Exam 13: Services: the Intangible Product

Rob was complaining to another member of the lawn crew,"I don't know how they expect me to do an adequate job.The mower doesn't work right,the trimmers are so dull they don't cut anything,and the rest of the equipment is so old we can't get parts." Rob's company lacks the __________ workers need to be able to do a good job.

Monique 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 Monique to select an alternative venue?

A systematic ____________ program collects customer inputs and integrates them into managerial decisions.

After observing a customer verbally abuse a server,the first thing a manager can do to ensure quality service is to

By setting appropriate service standards and measuring service performance,firms can attempt to close a __________ gap.

The Crystal Beach Resort has a five-star rating and wants to keep it that way.The resort has specific standards for service and has trained its employees to deliver service according to these standards,but even one unhappy customer could endanger the resort's reputation.What can the manager do to ensure that frontline employees offer consistent,excellent service to every visitor?

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

What does it mean to say that a service is perishable? Name three services that would be considered perishable.

Hilton Hotels trains its front desk employees to dress neatly and conservatively to project a professional image.This relates to the service dimension of tangibles.

The customers at Marielle's coffee shop want to grab a quick cup of coffee before boarding the commuter train into the city.The sign in the window promises "Quick,In-and-Out Service," and usually Marielle's keeps that promise.But one morning,customers were frustrated when the staff behind the counter showed more interest in gossiping about their social lives than in waiting on customers.Marielle's shop is suffering from a ________ gap.

Colin has been directed by his boss to determine if the company is meeting customers' service quality expectations.One of Colin's problems is that services are __________,making evaluation of service quality difficult.

When marketers state that services are __________,they are referring to the fact that services cannot be stored for use in the future.

If a firm promises more than it can deliver,

Today,almost every sales rep can immediately check the company's inventory and production schedule electronically.This allows sales reps to sell what is available and make promises to customers that they can keep.This technology has improved service delivery through

Students regularly seek out Professor Guillory to advise them.She has an exceptional manner,and students are confident in her and trust her advice.For these students,__________ is the most important of the five service quality dimensions.

Yolanda manages a Best Sleep Inn along an interstate highway.She knows from experience that 5 to 10 last-minute customers will call after 8 p.m.each evening looking for a room and asking the price.Yolanda has empowered her staff to offer discounts when the motel is largely vacant,and to quote the standard price when the motel is close to full.She knows her service is __________,meaning that if no one stays in the room,it generates no revenue that evening.

Online reviews of the Paradise Motel by its customers indicate that the motel offered stale food,it advertised babysitting services that were not readily available,and had an assistant manager with a poor attitude.If you were the new manager of the Paradise Motel,how would you use the five dimensions of service quality to identify and correct the problems?

Name a profession in which it might be considered unethical to market one's services.Explain why.

The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs,Colorado,maintains its five-star rating by focusing on five service characteristics: reliability,responsiveness,assurance,empathy,and tangibles.The hotel has been updating rooms built in the early part of the 20th century to meet the needs of 21st-century visitors.To accomplish this,it spent millions in improvements,renovating rooms,and adding a new outdoor pool complex.These renovations focus on the ______ service characteristic.

One professor was known for never teaching the same course the same way twice.Which difference between a product and a service does this represent? How could the professor use this to his or her advantage?