Exam 4: Customer Expectations of Service

Companies that ask customers about their service expectations raise the customers' levels of expectations.

Consumers have _____ desired service levels and _____ adequate service levels for different firms within a service category (e.g., Domino's Pizza, Little Caesar's Pizza, Papa John's and Pizza Hut within the pizza restaurant category).

A customer's perceived service alternatives are a source of desired expectations.

Which of the following statements about what a service marketer can do if its customers have unrealistic expectations is true?

Last week, Ramona bought a 6-month membership package at Bally's Jack LaLanne Fitness Center. She plans to exercise at Bally's four days a week by participating in an aerobics class, using the nautilus equipment and having a personal trainer. By the time her 6-month membership expires, Ramona hopes to lose 20 pounds, tone and strengthen her muscles, improve her cardiovascular fitness and look and feel more attractive. Ramona's expectations for her health and physical appearance reflect her _____ level of service for Bally's Jack LaLanne Fitness Center.

Kershawn recently had a visit with his dermatologist. Rather than show her the malformed mole on his arm, he expected the physician to find it. When she didn't see it, he claimed she was a poorly-trained doctor. Kershown's service expectation was influenced by:

A day after Thania had an oil leak in her car repaired at a local service station, she noticed an oil spot under the front of her car. She called the station, told the manager that her car was still leaking oil and brought the car back to the station later that day to have it repaired again. When Thania returned to the service station to have her car repaired a second time, she had a _____ zone of tolerance and _____ expectations than the first time she had her car repaired.

A wildcat strike by garbage collectors in a large metropolitan city during prime tourist season will most likely cause tourists to cut short their visit and have a poor image of the city. The wildcat garbage strike is an example of a:

Kelly dined in a family-style restaurant in Mobile, Alabama, shortly after a hurricane had brushed the coastal area. The server apologized because there were no iced drinks available. The water supply had been contaminated by the storm's high tides. The water system was fine now, but after repairing other minor damages, the workers had not yet had a chance to clean the ice machine. Kelly, a long-time resident of Mobile, understood that _____ meant she would need to modify her service expectations.

Which dimension of services best explains the existence of zones of tolerance?

Lynette said all she expected from the day care at the gym she belonged to was to get her children back at the end of an hour and learn the police had not been called because of something they did. She uses this particular gym because the day care will let her unruly children stay even though it provides only the nominal supervision. Lynette has _____ expectations about the day care.

For the last three months, Gina has been on a diet, but once a week she splurges and orders at her favorite restaurant one slice of the most fantastic chocolate pie she has ever eaten. It is her reward for eating healthy all week. Gina felt her whole week was ruined one day when she got to the restaurant and discovered there was no pie. Gina's expectation that the restaurant will always have a piece of chocolate pie for her is an example of a:

Zones of tolerance are a source of desired expectations.

Based on her experience as a waitress, Belle believes that a server in a restaurant should keep the customers' drink glasses full. When she goes to a restaurant where she has to ask to have her drink glass refilled, she automatically assumes that the restaurant has bad service. What is the concept that describes her attitude about the proper conduct for the servers?

Lillie worked as a caterer when she was in college. She was highly critical of the caterer and its staff that her parents selected for their 50^th anniversary party. Lillie's attitude about how a caterer should act reflects her:

Explicit service promises are defined as any non-personal, paid-for communication between the customer and the seller.

Jack and Luke used the same mechanic to fix their cars. Both were unhappy with recent repairs. Luke who complained because his car was improperly repaired will have a ______ level of adequate service and a _____ zone of tolerance than Jack who did not complain about how poorly his car was running after the mechanic put in new spark plugs and did other maintenance.

When Maria woke up this morning, she felt terrible. She had a headache, sore throat and upset stomach. She called her doctor's office, explained her condition to the receptionist and asked if she could make an appointment to see the doctor as soon as possible that day since she was going on vacation tomorrow. Maria's expectation to see her doctor the same day she became sick resulted from a:

As the date of her baby's birth comes nearer, Devon becomes increasingly more concerned about how the delivery room staff will treat her significant other. As the service dimension of responsiveness becomes more important over time, Devon's:

When Allyn and Baylee received the catalog from the antique auction, they assumed the auction would be of the highest quality antiques because the 32-page catalog was filled with attractive color photos on slick high-quality paper and cost $2.50 to mail. Categorize this catalog as a source of Allyn's and Baylee's desired and predicted service expectations.