Services Marketing

The services domain concerns the largest business sectors both internationally and in our country, among which stand out the sectors of Financial and Insurance business, the tourism industry, this communication, the entertainment industry, sports and other important business-to-business (b2b) sectors. Furthermore nowadays in all products [goods] sectors accompanying / supporting services related to goods are evident. Easily therefore one concludes that issues related to Services Marketing are becoming more interesting for those business sectors. Starting from the analysis of the main characteristics of the services their peculiarities are found along with the economic, social, political and cultural role of the tertiary sector in the Greek and global economy. Moreover their classification systems and the problems faced by the organizations that provide them (i.e. the difficulties in synchronizing demand and supply, in quality control and in building relationships with customers) are presented. Then the key strategic issues of the model of 8 P of the marketing mix of services are analyzed: (Product, Place and Time = Distribution, Price and Other User Outlays = Pricing and Other Costs, Promotion and Education, Process, Physical Evidence = Natural Environment, People, Productivity and Quality). Starting from students’ personal experiences, service related issues are analyzed i.e. production processes and the importance of front-line personnel, development of new services, standardization and distribution, communication and branding, the pricing of services and the development and maintenance profitable and lasting relationships with customers.

Objectives

• In-depth appreciation and understanding of the unique challenges inherent in managing and delivering quality services. Participants will be introduced to and have the opportunity to work with tools and strategies that address these challenges. • Familiarity with and understanding of the ‘state of the art’ service management thinking with an emphasis on service-dominant logic and stakeholder perspective of firm management. • Ability to identify and apply the most appropriate framework for developing and implementing service strategies for competitive advantage across a wide array of industries. • Develop a customer service-oriented mindset. • Ability to identify the moral dimensions of service design and delivery and argue for an ethical approach.

Prerequisites

Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, it is necessary for students to have a firm grasp of Marketing Principles and Consumer Behavior and it is strongly recommended to have an understanding of Business or Marketing Research Methods. This course works well when taken alongside Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Strategic Marketing Planning or Marketing Management Courses.

Syllabus

INTRODUCTION TO SERVICES MARKETING Definition and description of services Differences between products and services Characteristics of services BEHAVIOUR CONSUMER SERVICES Services Classification Systems Process Purchasing Decision Before Purchase The Purchase After Purchase EVALUATION OF SERVICES Services Evaluation Criteria Customer Expectations of Services Service Satisfaction and Sevice Quality Assessment of Service "Moments of Truth" Service Evaluation Results THE THEORETICAL MODEL OF SERVICE QUALITY The Gaps in Services The Provider Gaps The Customer Gaps LISTENIG TO CUSTOMERS Marketing Research in Services Types of Marketing Research The «SERVQUAL» Questionnaire The «SERVPERF» Questionnaire SERVICE DESIGN The flower of Service Faciliting Services Enhancing Services NEW SERVICE DEVELOPMENT Types of New Services Stages in New Service Development Service Blueprinting Example of New Service Development PRICING AND MANAGEMENT REVENUE Introduction Pricing of Services Approaches to Pricing Services Costs and Outputs Revenue Management Ethical Issues in Pricing