Exam 13: Designing and Managing Services

Several strategies exist for managing the supply and demand of services. List the strategies for managing each and give an example of each strategy.

In the customer support center where Carl works, employees are taught to make conversation to put customers at their ease. As customers don't like being kept waiting, they must also try to minimize the time that customers spend waiting for service. Thus, when there are a number of customers lined up, Carl usually has to decide whether to answer a customer's questions in detail or move on quickly to the next customer. The firm's standards are not clear on how they want him to perform. When asked, his boss answers, "You make the decision." This is an example of which service-quality gap?

When customers calculate the perceived economic benefits of a continuously provided service in relationship to the economic costs, they are gauging the ________.

An oil drilling company ordered a number of pumpjacks for its operations. The pumpjack is an essential part of its operations and the company needs the equipment to be operational at all times. How can the pumpjack manufacturer demonstrate its service dependability?

Which of the following steps will help service firms to increase their quality control?

In which of the following cases is a service provider trying to increase non-peak demand?

The customer service representatives at a call center have been asked to handle each call in not more than five minutes. At the same time, they have been asked to answer all customer queries in detail and provide appropriate solutions. What kind of service gap is apparent here?

Credence qualities of a service are difficult to evaluate before purchase, but easy to evaluate after consumption.

Kaya, a chain of skin clinics, requests each new visitor to fill up their own details on a printed form. This is a step in ________.

Josh travels often on business trips. He usually uses the services of the Sunshine Cab Company to take him to the airport and pick him up from the airport. Though the fares are usually higher than those of other private taxi companies, he prefers to use Sunshine cabs because they're always on time and have well-maintained cabs. Which determinant of service quality does this demonstrate?

Ellen came across an ad for a new restaurant which promised authentic French cuisine. When she ate there, however, she was disappointed to find that the food was mediocre and not very authentic. Which of the following gaps of service performance does this demonstrate?

A ________ refers to any place at which a company seeks to manage a relationship with a customer, whether through people, technology, or some combination of the two.

The appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials are the tangibles that convey service quality to consumers.

Fingerpainted organizes art camps and craft activities for children. The company has noticed that demand is highest during summer vacations and drops during the year. What can Fingerpainted do to attract customers at other times of year?

Unlike physical products, services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought. This is known as the ________ aspect of services.

Which of the following will most help service providers overcome the limitation of intangibility of services when positioning itself?

Jake had an appointment at the doctor's, but couldn't make it on time because he was caught in traffic. By the time he reached the doctor's office, the doctor had already begun with the next patient. This illustrates the ________ of services.

Which one of the following would be considered high in credence qualities?

The Caesar Park Hotel generally caters to business customers during the week, but has now decided to promote minivacation weekends for non-business customers as well. What is the Caesar Park Hotel trying to do?

In which of the following does a customer respond to the functional quality of a service?