Services marketing

With services marketing (English Services Marketing or Marketing of Services ) is called in business administration a relationship and value-oriented approach of marketing that deals with the problem of marketing service providers.

Structurally, the marketing of services has many similarities with the marketing of Sachgutherstellern. Content, however, there are many differences, since services have a characteristic essential difference to material goods (see section "Special "). " Marketing of Services ", therefore, does not refer to the entire marketing of services, but only those aspects in which their marketing is different from the Sachguthersteller.

Term discriminating: service marketing

Special

On the importance of the role concepts: see service ( process model ).

A service - in short called " service " below - is different from a tangible good in principle in the following point:

This difference has significant implications for the marketing, that is, the design of the market relations of service providers:

A service as such is not storable. He therefore can not be produced ahead (example: theater performance, passenger transport ).
It follows that: Provides a service provider to a service, it can, because the service has yet to be provided, initially only give a performance promise. To make against a prospective its expertise yet convincingly, the service provider can substitute (that is, in a kind of circumstantial evidence ), for example, reputable occur and communicate,
Explain how he intends to solve the the contemplated contract,
Refer to the age of the company,
Refer to loyal customers,
Prominent customer name (so-called name dropping )
Refer to the size of the customer base,
Refer to the economic success of the company in recent years,
Make available to the prospective competence profiles of employees who are suitable for the implementation of the contemplated contract,
Describe the internal quality management,
Office equipment present,
A sample of his ability to store,
Interested parties can watch the execution of a comparable job
The interested party to show off a video showing the service provider in the execution of a comparable job
The interested party photos show that represent the initial and final states of a comparable contract which the service provider has performed,
Details of previous orders describe, which give an insight into the breadth and depth of experience of the service provider,
Report on previous successful assignments that are similar to the contemplated contract,
Refer to a possible economic price, with which the service provider was recognized for special efforts to quality, innovation and environmental protection, or
In a verifiable, positive references of trustworthy persons or institutions refer ( reference marketing).

A service as such is not transportable. Either the service consumer and the "object" to which the service is to be performed, consult the provider of the service or the provider of the service must themselves to the service consumer or to the " object" to which the service should be provided, issued.
A length of service can not be returned, but - be undone except (eg cancellation of a bank posting ) - if at all. The latter means the provision of another service.
For the provision of many services, the presence of the service consumer is required. The provision ( = power) of the service by the service provider and the utilization ( = consumption) by the service consumer will fall in time and space (example: medical treatment). - For other services, the presence of the service consumers in service delivery, however, is not necessary. Often the result of service provision will be subject to delayed taken by the consumer in claim (example: pressing of garments ).
For the provision of a service, an input (eg, a participation, a provision ) of the service consumer is often required. ( Example: For a consumer advice the client needs to the consultant describe the situation to be assessed. )
The quality of a service ( so-called quality of service ) must be assessed by other methods and criteria as the quality of a Sachguts (so-called product quality). For a service to play non-material aspects (eg punctuality, friendliness ), with a tangible good, however, the physical and operational aspects (eg durability, ergonomics) a greater role.
When providing a service, the service provider has often personally to do with the service consumer. With regard to the quality of service, this places special requirements

To the appearance, the appearance, the appearance and behavior of the service provider and
To the facility, equipment, appearance and ambience of the area of service provision (so-called " service Cape ").

The more complex a service and can dismantle the less he is into simpler services (or service contributions)

The more the success of the service depends on the competence of the service provider and from
The less can be achieved by increasing the use of human resources ( manpower ) earnings growth, since each additional unit of resources inefficient working than the previous (the problem of declining balance scalability ).

Marketing mix

Due to these concerns, the marketing mix is extended by three points: the processes that people and the physical evidence.

Processes: Describes all the processes that are necessary for the creation of the service to ensure customer satisfaction.
People: Any person coming into contact with the customer, has an impact on their satisfaction with the performance. In particular, the occurrence and the (professional) competence in this context are crucial, because the customer often does not separate the actual service of the people or can separate.
Physical Proof: Because the service is not physically tangible, lacking the customers important criteria for assessing the quality. Alternatively, the service provider may attempt to establish a physical relation on appropriate measures. For example, hand over insurance companies, insurance policies often in relatively lavish ring binders or tour operators shall, printed t-shirts out to tourists.

Customer satisfaction and trust

The sustained quality of service depends on the processes and the people involved. Therefore, the formation of trust and satisfaction is of great importance. The basis for this provide appropriate staff training, and often creating a meaningful corporate identity ( corporate identity) dar.

This is especially true for those service providers which have very wide -ranging knowledge of the financial and personal relationships of the customer by virtue of his trading in circumstances such as lawyers, accountants, insurance companies and banks. It is worthwhile for the companies with the clients on a long- term customer relationship (relationship marketing).

The customer's confidence in the provider is here often more difficult to acquire than in industries tend to short-term customer relationships ( eg tourism ), in particular because the transaction costs are higher when switching to a different provider and errors in the business relationship for the customer serious can drag problems.

Conversely, here lead to lasting damage to customer confidence and long-term impact on the earnings situation errors in the marketing activities. For example, resulted in the separation of the private client segment of Deutsche Bank German bank for high net worth private clients (individual customer) and German Bank 24 as an online bank for less wealthy clients to confusion for those customers who did not make the hurdle to individual customers, since that connection - recognizable among other on credit or debit card - even the Third was known. Fearing the loss of these customers, the Bank provided this project shortly back on and the brand no longer used German bank 24.

Distribution channels

Phone book and yellow pages
Internet
Personal recommendations
Service agency
Order auction

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