Services Marketing

Communication Mix &

Communication Strategies
 Need for coordination in
marketing communication
 A number of media sources are used
for service marketing
communication. Need is to ensure
that customers receive unified &
consistent messages & promises.
 Reasons for service
communication challenges
 discrepancies b/w service delivery &
external communications in the form
of exaggerated promises & the
absence of information about service
delivery aspects intended to serve
customers well can powerfully affect
consumer perceptions of service
quality.
 Inadequate management of service
promises
 Inadequate management of
customer expectations
 Inadequate customer education
 Inadequate internal marketing
communications
 Categories of strategies to
match service promises with
delivery
 MANAGE SERVICE PROMISES:
 Create effective service advertising
-provide clear information, use narratives
to demonstrate actual service experience,
focus on tangibles etc.
 Coordinate external communication-
advertising, websites, sales promotion,
public relations, personal selling, direct
marketing
 MANAGE CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS:
 Offer choices
 Create tiered-value service offerings-
service as per the specifications of
the consumer
 Communicate criteria & levels of
service effectiveness
 Negotiate unrealistic expectations
 IMPROVE CUSTOMER EDUCATION:
 Prepare customers for the service
process
 Confirm performance to standards &
expectations
 Clarify expectations after the sale
also
 Teach customers to avoid peak
demand periods & seek slow demand
 MANAGE INTERNAL MARKETING
COMMUNICATION:
 Create effective vertical
communication
 Create effective horizontal
communication
 Align back office & support personnel
with external customers
 Create cross functional teams