Marketing of Services: A Managerial Perspective

Citation

Palaima, T. (2007), "Marketing of Services: A Managerial Perspective", Baltic Journal of Management, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 225-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465260710751017

In the beginning of the book it is explained that this book “is a practical guide to how African organizations can improve their service propositions”. The authors states that “the text is not written in a heavy academic style, but rather in easily assimilated language, making it an instant coffee service manual for several categories of business academics and professionals”.

In the first chapter of the book the four main characteristics that distinguish services from goods are explained. Namely, these characteristics are intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability. Each of these characteristics is very clearly defined. In the end of this chapter services marketing mix is introduced. The second chapter begins with the nuances of services and resulting implications of the four services characteristics. After that, strategies to overcome problems caused by services characteristics are suggested. However, the structure of the first two chapters is not appropriate. The links between services characteristics, resulting implications and the elements of services marketing mix may not be clear for a reader. There is no visualization of possible actions, which a manager could take to overcome problems caused by services characteristics. Furthermore, the reader may not understand what elements of services marketing mix can be used to manage services characteristics related problems as there is no visual scheme or clear explanation in the text. After all, the book is not structured around a conceptual model or framework that positions the key concepts, strategies and decisions in services marketing. Services marketing mix could be such a framework, but the book is not structured around this framework. The absence of structure does not help a manager to understand services marketing principles as an integrated system.

In the Chapter 4 concepts of customer expectations and zone of tolerance are explained. The concepts are described in a very detailed way. However, readers would benefit more if there were a visual scheme. The concepts of customer expectations and zone of tolerance are very closely tied to services quality, but in the textbook these concepts are presented like unrelated to each other. Customer expectations and zone of tolerance are presented in Chapter 4 while services quality is presented in Chapter 12. The structure does not help to understand the links between these concepts. In the Chapter 12 SERVQUAL model is explained in a very clear and detailed way. The author clarifies all the limitations and criticism of SERVQUAL. However, there is no any simple example of SERVQUAL scale. It is not clear what statements are used to measure reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles dimensions. The author focuses heavily on SERVQUAL method while other elements of effective marketing research program are not presented. For example, it would be beneficial for a manager to know how to apply SERVQUAL, mystery shopping, and focus groups to measure service quality.

Services marketers usually have access to many alternative forms of communication, sometimes referred to collectively as the marketing communication mix. Communication elements vary in their capabilities according to the types of messages they can convey and the market segments most likely to be exposed to them. Communication experts draw a broad vision between personal communications and impersonal communications. However, in Chapter 8 (Professional Service Communication) the author neither defines the services marketing communication mix nor explains classification of communication channels. There are no visualization therefore reader may not understand what integrated services marketing communication is. Although the main objective of professional service communication is defined, the classification of objectives could be broader. It would help readers to understand how services communication differs from goods. The author points out that “communication strategies for professional service firms should usually be predicated on a clearly articulated marketing communication strategy”. However, the key planning considerations of services marketing communications are not explained.

Chapters 9 and 10 (Service Customer complaints and Service Failures and Service recovery) are the most useful chapters of the book. In the beginning the main sources of customer complaints are defined. The author points out that complaint management is vital to a service organization and gives strong and clear arguments. Different viewpoints about criteria of an effective customer compliant management system are presented. After that a short classification of customer complaint management methods is provided. The author explains how a service organization should respond to complaints. Short practical suggestions of these chapters may be useful for managers working in a service organization. These basic principles could help a manager to implement an effective customer complaint management system.

Despite above mentioned criticism, the book may me useful for managers working in service organizations. It may help to understand the very basic services management principles, concepts and definitions before broader studies of services marketing.