integral part along with studies at

Lovely. Its process for admission mainly follows

• Counselling of students

• Course fee deposits

• Confirm the admission

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE:

Where is the service being delivered? Physical Evidence is the element of the service mix which

allows the consumer again to make judgments on the organization. If you walk into a restaurant

your expectations are of a clean, friendly environment. On an aircraft if you travel first class you

expect enough room to be able to lie down!

Lovely Professional University is situated in lush green area about 15 kms from Jalandhar. The

campus is spread in 600 ACRES largest area compared to any other private university in India.

Lovely has the most hi-tech campus with WIFI. Lovely Professional University provides

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separate accommodation facilities for boys and girls. An on-campus 2 Banks and ATM’s has

also been provided. The Library of LPU is equipped with books, periodicals, national and

international journals, CD-ROMS, covering all aspects of academic studies and research

material.

Service segmentation

Who Who Who Who areareareare our our our our customers customers customers customers and and and and how how how how should should should should we we we we relate relate relate relate to to to to themthemthemthem....

Here the aim of my study would be that what the different attributes are on the basis of which

LPU divides their populations into different segments. It will include segmentation on the basis

of market research which guides the marketers to define the attributes that make markets,

prospects and customers unique. Segmentation model output is used to define and predict the

success levels of sales & marketing initiatives, providing the supporting metrics to ensure the

efficiency of each initiative.

Since education in present world has become the basic necessity of every successful individual.

So the main differential aspect is the disposable income present in the pockets of target

prospects. Still the easy availability of education loan also propels the management of LPU to go

for intensive promotions of its programs to be run at the main campus. As the target customers of

LPU are both the parents and their children, so the segmentation would be two-focused strategy

whereby parents would be identified and guided properly as per their expectations.

To cater the overall north India LPU has set many offices say at Delhi and Jammu and Srinagar

as well so that more and more students get admitted. The infrastructure of LPU is now famous

and also in process all over North India in particular and all over India in general.

All the states of India are targeted as the mission of LPU is “to be the international university in

2020”.

Segmentation in a right fashion makes the way for profitable marketing. This helps policy

planners in formulating and innovative the policies and at the same time also simplifies the task

of university professionals while formulating and innovating the strategic decision. Lovely

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Professional University provides quality education to its students. So segmentation is done on

different students for different courses.

The following criterion makes the segmentation right.

Depends upon the course segmentation: - segmentation depends upon the course . the

university has charged price according to the different courses. There are so many courses

provided by university. Each course has its own price. Mainly management and technical

courses fees are high as compare to the other courses.

Time period segmentation: - The University is providing different courses and every course has

different time period for the completion of the course. for example MBA is completed in two

years, and MCA completed in three years.

Price charge-basis segmentation: - The University is providing two types of courses. First is

regular basis and second is distance basis. The fees are high of regular course as compare to

correspondence course. The students are select course according to their choice.

Profession segmentation: - In the profession segment, we find different categories of

professions and therefore we find a change in their needs and requirements. As shown in the

below figure.

The technocrats, bureaucrats, corporate executives, intellects, white-collar and blue collar

employees have different needs and requirements and therefore the university organizations

should know their expectations

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Customer requirements and Expectations

All the discussion below would be based on the in-depth interview with classmates; friends and

other students and faculty members as well. The main customers of LPU are its students and

faculty becomes the service delivery people. The pre-requisites of students are:

1. Highly skilled and experienced faculty

2. Good infra-structure

3. High IT enabled features

4. Practical curriculum for academics and extra-curriculum activities

5. Good placement

6. Updated content of syllabi.

7. Flexible timing of classes as per courses

8. All types of courses

Customers for Lovely Professional University are its students. Students always choose a better

university in order to fulfill their requirements so that they can achieve their goals. They always

are in a need of quality education. The requirements for the Lovely students are quality education

which is only possible if better faculty is there. Other requirements are good learning

environment, better facilities for co curricular activities, hygienic mess facilities, good

infrastructure, Wi-Fi connectivity, a good central library where there is a good learning

environment.

Customer Expectation: - customer expectations are beliefs about service delivery that function

as standards or reference points against which performance is judged.

Ideal expectation from university: - The students have ideal expectation from the university

regarding their services. The students expected that everything is happened in right time. The

university provide full documentation reports to the students. Because students want everything

about their course. Students want to get a good job after complete the course.

Acceptable Expectation: - The students expect from the university service in an adequate

manner. It means that student want the service as procedure wise and time wise.

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Minimum tolerable expectations: - The fees of courses are less than the other university. Most

of students expected fees according their expectation.

Customer expectations are always important for a service provider. He has to take great care of

the expectations for his customers. As Lovely is a big name in itself, so the expectations of the

students are always high. Students expect to get better placements. Transparency in results. To

provide its students better learning environment.

Quality concerns

Not everything that counts can be counted , Not everything that counts can be counted , Not everything that counts can be counted , Not everything that counts can be counted , and not everything and not everything and not everything and not everything

that can be counted counts. that can be counted counts. that can be counted counts. that can be counted counts. ----------------Albert Einstein

Quality is the most cherished goal in any human endeavour and especially in the field of

education. But there is lack of agreement about what quality actually is. It is a relative term and

hard to define and even more difficult to measure. That is why no two educators or experts come

to same conclusion while discussing what makes good quality education or a qualitative

institution. The quality of teaching is very much linked to the University’s reputation and brand,

which is of strategic importance and, if damaged, could be very difficult to recover. It is

therefore appropriate that the university should be aware of the arrangements for teaching quality

assurance and enhancement, and review those arrangements from time to time.

The quality concerns are, our fees continued to increase. The university is still under construction

so it sometimes plays a disturbing factor for students. The placements are not up to the mark,

students are always disappointed by this factor. The faculty here are inexperienced which is a

great quality concern.

General dimensions students and their parents use to evaluate service quality includes:

1. Credibility i.e. trustworthiness and honesty of LPU in education system. Does LPU has

good reputation, does LPU uses aggressive selling of services, or Is LPU UGC and

AICTE approved. These factors are of utmost importance.

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2. Security i.e. freedom form danger, risk. Is the location/ campus safe for me, how well is

management involved in security concerns and what about the drugs used as Punjab is

famous for liquor.

3. Access i.e. approachability and ease to contact. How easy is it for a student to register a

complaint/request. Since LPU has best online system i.e. UMS (University Management

System) where each student can log request (RMS) on relationship management system.

What about the road and rail connectivity. Since LPU is situated on NH-1 from Jalandar

to Delhi and nearby is the Chehru railway station. Also airport are in Chandigarh and

Amritsar just 4 and 2 hrs. distance from campus.

4. Communication i.e. listening to students and the medium of language used in classes as

the students are mostly from every corner of India and foreigners s well, so is the

language understandable by the students.

5. Tangibles i.e. appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personal and communication

materials. Are the department blocks attractive and is the seating arrangement

comfortable. Are the security guards dressed properly and what about faculty members

and dress code. Are ATMs available and is there any bank branch. In LPU we have three

banks i.e. PNB, OBC and SBOP.

6. Reliability i.e. ability to perform as promised. LPU is best in setting policies, procedures

and the curriculum for all courses. Updated subjects are taught and practical exposure is

given through industrial visits and guest lectures. What about the student feed back/

7. Responsiveness i.e. willing to help students. Here LPU is the best I have ever seen in my

life. Teachers are courteous and friendly and do every thing for the benefit of student.

8. Competence i.e. possession of skilled faculty and knowledgeable to perform theservice

better. Since LPU is in its initial stage, every where under construction buildings are seen

and the faculty joining are from IITs, IIMs and reputed institutes of india and foreign

staff as well.

9. Assurance i.e employee nature which is I think the best.

10. Empathy i.e. individual attention is given to every student, no biasness and transparent

marking, attendance and lectures are delivered.

All the above information was the outcome of in-depth interview with students of LPU and

questions were asked as per SERVQUAL scale with above points highlighted.

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INTEGRATED GAP MODEL OF SERVICE QUALITY

The 7 service quality gaps are:-

1. The knowledge gap i.e. here LPU should understand the students expectation like best

faculty, updated syllabi, proper equipment’s, transparent system, best practical labs and

availability of inputs for processes/assignments to complete. LPU is getting feedback

sessions and the best way is to converge those suggestions into action plan if possible and

feasible, turn information into action.

2. The standards gap i.e. Here LPU is taking serious actions. It allows most intelligent

students to come and discuss the problems/opportunities, and then these are taken under

consideration. Also LPU is giving priority to those tasks which rank top in quality

concerns. LPU should ensure that employees understand and accept goals and priorities.

Reward employees for attaining quality goals which is lacking in LPU yet. Means service

standards are set and communicated to all.

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3. The delivery gap i.e. here LPU should ensure that whether service performance meets

standards or not. Train employees, take special lectures from senior and best faculty or

outsource the training part. Build team work and treat students as partial employees. Ms.

Rashmi Mittal (madam) takes herself special lectures to meet students, discuss with them

and takes appropriate actions. All deans of schools also do the same task to be more

student-oriented.

4. Internal communication gap i.e. LPU should communicate only those promises which

are realistic. Like the best hostel facility, infra structure, faculty, yet faculty is not upto

mark. But no doubt fee structure is comparatively low and affordable due to mass no. of

students getting admission and thus cost gets disseminated in all.

5. Perception gap i.e. difference between what is delivered and what is received. This can

be overcome by taking positive feed back and keeping best faculty with updated course

content.

6. Interpretation gap i.e. what promised and what student thinks was promised. This can

be overcome by proper and detailed information about various aspects of LPU and its

services. Just presently LPU CAD employees are giving new students a round to the

respective department, meets with the existing students and aware them about the real

picture.

7. The service gap i.e. what students expect to receive and there perception of service that

Is delivered. Say students expect placement with good package (3-4 lac/annum) but in

actual it doesn’t happen. Here the fault may be in student personality or the placement

cell. As per my information LPU placement cell employees are working leaps and bounds

to ensure that each student gets placed from campus placement drive. Unfortunately some

students may not get placed and also the %age in final term is also a concern.

The challenge for LPU is here to deliver satisfactory outcomes to its students in ways that

are cost-effective for LPU. If students are not satisfied with the services of LPU, they will

create problem for future admissions through bad word of mouth which is most prevalent

in education sector. So LPU must satisfy its existing students at any cost.

For LPU management value, quality and productivity are all of great concern as they

relate directly to an organizations profitability and survival in the competitive marketplace

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SERVICE RECOVERY STRATEGIES

Complaining about something is the person’s way to saying, “I need your help.” How you and

your colleagues handle that expression of unhappiness will have a lot to do with whether the

patient chooses to remain loyal, or will seek care elsewhere. Unresolved complaints can result in

a negative word of mouth, adverse publicity and malpractice suits. Service recovery skills help

you respond to complaints with greater ease and in a way that helps you preserve and even

improve the relationship

Lovely University too have adopted service recovery strategies like the corrections in the

students UMS record, if any student does have a problem in its attendance, it is corrected

immediately. Also the uniform has been exempted. The university is now changing the fee

structure.

The three steps involved here are make it easy for students to give feedback; enable

effective service recovery; and establish appropriate compensation levels.

Keeping in mind the existing competition in market, LPU has announced scholarship schemes

for students from2009 onwards. When existing students complained for there requirement, they

were also included in this scheme and availed the cash prizes.

Every now and then, every department is involved in handling RMS complaints properly. It is

mandatory from every employee (concerned) to do immediate action on the issue.

For the benefit of students, a mobile van (ambulance) is availed 24/7 hrs. and thus maintains

physical health of students. A good campus clinic is also run in campus.

Since when 2009-2011 admissions were showing low figures as compared to 2008-1010, LPU

felt great need to reduce the fee and avail other facilities to the students.

In 2008 some dispute between hostel students and LPU management happened on the issue of

fee hike, and some mis-conduct of security officials with some students, the live recovery system

of LPU was worth to see. How effectively LPU covers up all in no time with fewer rumors in

market. Feedback sessions in every semester are mandatory to know the depth of faculty

approach and students perception towards service quality availed/used.

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Services Blueprinting

Services blueprinting is a very versatile technique that can be used for both innovation and

services improvement. Companies are able to put themselves in their customers’ shoes to find

out what is working, what is not and what needs to be changed. Blueprinting may well be the

best method for measuring service success for your company.

� Injects the customer’s experience and point of view

� Helps address the challenges of delivering intangible services

� Brings cross-unit and cross-functional teams together

� Provides a common understanding of what services your company offers

Please see the new file for service blueprint of LPU…….in Pdf format

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Position mapping

ToToToTo succeed succeed succeed succeed in in in in our our our our over over over over communicatedcommunicatedcommunicatedcommunicated society, a company must society, a company must society, a company must society, a company must

create create create create aaaa position position position position inininin the the the the prospect’sprospect’sprospect’sprospect’s mind,mind,mind,mind, aaaa position position position position the the the the takes takes takes takes

into consideration into consideration into consideration into consideration not only a company’s own strength and not only a company’s own strength and not only a company’s own strength and not only a company’s own strength and

weakness, weakness, weakness, weakness, butbutbutbut those ofthose ofthose ofthose of itsitsitsits competitorscompetitorscompetitorscompetitors as well.as well.as well.as well. A. Ries & J. Trout

Services can be classified into one of three operational positions: cost efficiency, service quality,

and customization. Cost efficiency is an operational approach for a service that emphasizes

industrialization procedures to reduce capital investment, labour, and operating costs.

Customization is an operational approach where the service is designed to meet a customer’s

particular need. Service quality is an operational approach that emphasizes a superior level of

service quality. The design of the service operation will vary depending on which position the

firm wishes to emphasize.

The service firms have the option of positioning its services ant any of these operational

positions. A useful tool for managers is the position map. Let’s analyze the position map of

Lovely Professional University.

Lovely Professional University is a large scale private university. There is no funding from

ministry of HRD, Govt. of India. The students are only source of revenues. The university offers

a large number of courses at a very high price. Therefore, the university has placed itself more

towards differentiation than focus.

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Market positioning strategy can be followed through 3 steps viz. market analysis, internal

analysis, and competitor analysis.

Perceptual mapping “MAP” can be used to represent consumers perception towards LPU

services graphically. As shown beow.

So lovely has positioned well in the minds of people (specifically North India). With the start-up

of LPU the admissions went like ever fast and this also helps in positioning good image in the

minds of parents and potential students as well. Huge no. of students and the placement record,

no admission, no donation for professional courses and overall the best location in Punjab with

every facility at hands distance. Every input was most important for the present name and fame.

I pray LPU to flourish all well, touch the horizons of sky and will continue to suggest in future

being Ex-student of LPU, but by heart I am proud to be Lovelian .

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Servicescape

Servicescape is a concept that was developed by Booms and Bitner to emphasize the impact of

the physical environment in which a service process takes place. If you were to try to describe

the differences a customer encountered when entering a branch of say like McDonald's compared

with a small family restaurant, the concept of services capes may prove useful. Booms and

Bitner defined a services cape as "the environment in which the service is assembled and in

which the seller and customer interact, combined with tangible commodities that facilitate

performance or communication of the service"

Lovely Professional University has drafted its service scape in such a manner that it is

convenient for both the students and faculty. It has made its environment fascinating; the entry

from the main gate gives a wonderful view about the university. Different departments with

concrete buildings make it an important in itself. Every department with its own parking

facilities. Better infrastructure development, InfoTech department, cafeterias etc provides a

significant image to it. Feedback sessions are regularly being provided and better strategies for

student’s welfare are being improvised time and again.

DESIGNING SERVICESCAPE

The service environment (or servicescape) consists of four dimensions.

� The physical facility

� The location

� Ambient conditions

� Interpersonal conditions

The physical facility: The campus is spread in 600 ACRES, the largest areas compared to any

other private university in India. Lovely has the most hi-tech campus with WIFI. There are many

buildings where services are delivered to the students.

The location: Lovely University Punjab is situated in lush green area about 15 kms from

Jalandhar. The main hub of NRI’s.

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Ambient conditions: Lovely has well furnished rooms with audio visual medias in order to

make the services better. Interpersonal conditions: The persons which are responsible for

delivery of services to students are important components of service environment. The service

personal at Lovely University are really committed to provide best services for the students and

guardians. They ensure that the services delivered by the university should make students

delighted so that they will achieve their goals in an efficient manner.

EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER ROLE IN

THE SERVICE DELIVERY

Employees of LPU are essentially contact point for studEmployees of LPU are essentially contact point for studEmployees of LPU are essentially contact point for studEmployees of LPU are essentially contact point for students in service. ents in service. ents in service. ents in service.

The role customers can play in services delivery is that of contributor to their own satisfaction

and the ultimate quality of the services they receive. Customers may not care that they have

increased the productivity of the organization through their participation, but they probably do

care a great deal about whether their needs are fulfilled. Effective customer participation can

increase the likelihood that needs are met and that the benefits the customer is seeking are

actually attained.

Here we would like to refer to Mr. Dennis Harting who says "What is the most valuable asset

that a company has? Is it the name, customers, goodwill, physical resources, or product line? The

answer is that it is none of these. A company's most valuable resource is its' employees. Any

organization will go only as far as the people who are driving it. In fact, a company is really just

a group of people who interact for a common purpose. They are the ones who make up the

organization.

Employees also become important for a service. A very good example can be of a university

which is well reputed amongst students. The quality of most universities is judged by the calibre

of the teachers that are teaching there. When a student interacts with a professor, he has positive

emotions about the university only when he feels that the teacher is knowledgeable and

understanding and has complete control over his subject. We can say that one reason, among

others, LPU is thought to be better than other universities is due to the perception that its faculty

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contains more industry exposure than anybody else, hence having better educational quality than

others.

Aim: -.The aim of the university is provide the quality of the services. The employees of

university have aim that they provide better service as compare to others. The employees can

deliver all information regarding the university forward quickly. The employees of university

work on accurate time which is beneficial for the university as well as students of the university,

they can give hundred percent results.

Method: The University chose to be the research object. Its decentralized organization which

focuses on the interplay between strong departments, highly-trained specialists and efficient

support functions is useful to this research. Through face-to-face interaction with university

chancellor, a holistic view of the situation in university will be showed, additionally, detail

information can be digging out.

Result & Conclusions: The university recruits the right people, provides effective and sufficient

training and needed support systems, retain the best people. As a result, this research indicates

with the service culture which establishes deeply inside the organization. The important of

people on delivering service quality. And then by choosing the right people, training them,

supporting them, and retaining them as a serious of human resources strategies, the service

quality is delivered.

Contribution of the students: The contribution of this study is to show how importance of

students in service quality delivery by complementing a framework which is integrated service

culture and human resource strategies.

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INTEGRATING SERVICES MARKETING

COMMUNICATION

Integrated Marketing Communications is a term used to describe a holistic approach to

marketing communication. It aims to ensure consistency of message and the complementary use

of media. The concept includes online and offline marketing channels. Online marketing

channels include any e-marketing campaigns or programs, from search engine

optimization (SEO), pay-per-click, and affiliate, and email, banner to latest web related channels

for webinar, blog, micro-blogging, RSS, podcast, and Internet TV. Offline marketing channels

are traditional print (newspaper, magazine), mail order, public relations, industry relations,

billboard, radio, and television. A company develops its integrated marketing communication

programme using all the elements of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion).

Lovely Professional University makes its students aware by using various types of channels. For

its own students it has designed UMS which is University Management System. Every kind of

information i.e. regarding exams, time table, attendance, marks, CRM, any function organizing

by the university. Students always remain up-to-date by this UMS.

For the external environment, Lovely has made its brand image strong by reinforcing all its

images and messages. Its positioning, identity and images are coordinated across all venues in

India. It means that its PR materials say the same things which the advertising has same feel and

look as websites.

Lovely Professional University is using both online and offline marketing channels for its

information. The university has communicated with the people through the various channels. It

uses internet, T.V, print media for its integrating communication, and broachers. These channels

through university can easily communicate with the people. The television and radio, news paper

is more beneficial for the university. The people easily aware through these communicate

channels. Its message is effective and consistent among media platforms. Its ads get greater

attention because of the depth of the appeal. That is why it has maintained good public relations.

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PRICING OF SERVICES

The university can charge fees according to service which are provided by university. The

university charges price of services according to regular basis course and distance learning

courses. Every course has different charges. It depends upon its nature like management and

technical course. The university charges fee semester basis, when semester is over than it again

charge the next semester fees. All courses have different fees. This fee has already accumulated

all the cost of the services.

To determine an effective pricing strategy, LPU has to have good understanding of its costs, the

value created for customers (students) and competitor pricing. What are the costs involved in

hiring faculty, providing facilities of AC; LCD; water; Library; Computer lab; electricity supply;

additional courses etc. every process involved should be analyzed and added in the cost file and

accordingly set price of its courses.

Pricing strategy must address the central issue of what price to charge for selling a given unit of

service at a particular time.

E.g. LPU offers following prices for the courses given:

BBA-----3 YEARS-----Rs 24500/ SEMESTER

BBA-MBA---5 YEARS-----Rs 24500/ SEMESTER

BBA-IT-----3 YEARS---------Rs 24500/ SEMESTER

MBA -----2 YEARS---Rs 74500/ SEMESTER

MBA-IT----2 YEARS ----Rs 54500/ SEMESTER

MBA-TOURISM & HOSPITAALITY----2 YEARS ----Rs 54500/ SEMESTER

MBA-HONORS-----2 YEARS ----Rs 94500/ SEMESTER—

for further details ---visit: http://www.lpu.in/show_programs.aspx?discipline=Management

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at the last what matters is how should prices be communicated to the target markets? And the

answer lies in the hands of management. They have the choice to announce prices in

advertisement, or can give details in the prospects or over the website (www.lpu.in/) . it is

essential to relate the prices with costs while highlighting the various services provided with the

scene of current students and classroom videos. Pricing of courses ought to be communicated

intelligibly and unambiguously.

DELIVERING SERVICE THROUGH

INTERMEDIARIES

Think Think Think Think globally, act globally, act globally, act globally, act locally.locally.locally.locally.----------------------------------------------------------------J. NaisbittJ. NaisbittJ. NaisbittJ. Naisbitt

An intermediary is a third party that offers intermediation services between two trading

parties. The intermediary acts as a conduit for goods or services offered by a supplier to a

consumer. Typically the intermediary offers some added value to the transaction that may not

be possible by direct trading. Common usage includes the financial services industry where

financial advisers offer intermediation services in the supply of financial products such as

mortgage, insurance and investment products. In barter, an intermediary is a person or group

who stores valuables in trade until they are needed, parties to the barter or others have space

available to take delivery of them and store them, or until other conditions are met. In a larger

sense, an intermediary can be a person or organization who or which facilitates a contract

between two other parties. The university uses only some of the intermediaries like

• Electronic channels

• Agents at different places

• Local centers

Other cost effective delegation of certain tasks include security to G4S company. Many

vendors are availing support services to LPU like cafeteria owners, campus café,

constructors, PSU banks to avail banking services to students and faculty in the concern

that fee deposits and employee salary is given through bank account.

Franchising is not yet available and thus all operations are done under same campus roof.

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MANAGING WAITING LINE

Lovely Professional University knows the importance of their students taking admission for

various courses offered by the university so they always provide better service and facility to

their student. They know if students have to wait for a long time in admission process or during

paying of fee then they won’t be able to have positive impact on the mind of their target

customer i.e. Students.

So in order to manner waiting a line LPU has setup various counters for admission and fee

process at regular places which will not result in customer dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Lovely Professional University within no time has reached to greater heights with its new,

innovative technologies which make its services more reliable for its students. With time

changing it is making all its services more convenient so that the students may get better of it. It

has made the paper work less with most of services being provided to the students online. It is

nowadays being most preferred in the Northern India. But there are always some loop holes in

every service. So LPU is now focusing on winning the hearts of the students by making their

studies more flexible with no more uniform, attendance evaluation, from the next year.

References

1. services marketing by kennith clow

2. services marketing by Christopher Lovelock

3. services marketing by zithmell

4. http://172.19.2.250/lpuums/frmCampusItemSearch.aspx

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_system

6. Inferences from lecture notes of respected Madam (Gaganjeet Mam)

7. http://www.lpu.in/show_programs.aspx?discipline=Management