Deck 14: Integrated Service Marketing Communications

Question 1

What other strategies can you add to the four offered in the section on customer education? What types of education do you expect from service firms? Give an example of a firm from which you have received adequate education. What firm has not provided you with adequate education?

Answer 1

In service industry, customers must understand and play their roles effectively for proper execution of the services. For this purpose, the service providing firms incorporate education strategies for educating their customers.
For this purpose organization might adopt the following strategies:
• Educate the customers about pros and cons of a using product or service, in advance.
• Provide education for using interactive websites.
• Educate them about health and safety measures.
Service firms can provide the following educations to its customers:
• Customer's role in effective utilization of services
• Benefits and drawbacks of the services
• Service processes
• Value added services
• Customized services and its importance
• Importance of using eco-friendly products.
The service firms can educate its customers to provide them better experience. Sometimes, it is also helpful in saving the customer from hazardous effects.
For example, a doctor must communicate all the precautions needed to be taken by a patient after recovery. If he fails to do so, the patient may suffer its consequences.
Therefore, proper communication regarding every aspects of a service must be delivered to the customers.

Question 2

Think of another service company that provides integrated service marketing communications. Go to the service company's website and find the section where it posts its advertising and communication. Is the company's campaign as comprehensive and as integrated as Hotels.com's campaign, as described in the opening vignette? Why or why not? What should be added, changed, or deleted to improve the campaign?

Answer 2

The campaign for a travel company is not as comprehensive as that of company H.
Modifications that should be made to make campaign more integrated are as follows:
• The design of the website should be made impressive.
• The tabs should be clear.
• The rates for the each category of the customer should be fair.
• The discounts offered must be highlighted.
• Providing a facility for the account or profile creation.
• The hotels, resorts, and flights list should include all the available types.
• The location details must be provided with the maps.

Question 3

Go to the Google website and select the tab called "Business Solutions." This is the section of the site that describes the types of advertising that Google offers. Do the same thing for YouTube (you must go to "Company Information" and then to "Advertising"). Review these types of advertising, and describe the benefits and disadvantages of each. If you were an advertiser, which of these types of ads would you want to use? Why?

Answer 3

not answer

Question 4

Which of the key reasons for the communication gap (provider gap 4) discussed in the beginning of this chapter is the easiest to address in a company? Which is the hardest to address? Why?

Question 5

Find five effective service advertisements in newspapers and magazines. According to the criteria given in this chapter, identify why they are effective. Critique them using the list of criteria, and discuss ways they could be improved.

Question 6

Review the five general strategies for achieving integrated service marketing Communications.
Would all these strategies be relevant in goods firms? Which would be most critical in goods firms? Which would be most critical in service firms? Are there any differences between those most critical in goods firms and those most critical in service firms?

Question 7

What are the most effective Internet advertisements you have seen? Why are they effective?

Question 8

Using the section on managing customer expectations, put yourself in the position of your professor, who must reduce the amount of "service" provided to the students in your class. Give an example of each strategy in this context. Which of the strategies would work best with you (the student) in managing your expectations? Why?

Question 9

Why are social marketing media like Facebook and YouTube so important in service firms? Are they important in product firms?

Question 10

What other strategies can you suggest for leveraging consumer-generated media?