Download Integrated Services Marketing Communications

MANAGING
SERVICE
PROMISES
14-1
Provider Gap 4
CUSTOMER
COMPANY
Gap 4: The Communication Gap
External
Service delivery
communications to
customers
14-2
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 4
14-3
Integrated Service Marketing
Communications
 The Need for Coordination in Marketing
Communication
 Key Service Communication Challenges
 Five Categories of Strategies to Match Service
Promises with Delivery
14-4
Communications and the
Services Marketing Triangle
Company
Internal Marketing
Vertical Communications
Horizontal Communications
Employees
Interactive Marketing
External Marketing
Communication
Advertising
Sales Promotion
Public Relations
Direct Marketing
Customers
Personal Selling
Customer Service Center
Service Encounters
Servicescapes
Source: Parts of model adapted from work by Christian Gronroos and Phillip Kotler
Integrated Service Marketing Communications
 Integrated Service Communications
 a strategy that carefully integrates all external and internal
communication channels to present a consistent message to customers
 This means coordination across:




sales and service people
print
Internet
other forms of tangible communication including the servicescape
 How is this done in services?





advertising
sales presentations
service encounters with employees
servicescape and other tangibles
Internet and web presence




public relations
pricing
service guarantees
customer education
14-6
Approaches for Integrating Services
Marketing Communication
Manage
Customer
Expectations
Manage
Service
Promises
Goal:
Delivery
greater than
or equal to
promises
Manage
Internal
Marketing
Communication
Improve
Customer
Education
(1) Approaches for Addressing Service
Intangibility
 Use narrative to demonstrate
the service experience
 Present vivid information
 Use interactive imagery
 Focus on the tangibles
 Use brand icons to make the
service tangible
 Use association, physical
representation,
documentation, and
visualization
 Feature service employees in
communication
 Use buzz or viral marketing
 Leverage social media
 Aim messages to influencers
 Create advertising that
generates talk because it is
humorous, compelling, or
unique
 Feature satisfied customers in
the communication
 Generate word-of-mouth
through employee
relationships
14-8
Services Advertising Strategies Matched with
Properties of Intangibility
14-9
(2) Approaches for Managing Service Promises
 Create a strong service brand
 Coordinate external communication
14-10
Service Branding Model
14-11
Approaches for
Managing Customer Expectations
Offer Choices
Create Tiered-Value
Offerings
Communicate Criteria for
Service Effectiveness
Negotiate
Unrealistic
Expectations
Goal:
Delivery
greater than
or equal to
promises
Approaches for
Improving Customer Education
Goal:
Delivery
greater than
or equal to
promises
Prepare
Customers
for the
Service
Process
Confirm
Performance
to Standards
Clarify
Expectations
after the Sale
Teach
Customers
to Avoid
Peak
Demand
Periods
and
Seek Slow
Periods
Approaches for Managing
Internal Marketing Communications
Goal:
Delivery
greater than
or equal to
promises
Create Effective
Vertical
Communications
Create Effective
Horizontal
Communications
Align Back
Office Personnel
w/ External Customers
Create
Cross-Functional
Teams
Best Practices for Closing the Communication
Gap (Gap 4)
 Employing integrated service marketing
communication strategies around everything
and everyone that sends a message or signal.
 Manage customer expectations effectively
throughout the experience.
 Develop mechanisms for internal
communication to avoid over-promising and
ensure successful delivery.
14-15
DHL’s Outdoor Advertising
DHL’s Print Advertising
DHL’s Print Advertising Links to Employees
“Relax, It’s FedEx” Campaign
 Campaign objective:
 demonstrate that FedEx’s portfolio of services will help
businesses meet their needs more effectively
 Aimed at all businesses:
 from small businesses to corporate customers
 Integrated marketing communications campaign
involves TV, print, and radio ads
 the message: the reliability that customers have come to
expect is now more certain than ever, so they can “relax”
FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Keeping costs down is the most
important thing.
Right after the 107 other things.
Give your customers what they want, when
they want it with FedEx Ground and the vast
FedEx® transportation portfolio. It's a
variety of services that is sure to meet your
variety of transportation needs. Like giving
you product visibility throughout the delivery
process via FedEx InSight® so you can
increase customer expectations and
customer service all while keeping costs
down. To find out everything we can do for
you call 1.800.Go.FedEx
(1.800.463.3339).
distribution.fedex.com/01
Relax, it's FedEx.
FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Make your customers happy, even
when they're not.
Turn dissatisfied customers into
customers who come back. FedEx Ground
and the FedEx® transportation portfolio
can give you a returns process that's easy
for your customers and cost effective for
you. Giving the customer what they want,
when they want is a must. No matter how
many tries it takes. To find out what we
can do for you call 1.800.Go.FedEx
(1.800.463.3339).
retail.fedex.com/03
Relax, it's FedEx.
FedEx Website
 www.fedex.com
 easy to use
 ties in with whole value proposition of campaign
 Print ads drive customers to websites with
information on how FedEx provides solutions for
specific industries:
 retail, wholesale, apparel
Sports Sponsorship
 Does not tie in directly with the “Relax, It’s FedEx”
campaign, but increases brand awareness
FedEx: Metrics for IMC Campaign
 FedEx must be able to evaluate the
effectiveness of integrated marketing
communication campaign
 customer surveys and focus groups about brand
awareness
 number of telephone inquiries
 number of website hits and click-throughs
 number of shipments by customer segment
 growth in sales since campaign inception
FedEx: IMC Campaign Effectiveness
 Consistency of message
 Use narratives to demonstrate service
experience
 Presents vivid information
 Promises what is possible
 Encourages word-of-mouth communication
 Indirectly features service customers
FedEx: Internal Communications
 Service employees must be well versed in what ads are
promising
 Knowledge of services offered across the organization
 call centers
 web design
 e-mail response mechanisms
 InSight (new service offered)
 Cross-functional communication
 operations
 public relations/marketing