The good service. Important factor for the consolidation of an organization and the well-being of society.
It is true that most of the time that we think of a product, we associate this with a tangible good. But it is also important to establish that in service companies the product is the service that is provided. Furthermore, let us remember that with the service there is a direct interrelation between a company and its most important part: the customer. This article, therefore, will show some characteristics of service companies and how they are of utmost importance in today's marketing.
SOME ASSUMPTIONS
It is worth remembering that a service is any act that one person offers to another, intangible and that its production may be linked to that of a physical good. For example, when acquiring a car, it is expected that the after-sales service (repair, maintenance, help, advice, guarantee, etc.) is the best and thus be able to feel a lot of security that translates into higher sales for the company, by motivating the customer not only with the excellence of the product but with the service that accompanies it.
Likewise, the services have some characteristics that affect the design of the marketing programs that are going to be implemented. The first is intangibility, that is, it cannot be appreciated or felt. It is when we enter a restaurant and we do not know how they will treat us or when we go to the doctor and we do not predict what results will be given. Therefore, it is necessary to demonstrate the quality of the service to be provided, through promotions that encourage its use.
A second characteristic is inseparability, the basis of which is that both customer and supplier are part of the provision of the service and that the attitude or disposition of each one will affect the way in which the interaction develops. If we go to a hairdresser and our trusted stylist cannot be found, then we will go later or if we enter a clothing store and no one attends us, we will immediately leave.
Variability is also found, derived from who, when and where the service is provided. It is not the same to be operated by the best eye doctor in the country in the best clinic in the city than by a recent graduate and in a hospital that is in financial crisis. Therefore, it is important to determine the quality of the service to be requested and it is essential in companies to train the personnel who will be in charge of providing it to fully satisfy the consumer.
The fourth characteristic is the impermeability since, as is logical a service cannot be stored, its provision is immediate.
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Service features |
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| * Intangibility | * Inseparability |
| * Variability |
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Production companies have always used marketing as a fundamental part of their development. Now the turn is for the service companies that cannot be left behind in that sense. There is therefore an external marketing where the price is assigned, prepared, distributed and the service is promoted to customers. It is when we enter a bank and see the physical facilities, the existing lines and we come in contact with an ATM.
On the other hand, there is internal marketing where the induction process is highlighted and employees are trained and motivated to serve customers well.
If the service is the best, more customers will be interested in accessing the companies that provide it.
Entering another topic, within the same context, service companies face three tasks that are competitive differentiation, quality of service and productivity.
The first refers to the efforts undertaken by companies to make themselves perceived better than the competition, attract more customers and obtain more sales. This differentiation occurs via quality, via prices, via innovation or through the mixture of these elements.
The quality of service, as its name implies, is to deliver in a better way than the competitors a better product. It is not the same to enter a corporation and be kindly cared for than to enter another without giving instructions and the treatment is the worst. Therefore it is of utmost importance here, to have the suggestions and opinions of past experiences on the part of the clients.
Lastly, productivity can be achieved by asking suppliers to work harder; sacrificing a little quality and serving more; industrializing the service, that is, adding equipment and standardizing production; designing a more efficient service and finally presenting clients with incentives to substitute their own workforce for that of the company.
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Challenges |
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*Differentiation |
*Quality |
*Productivity |
As we could see, the world of service companies moves towards total customer satisfaction, it is our decision therefore to access those where we feel better and where we know, we will never find problems.
