Question 1

________ refer(s) to logos, symbols, characters, and slogans that service providers use in order to make the service and its key benefits more tangible.

Accepted Answer

Brand elements refer to the visual and auditory cues that a company uses to create brand recognition and enhance its overall brand image. These elements can include logos, slogans, packaging, and other visual elements. By using consistent brand elements, companies can make their services more tangible and memorable to customers, which can help to build brand loyalty and increase overall brand equity.

Question 2

Service quality depends on who provides them, when and where they are provided, and to whom they are provided. Thus, services are highly ________.

Accepted Answer

Service quality can vary depending on the person providing the service, the time and location of the service, and the recipient of the service. This makes services highly variable.

Question 3

The private nonprofit sector is a provider of services.

Accepted Answer

The private nonprofit sector includes organizations that provide services such as healthcare, education, social services, and other community-based initiatives.

Question 4

The Caesar Park Hotel generally caters to business customers during the week, but has now decided to promote mini-vacation weekends for non-business customers as well. What is the Caesar Park Hotel trying to do?

Accepted Answer

The Caesar Park Hotel is trying to attract non-business customers by promoting mini-vacation weekends, which indicates a focus on cultivating non-peak demand.

Question 5

Cocktail lounges in restaurants are examples of ________.

Accepted Answer

Cocktail lounges in restaurants are complementary services that are provided to customers to enhance their dining experience. The restaurant provides the lounge as an additional service to attract customers and increase revenue.

Question 6

A service results in ownership on the part of the client.

Accepted Answer

Services are intangible and do not result in ownership for the client. The client may use the service, but they do not own it.

Question 7

Which of the following will help a service provider overcome the limits imposed by the inseparability of services?

Accepted Answer

Inseparability of services means that services are produced and consumed simultaneously. By working with larger customer groups, a service provider can serve more customers at the same time, thus overcoming the limitations of inseparability.

Question 8

Which of the following steps will help service firms to increase their quality control?

Accepted Answer

Standardizing the service-performance process can help service firms to increase their quality control by ensuring consistency and reliability in the delivery of the service. This can reduce the likelihood of errors or variations in service quality. Providing complementary services, giving personnel authority, adopting differential pricing, and cultivating nonpeak demand may also have some impact on quality control, but they are not direct measures to address quality control issues.

Question 9

In order to map out the service process, the points of customer contact, and the evidence of service from the customer's point of view, service firms should develop a ________.

Accepted Answer

Service firms should develop a service blueprint in order to map out the service process, the points of customer contact, and the evidence of service from the customer's point of view. A service blueprint is a diagram or flowchart that outlines the various components of a service and their interactions, showing the customer experience from beginning to end. It helps firms identify potential problems and areas for improvement in their service delivery.

Question 10

Jake had an appointment at the doctor's office, but couldn't make it on time due to traffic. By the time he arrived, the doctor had already begun with the next patient. This illustrates the ________ of services.

Accepted Answer

Perishability refers to the fact that services cannot be stored or saved for later use. In this scenario, Jake missed his appointment and therefore the service (the doctor's time and attention) could not be used or rescheduled for a later time by him.

Question 11

Kaya, a chain of skin clinics, requests each new visitor to fill in their own details on a printed form. This is a step in ________.

Accepted Answer

By requesting visitors to fill in their own details, Kaya is increasing consumer participation in its services, which can also help to gather important data for future marketing efforts.

Question 12

A service is essentially intangible.

Accepted Answer

A service cannot be touched or seen. It is something that is experienced or perceived by the customer.

Question 13

The fact that services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously is known as the ________ aspect of services.

Accepted Answer

The inseparability aspect of services means that they are typically produced and consumed simultaneously, making it difficult to separate the creation and delivery of the service from the customer's experience of receiving it.

Question 14

The production of a service is never tied to a physical product.

Accepted Answer

Many services are indeed tied to physical products. For example, the service of repairing a car is tied to the physical product of the car itself.

Question 15

Walmart has decided to hire extra clerks during the holiday season. It is said to be ________.

Accepted Answer

By hiring extra clerks during the holiday season, Walmart is matching its supply (number of employees) with the expected increase in demand. This helps ensure that customers have a positive shopping experience and can find the products they are looking for in a timely manner.

Question 16

In which of the following cases is a service provider trying to increase nonpeak demand?

Accepted Answer

Promoting breakfast service is an attempt to increase nonpeak demand as breakfast is typically a nonpeak mealtime compared to lunch and dinner.

Question 17

A travel agency offers weekend discounts for car rentals. What can be deduced from this?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the travel agency is offering weekend discounts for car rentals indicates that it is using differential pricing, where prices are adjusted based on the demand and utilization of the service during different times of the week.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a complementary service?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an example...

Question 19

Which of the following is true regarding services?

Accepted Answer

Provider-client interaction is a special feature of services marketing. Services are intangible and cannot be seen, tasted, or touched before they are consumed. Therefore, service providers need to create a positive interaction with their clients and build trust to ensure customer satisfaction. This interaction between the provider and the client is a key aspect of services marketing.

Question 20

When a theater sells matinee movie tickets at low prices, it aims to shift some demand from the peak to the off-peak period. What is the strategy that the theater is said to be adopting?

Accepted Answer

The theater is using differential pricing by setting lower prices for matinee shows to shift demand from peak to off-peak periods.

Quiz 14: Designing and Managing Services