Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to: • Explain the distinguishing features of services as compared to physical goods and explain their impact on the marketing mix. • Review a service experience and determine the factors that influenced the quality of the service provided. • Apply the concepts of product development and management in a service setting. • Effectively promote a service. • Understand the variables involved in pricing a service and be able to able those variables to a specific service environment. • Apply concepts of demand management in a service setting. • Analyze the delivery of a service using the service quality gap model. • Understand the importance of customer retention for service profitability and be able to implement ways to improve retention.
• Importance of services • Distinguishing features of services as compared to physical goods • Concepts and application of customer loyalty and relationship marketing. • The elements of and the application of the service quality gap model. • The dimensions of service quality. • The elements of and the importance of the service profit chain. • Determining, understanding, and influencing customer perceptions of quality • Designing a customer focused service process • Delivering quality service • Complaint Management • Adapting promotional strategies for services (promotion element of the marketing mix) • Revenue management and pricing issues unique to services (pricing element of the promotional mix) • Measuring customer satisfaction after service delivery • Management and marketing of services capacity and demand management • The use of technology in marketing services