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The Eight Components of Integrated Service Management

The eight components of integrated service management are: 1. Product elements - selecting core products and supplementary services to create value for customers. 2. Place and time - deciding how and where to deliver products and services to customers. 3. Process - designing effective processes for creating and delivering products and services to customers. 4. Productivity and quality - balancing productivity to control costs with quality that satisfies customers. 5. People - interactions between customers and employees strongly influence perceptions of service quality. 6. Promotion and education - communicating needed information to customers through various media. 7. Physical evidence - tangible cues like facilities and equipment impact customer impressions of quality. 8. Price and other costs - managing

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2K views

The Eight Components of Integrated Service Management

The eight components of integrated service management are: 1. Product elements - selecting core products and supplementary services to create value for customers. 2. Place and time - deciding how and where to deliver products and services to customers. 3. Process - designing effective processes for creating and delivering products and services to customers. 4. Productivity and quality - balancing productivity to control costs with quality that satisfies customers. 5. People - interactions between customers and employees strongly influence perceptions of service quality. 6. Promotion and education - communicating needed information to customers through various media. 7. Physical evidence - tangible cues like facilities and equipment impact customer impressions of quality. 8. Price and other costs - managing

Uploaded by

Rohan Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The eight components of integrated service management

Product elements.
Place and time.
Process.
Productivity and quality.
People.
Promotion and education.
Physical evidence.
Price and other costs of service.
Product Elements Managers must select the features of both the core product
(either a good or service) and the bundle of supplementary service elements
surrounding it, with reference to the benefits desired by customers and how well
competing products perform. In short, we need to be attentive to all aspects of the
service performance that have the potential to create value for customers.
Place and Time Delivering product elements to customers involves decisions on
the place and time of delivery, as well as the methods and channels employed.
Delivery may involve physical or electronic distribution channels (or both),
depending on the nature of the service being provided. Firms may deliver service
directly to customers or through intermediary organisa- tions, such as retail outlets
owned by other companies, which receive a fee or percentage of the selling price to
perform certain tasks associated with sales, service and customer-contact. Speed
and convenience of place and time for the customer are becoming important
determinants in service delivery strategy.
Process Creating and delivering product elements to customers requires the
design and implementa- tion of effective processes. A process describes the method
and sequence of actions in which service operating systems work. Badly designed
processes are likely to annoy custom- ers when the latter experience slow,
bureaucratic and ineffective service delivery. Similarly, poor processes make it
difficult for front-line staff to do their jobs well, result in low productivity and
increase the likelihood of service failures.
Productivity and Quality These elements, often treated separately, should be
seen as two sides of the same coin. No service firm can afford to address either
element in isolation. Productivity relates to how inputs are transformed into outputs
that are valued by customers, while quality refers to the degree to which a service
satisfies customers by meeting their needs, wants and expectations. Improving

productivity is essential to keep costs under control, but managers must beware of
making inappropriate cuts in service levels that are resented by customers (and
perhaps by employees, too). Service quality, as defined by customers, is essential
for product differentia- tion and for building customer loyalty. However, investing in
quality improvement without understanding the trade-off between incremental
costs and incremental revenues may place the profitability of the firm at risk.
People Many services depend on direct, personal interaction between customers
and a firms employees (like getting a haircut or eating at a restaurant.) The nature
of these interactions strongly influences the customers perceptions of service
quality.23 Customers will often judge the quality of the service they receive largely
on their assessment of the people providing the service. Successful service firms
devote significant effort to recruiting, training and motivating their personnel,
especially but not exclusively those who are in direct contact with customers.
Promotion and Education No marketing programme can succeed without
effective communications. This component plays three vital roles: providing needed
information and advice, persuading target customers of the merits of a specific
product, and encouraging them to take action at specific times. In services
marketing, much communication is educational in nature, especially for new
customers. Companies may need to teach these customers about the benefits of
the service, where and when to obtain it, and provide instructions on how to
participate in service processes. Communications can be delivered by individuals,
such as salespeople and trainers, or through such media as TV, radio, newspapers,
magazines, posters, brochures and websites. Promotional activities may serve to
marshal arguments in favour of selecting a particular brand or use incentives to
catch customers attention and motivate them to act.
Physical Evidence The appearance of buildings, landscaping, vehicles, interior
furnishing, equipment, staff members, signs, printed materials and other visible
cues all provide tangible evidence of a firms service quality. Service firms need to
manage physical evidence carefully, since it can have a profound impact on
customers impressions. In services with few tangible elements, such as insurance,
advertising is often employed to create meaningful symbols. For instance, an
umbrella may symbolise protection, and a fortress, security.
Price and Other Costs of Service This component addresses management of
the costs incurred by customers in obtaining benefits from the service product.
Responsibilities are not limited to the traditional pricing tasks of establishing the
selling price to customers, setting trade margins and establishing credit terms.
Service managers also recognise and, where practical, seek to minimise other costs
that customers may bear in purchasing and using a service, including time, mental
and physical effort, and unpleasant sensory experiences such as noises and smells.
1.4.2 Linking Services Marketing, Operations and Human Resources As shown by
the component elements of the 8Ps model, marketing cannot operate in isolation

from other functional areas in a successful service organisation. Three management


functions play central and interrelated roles in meeting customer needs: marketing,
opera- tions and human resources. Figure 1.3 illustrates this interdependency. In
future modules, we will be raising the question of how marketers should relate to
and involve their colleagues from other functional areas in planning and
implementing marketing strategies.

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