Mini-Case -Hotel Flowchart and Blueprint. One of the ways that services marketers try to understand, manage, and control the service encounter experience is to use flowcharts (they’re also called blueprints). In services flowcharts, there is a delineation between what a customer sees (e.g., a car valet) and what the company needs to do to make that part of the service encounter as flawless as possible (e.g., it needs to have a sufficient number of valets who are well trained to be polite and good drivers, plentiful nearby parking). Each part of the service encounter is described in steps that unfold or flow over time to simulate the process of the customer experience. It’s important for the customer service team to understand that the customer is evaluating the brand every step of the way. Each step along the customer journey is described in layers—some are visible to the customer, or are actions that occur “on stage,” and other services and actions occur “behind the scenes.” The figure depicts the steps, left to right, and the layers, top to bottom, for a customer going to a hotel (the figure is based on Scheuing and Christopher’s Service Quality Handbook). Question: -Brand managers of services often complain that their job seems more difficult than being a brand manager for, say, a sneaker. How does the flowchart support their claims? What must the marketer pay attention to? -For quality assurances, what performance indicators would you measure, at each step in the process (left to right) and in which layers (top to bottom) to track what is working well versus what needs to be streamlined in the process? -By comparison, how much of manufacturing goods, say a box of cookies, occurs “on stage,” that is, visible to the customer?

Principles Of Marketing

17th Edition

ISBN:9780134492513

Author:Kotler, Philip, Armstrong, Gary (gary M.)

Publisher:Kotler, Philip, Armstrong, Gary (gary M.)

Chapter1: Marketing: Creating Customer Value And Engagement

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1.1DQ

See similar textbooks

Related questions

Question

Mini-Case -Hotel Flowchart and Blueprint. One of the ways that services marketers try to understand, manage, and control the service encounter experience is to use flowcharts (they’re also called blueprints). In services flowcharts, there is a delineation between what a customer sees (e.g., a car valet) and what the company needs to do to make that part of the service encounter as flawless as possible (e.g., it needs to have a sufficient number of valets who are well trained to be polite and good drivers, plentiful nearby parking). Each part of the service encounter is described in steps that unfold or flow over time to simulate the process of the customer experience. It’s important for the customer service team to understand that the customer is evaluating the brand every step of the way. Each step along the customer journey is described in layers—some are visible to the customer, or are actions that occur “on stage,” and other services and actions occur “behind the scenes.” The figure depicts the steps, left to right, and the layers, top to bottom, for a customer going to a hotel (the figure is based on Scheuing and Christopher’s Service Quality Handbook). Question: -Brand managers of services often complain that their job seems more difficult than being a brand manager for, say, a sneaker. How does the flowchart support their claims? What must the marketer pay attention to? -For quality assurances, what performance indicators would you measure, at each step in the process (left to right) and in which layers (top to bottom) to track what is working well versus what needs to be streamlined in the process? -By comparison, how much of manufacturing goods, say a box of cookies, occurs “on stage,” that is, visible to the customer?

Customer
(On Stage)
Contact Person
Support
(Back Stage)
Hotel
Exterior
Parking
Arrive
at
Hotel
Cart for
Bags
Give Bags
to
Bellperson
Greet and
Take
Bags
Desk
Elevators
Registration Hallways
Room
Lobby
Key
Check in
Process
Registration
Registration
System
Go to
Room
Take Bags
to Room
Cart for
Bags
Receive
Bags
Deliver
Bags
Room
Amenities
Bath
Sleep and
Shower
Menu
Call
Room
Service
Take
Food
Order
Prepare
Food
Delivery
Tray, Food
Appearance
Receive
Food
Deliver
Food
Bill
Desk
Lobby
Parking
Check out
and
Leave
Process
Check Out
Registration
System

Expert Solution

Introduction

Because services are intangible, consumers cannot touch or see them before making a purchase. As a result, customers are unsure of the services' quality and feel like taking a chance. Customers cannot conceptualize and assess a service beforehand. From the seller's perspective, it is difficult to promote, oversee quality, and choose how much to charge for the service.