1. IMC of Services Marketing
Managing the Service Promises
Chapter 16

2. External Communications to Customers
Provider Gap 4
CUSTOMER
Service Delivery
External Communications to Customers
COMPANY
The Communication Gap
Part 6 Opener

3. Communications and the Services Marketing Triangle
Figure 16.1
Company
External Marketing Communication Advertising
Sales promotion Public relations
Direct marketing Sponsorship Marketing
Database Marketing
Internal Marketing Vertical communications Horizontal communications
Employees
Customers
Interactive Marketing Personal selling Customer service center Service encounters Servicescapes
Source: Kotler, Philip, Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control, 9th Edition, © 1997.

4. Why are services more difficult to promote than physical products?

5. Key Reasons for Service Communication Challenges
Inadequate management of service promises
Usually and issue internally between departments or employees.
Inadequate management of customer expectations
Can be a result of external marketing providing unrealistic expectations.
Inadequate customer education
This often exists with high involvement services – i.e., certain medical services, certain financial services, etc.
Inadequate internal marketing communications
Both horizontal and vertical communication is important – i.e., between service employees and between management and employees

6. Approaches for Integrating Services Marketing Communication
Figure 16.2
Manage
customer
expectations
Manage
service
promises
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Improve
customer
education
Manage
internal
marketing
communication

7. Approaches for Managing Service Promises
Figure 16.3
MANAGING SERVICE PROMISES
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Create effective
services
communications
Coordinate
external
communication
Make
realistic
promises
Offer
service
guarantees

8. Create Effective Services Advertising
Use narratives to demonstrate the service experience
Present vivid information
Use interactive imagery
Focus on the tangible
Feature service employees in communication
Promise what is possible
Encourage word-of-mouth communication
Feature service customers
Use transformational advertising

9. Coordinate External Communication
Advertising
Websites
Sales promotion
Public relations
Personal selling

10. Approaches for Managing Customer Expectations
Figure 16.11
Offer choices
Create tiered-value
offerings
Communicate criteria for
service effectiveness
Communicate unrealistic
expectations
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises

11. Approaches for Improving Customer Education
Figure 16.12
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Prepare customers
for the service process
Confirm performance
to standards
Clarify
Expectations before/
after the sale
Teach customers to avoid peak demand periods and seek slow periods

12. Approaches for Managing Internal Marketing Communications
Figure 16.13
Goal:
Delivery is
greater than
or equal to
promises
Create
effective vertical
communications
Create
effective horizontal
communications
Align back-office personnel with
external customers
Create
cross-functional
teams

13. Which of these gaps are the easiest, hardest to close?

14. Mini Case – Vancouver Aquarium Tours – page 536

15. Key Factors Leading to the Customer Gap
Customer Expectations
Customer
Perceptions
Gap

16. Key Factors Leading to Gap 4
Lack of integrated services marketing communications
Over promising
Ineffective management of customer expectations
Inadequate horizontal communications