Exam 13: Services: the Intangible Product

MoonRise Motel shows photos of a wide, sandy beach on its website, leading visitors to assume the motel is located on or near the beach. However, in reality MoonRise Motel is located half a mile from the beach. Which of the service quality gaps does this demonstrate?

One afternoon, the clerk at the customer service desk of a large retail store got bored and started stating different return policies to each customer. Customers waiting in line and overhearing the different policies would probably feel that the store's handling of returns lacked

Brenda works at a car repair center. On Tuesday she received a call from a distraught long-time customer, Stefan, who needed his car repaired quickly so he could take his son to college. After carefully listening to Stefan, Brenda made sure to address him by name as they worked out a plan. Which aspect of service quality is Brenda using in her response?

In training service providers, service quality goals should be generalized to allow for the various needs of consumers.

When there is a significant difference between the service customers receive and the service the firm promotes, the firm has a ________ gap.

Because customers have different needs and expectations, the key to distributive fairness in service recovery is to

Last month, the cable service was out at Frank's house for four days. When he called the cable company, they agreed to credit his next bill for a full week of service and gave him free access to a popular movie channel for the next six months. Frank felt this was adequate compensation for the inconvenience. What is this an example of?

The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, maintains its five-star rating by focusing on five service characteristics: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. Employees are instructed to always address a guest by name, if possible. To accomplish this, employees are trained to listen and observe carefully to determine a guest's name. Which service characteristic is this an example of?

Hollis was looking for a venue for her wedding reception. When she visited one potential location, she noticed that the landscaping was not complete, and there was stained carpet in the lobby. Which of the service quality building blocks caused Hollis to select an alternative venue?

When touring a historical home, you would expect to find knowledgeable guides who would give you information on the home's architecture, history, and collections. If you did not find any trained guides to assist you, then the historical home tour has what type of gap? Explain why you chose your answer.

When Miranda arrived at her hotel room and saw that the bed sheets had not been changed from the last hotel guest and there were cockroaches in the bathroom, she chose to go elsewhere. An undone, bug-infested room was not in Miranda's ________, which is the difference between what she really wants and what she will accept before looking for another hotel.

Name three ways a firm can evaluate service quality and give examples of each.

When Jessica checked in at the Hilton Hotel, it was 3 a.m. She had been traveling for over 10 hours and was exhausted. Her dress, which she needed for a presentation that morning, looked like she had slept in it. Miriam, the night clerk, offered to find a 24-hour dry cleaner and have the dress pressed while Jessica got a few hours of sleep. Miriam's actions are an example of

Carmine manages an upscale Italian restaurant in New York City. His restaurant offers a few specials each evening in addition to its regular menu. Carmine has trained his servers to report comments and requests for items that have previously been offered only as specials. Carmine would use this information to reduce the ________ gap in services marketing.

Derek arrived at the hotel to find that, although he had a guaranteed reservation, the hotel had no rooms available. He became angry when the hotel made him a reservation at a more expensive hotel and expected him to pay the difference in room rates. Derek was upset because, in his opinion, the hotel's solution did not incorporate

Airline passengers in Europe receive much greater monetary compensation when they are bumped due to overbooking than do passengers in the United States. How do airline passengers determine what is "fair" when there is a service failure?

A ________ gap reflects the difference between customers' expectations and the firm's perception of those customer expectations.

When the delivery of a service fails to meet customers' expectations, a ________ gap exists.

While Jessica would have liked to have cash back, she felt the customer service representative was fair when she allowed Jessica to return the shirt for store credit. This demonstrates the idea of procedural fairness.

US Bank uses a complex polling system coupled with a customer response measurement system to assess consumers' responses to new products and services. US Bank is using a(n)________ program to improve service quality and service offerings.