SERVICES MARKETINGCHAPTER 6

DEVELOPING SERVICE COMMUNICATION MIX

HIGHLIGHTS

• Communication mix

• Guidelines for developing service communication mix

• Special considerations for professional services

OUTCOME

• Understand the unique nature of services marketing communication

• Developing services communication mix

• Importance of service provider & customer interaction in fostering effective marketing communication

COMMUNICATION MIX

• An array of communication tools available to marketers which includes:

1. Personal selling

2. Media advertising

3. PR

4. Sales promotion

DEVELOPING THE COMMUNICATION MIX

1. Defining communication objectives

2. Dividing communication objectives & target audiences

DEFINING COMMUNICATIONS

OBJECTIVES• Relates directly to the service offering’s stage in

the product life-cycle

COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES &

TARGET AUDIENCES1. Targeting nonusers

2. Targeting users

TARGETING NONUSERS

• Choice of channel is reduced to media ads, personal selling & PR

• Degree of targeting, which one to use more

▫ Ex: new services, go all out. Established ones, need to be more targeted

TARGETING USERS

• Concentrates on internal channel (staff) & enhanced by external channels

• Type 1, Type 2 & Type 3 staff

TARGETING USERS

• Type 1: deal with customers quickly & effectively in “once only” situations where large number of customers are present

TARGETING USERS

• Type 2: deal with numerous, often repeat customers in restricted interactions

TARGETING USERS

• Type 3: have a more highly developed communication skills because of more extended & complex interactions

COMMUNICATION MIX & CONSUMER

BEHAVIOR1. Pre-consumption stage

2. Consumption stage

3. Post-consumption stage

PRE-CONSUMPTION STAGE

• Financial consequences

• Social consequences

• Performance consequences

• Rational mathematician model

CONSUMPTION & POST –CONSUMPTION

STAGES• Consumption

▫ An active process, communicating efficiency

▫ Increase performance

• Post-consumption

▫ Induce positive word-of-mouth

▫ Expectation, testimonials

SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF SERVICE

COMMUNICATION MIX• Mistargeted communications

• Managing expectations

• Advertising to employees (Internal marketing)

• Selling/operation conflicts

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING SERVICE

COMMUNICATION1. Develop word-of-mouth communications

network

2. Promise what is possible

3. Make tangible the intangible

4. Feature the working relationship between customer & provider

5. Reduce customer fears about variations in performance

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING SERVICE

COMMUNICATION MIX6. Determine & focus on relevant service quality

dimensions (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibility)

7. Service differentiation

8. Make it easier to understand

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS1. Third-party accountability

2. Client uncertainty

3. Experience is essential

4. Limited differentiability

5. Maintaining quality control

6. Turning doers into sellers

7. Marketing Vs. Operations

8. Be proactive rather than reactive

9. Effects of ads are unknown

10. Limited marketing knowledge

Tutorial Activity

1. Define “word-of-mouth” (WOM)2. Give 3 examples of positive & negative WOMs3. Using real world examples, describe how

positive & negative WOMs affect a:I. Sports teamII. BankIII. Charity organizationIV. Fast-food restaurant chainV. Theme parkVI. Government agency

THANK YOU

Q&A