16-1
Part 6
MANAGING
SERVICE
PROMISES
16-2
Provider Gap 4
16-3
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 4
Integrated Services Marketing
Communications
Chapter16-4
16
 The Need for Coordination in Marketing
Communication
 Key Service Communication Challenges
 Five Categories of Strategies to Match
Service Promises with Delivery
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
16-5
Objectives for Chapter 16:
Integrated Services Marketing Communications
 Discuss the key service communication
challenges.
 Introduce the concept of integrated service
marketing communications.
 Discuss ways to integrate marketing
communications in service organizations.
 Present specific strategies for addressing service
intangibility, managing promises, managing
customer expectations, educating customers, and
managing internal communications.
Communications and the Services
Marketing Triangle
16-6
16-7
Integrated Services Communications
 Integrated Services Communications
 a strategy that carefully integrates all external and internal
communication channels to present a consistent message to
customers
 This means coordination across:




sales and service people
print
Internet
other forms of tangible communication including the servicescape
 How is this done in services?





advertising
sales presentations
service encounters with employees
servicescape and other tangibles
Internet and web presence




public relations
pricing
service guarantees
customer education
Five Major Approaches to Overcome
Service Communication Channels
16-8
(1) Approaches for Addressing
Service Intangibility
 Use narrative to
demonstrate the service
experience
 Present vivid information
 Use interactive imagery
 Focus on the tangibles
 Use brand icons to make
the service tangible
 Use association, physical
representation,
documentation, and
visualization
 Feature service employees
in communication
16-9
 Use buzz or viral marketing
 Leverage social media
 Aim messages to
influencers
 Create advertising that
generates talk because it is
humorous, compelling, or
unique
 Feature satisfied
customers in the
communication
 Generate word-of-mouth
through employee
relationships
Services Advertising Strategies Matched
with Properties of Intangibility
16-10
(2) Approaches for Managing Service
Promises
 Create a strong service brand
 Coordinate external communication
16-11
16-12
Service Branding Model
(3) Approaches for Managing Customer
Expectations
 Make realistic promises
 Offer service guarantees
 Offer choices
 Create tiered-value service offerings
 Communicate the criteria and levels of
service effectiveness
16-13
(4) Approaches for Managing Customer
Education
 Prepare customers for the service process
 Confirm performance to standards and
expectations
 Clarify expectations after the sale
 Teach customers to avoid peak demand
periods and to seek slow demand periods
16-14
(5) Approaches for Managing Internal
Marketing Communication
16-15
 Create effective vertical communications
 Sell the brand inside the company
 Create effective upward communication
 Create effective horizontal communications
 Align back-office and support personnel with
external customers through interaction or
measurement
 Create cross-functional teams of sales, service,
and operations people when developing new
services or engaging in service improvements
 Maintain a customer focus throughout all functions
16-16
Interactive Imagery: Travelers
16-17
Service Brand Icon: The GEICO Lizard
Focusing on Tangibles Associated with
the Service: The Sierra Club
16-18
Best Practices for Closing the
Communication Gap (Gap 4)
16-19
 Employing integrated services marketing
communication strategies around everything
and everyone that sends a message or
signal.
 Manage customer expectations effectively
throughout the experience.
 Develop mechanisms for internal
communication to avoid over-promising and
ensure successful delivery.
16-20
DHL’s Integrated Marketing Campaign
Source: http://www.newdhl.com/advertising.asp?cid=dhlbt1hmpg1
16-21
DHL’s Outdoor Advertising
16-22
DHL’s Print Advertising
DHL’s Print Advertising Links to
Employees
16-23
16-24
Service Brand Icons
16-25
“Relax, It’s FedEx” Campaign
 Campaign objective:
 demonstrate that FedEx’s portfolio of services will help
businesses meet their needs more effectively
 Aimed at all businesses:
 from small businesses to corporate customers
 Integrated marketing communications campaign
involves TV, print, and radio ads
 the message: the reliability that customers have come to
expect is now more certain than ever, so they can “relax”
16-26
FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Keeping costs down is the most
important thing.
Right after the 107 other things.
Give your customers what they want, when
they want it with FedEx Ground and the vast
FedEx® transportation portfolio. It's a
variety of services that is sure to meet your
variety of transportation needs. Like giving
you product visibility throughout the delivery
process via FedEx InSight® so you can
increase customer expectations and
customer service all while keeping costs
down. To find out everything we can do for
you call 1.800.Go.FedEx
(1.800.463.3339).
distribution.fedex.com/01
Relax, it's FedEx.
16-27
FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Make your customers happy, even
when they're not.
Turn dissatisfied customers into
customers who come back. FedEx Ground
and the FedEx® transportation portfolio
can give you a returns process that's easy
for your customers and cost effective for
you. Giving the customer what they want,
when they want is a must. No matter how
many tries it takes. To find out what we
can do for you call 1.800.Go.FedEx
(1.800.463.3339).
retail.fedex.com/03
Relax, it's FedEx.
16-28
FedEx Website
 www.fedex.com
 easy to use
 ties in with whole value proposition of campaign
 Print ads drive customers to websites with
information on how FedEx provides
solutions for specific industries:
 retail, wholesale, apparel
16-29
Sports Sponsorship
 Does not tie in directly with the “Relax, It’s FedEx”
campaign, but increases brand awareness
16-30
FedEx: Metrics for IMC Campaign
 FedEx must be able to evaluate the
effectiveness of integrated marketing
communication campaign
 customer surveys and focus groups about brand
awareness
 number of telephone inquiries
 number of website hits and click-throughs
 number of shipments by customer segment
 growth in sales since campaign inception
16-31
FedEx: IMC Campaign Effectiveness
 Consistency of message
 Use narratives to demonstrate service
experience
 Presents vivid information
 Promises what is possible
 Encourages word-of-mouth communication
 Indirectly features service customers
16-32
FedEx: Internal Communications
 Service employees must be well versed in what
ads are promising
 Knowledge of services offered across the
organization
 call centers
 web design
 e-mail response mechanisms
 InSight (new service offered)
 Cross-functional communication
 operations
 public relations/marketing